text: Slate is an online magazine that covers current affairs, politics, and culture in the United States from a liberal perspective. It was created in 1996 by former "New Republic" editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On December 21, 2004, it was purchased by The Washington Post Company, later renamed the Graham Holdings Company. Since June 4, 2008, "Slate" has been managed by The Slate Group, an online publishing entity created by the Graham Holdings Company to develop and manage web-only magazines. "Slate" is based in New York City, with an additional office in Washington, D.C. 
  
  A French version "(slate.fr)" was launched in February 2009 by a group of four journalists, including Jean-Marie Colombani, Eric Leser, and economist Jacques Attali. Among them, the founders hold 50% in the publishing company, while The Slate Group holds 15%. In 2011, "slate.fr" started a separate site covering African news, "Slate Afrique", with a Paris-based editorial staff. 
  
  In July 2014, Julia Turner replaced David Plotz, who had been editor of "Slate" since 2008. Plotz had been the deputy editor to Jacob Weisberg, "Slate's" editor from 2002 until his designation as the chairman and editor-in-chief of The Slate Group. The Washington Post Company's John Alderman is "Slate"s publisher.