Christopher McCaffery ’16 recently accepted a position as associate publisher of Liberties Journal of Culture and Politics.

“The mission is to create the most thoughtful, considerate, and best writing that is possible to read,” McCaffery said. 

Liberties is a publication of the Liberties Journal Foundation and publishes a variety of essays on topics including literary criticism, cultural criticism, politics, and international studies. The journal was launched in 2020 and publishes quarterly, according to its website.

McCaffery majored in English and minored in journalism at Hillsdale. Following graduation, McCaffery worked at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Ethics and Public Policy Center.

“The rhetorical act is an essential part of a healthy society,” McCaffery said. 

McCaffery said his Hillsdale education was instrumental in his career trajectory.

“The love of reading, the study of humanities, and the liberal arts tradition is extremely close to the thesis of what we do at Liberties,” McCaffery said. “My studies at Hillsdale not only gave me the grounding and critical thinking skills to engage in this work, but it also cultured me and prepared me to fit in with my colleagues. Everything I’ve done since is a product of my Hillsdale education.”

McCaffery attributes many of his skills to the work he did for campus publications. He was assistant opinions editor and columnist for The Hillsdale Collegian.

“I worked for The Collegian all four years, which was itself transformative,” McCaffery said. “Everything from news reporting, having a column, and copy-editing was all essential.”

McCaffery said he also wrote for other student publications that gave him writing experience outside of straight journalism. 

“I ran the Hillsdale Forum for most of my time at Hillsdale,” McCaffery said. “That gave me a massive love for long form essays and for thoughtful consideration.”

Director of the Dow Journalism Program John J. Miller taught McCaffery in the program while he was at Hillsdale and advised him in The Collegian. Miller said McCaffery is a great writer, and he is happy to see his success.

“It’s great to see him flourishing in the world of small magazines, which are often the engine of big ideas,” Miller said.

In 2021, McCaffery published his own edition of George Eliot’s novel “Middlemarch: A Study in Provincial Life.” 

“He has a strong entrepreneurial streak,” Miller said. “He also founded and runs the Washington Review of Books, which is an interesting and worthwhile Substack newsletter. These qualities will serve him as he tries to help Liberties grow.”

Associate Professor of English Dwight Lindley also had McCaffery in class.

“He was a classic Hillsdale intellectual,” Lindley said. “He had lots of ideas and loved to sit around talking about them. He was the kind of student who always connected reading for the class to other books he was going through outside class.”

Lindley said he is glad to contribute to his students’ lives.

“I feel quite proud and grateful that God has given me a role to play in their life trajectories, however small,” Lindley said.

Lindley said McCaffery was a talented student, and his talents will carry over well into this new job.

“Chris was always an ideas guy, but he was also a people person, thriving in groups and interpersonal engagements,” Lindley said. “I think this editing job makes great use of his talents because it requires him to be thoughtful about both ideas and relationships. I think he’ll do great work.”