Victor Saul Navasky (born July 5, 1932) is an American journalist, editor and academic. He is publisher emeritus of ''
The Nation
''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper t ...
'' and George T. Delacorte Professor Emeritus of Professional Practice in Magazine Journalism at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
. He was editor of ''The Nation'' from 1978 until 1995 and its publisher and editorial director from 1995 to 2005. Navasky's book ''Naming Names'' (1980) is considered a definitive take on the
Hollywood blacklist
The Hollywood blacklist was an entertainment industry blacklist, broader than just Hollywood, put in effect in the mid-20th century in the United States during the early years of the Cold War. The blacklist involved the practice of denying empl ...
. For it he won a 1982
National Book Award for Nonfiction
The National Book Award for Nonfiction is one of five U.S. annual National Book Awards, which are given by the National Book Foundation to recognize outstanding literary work by U.S. citizens. They are awards "by writers to writers". The panelists ...
.
["National Book Awards – 1982"]
National Book Foundation
The National Book Foundation (NBF) is an American nonprofit organization established, "to raise the cultural appreciation of great writing in America". Established in 1989 by National Book Awards, Inc.,Edwin McDowell. "Book Notes: 'The Joy Luc ...
. Retrieved 2012-03-11.[
This was the award for paperback "General Nonfiction". ]
From 1980 to 1983 in National Book Awards history there were several nonfiction subcategories including General Nonfiction, with dual hardcover and paperback awards in most categories. Most of the paperback award-winners were reprints, including this one.
He was awarded the
I.F. Stone Medal for Journalistic Independence by Harvard's
Nieman Foundation
The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University is the primary journalism institution at Harvard. It was founded in February 1938 as the result of a $1.4 million bequest by Agnes Wahl Nieman, the widow of Lucius W. Nieman, founder of ...
in 2017.
Early life and education
Navasky was born in New York City, the son of Esther (Goldberg) and Macy Navasky. In 1946, when he was in the eighth grade, he helped to raise money for the
Irgun Zvai Leumi — by passing a contribution basket at performances of
Ben Hecht’s play, ''A Flag is Born''.
He is a graduate of
Swarthmore College (1954), where he was elected to
Phi Beta Kappa
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...
and received high honors in the social sciences. While serving in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
from 1954 to 1956, he was stationed at
Fort Richardson in
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
. Following his discharge, he enrolled in
Yale Law School
Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by '' U.S. News & Worl ...
on the
GI Bill and received his
LL.B.
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
in 1959. While at Yale, he co-founded and edited the political satire magazine ''
Monocle
A monocle is a type of corrective lens used to correct or enhance the visual perception in only one eye. It consists of a circular lens, generally with a wire ring around the circumference that can be attached to a string or wire. The other ...
''.
Career
Before joining ''The Nation,'' Navasky was an editor at ''
The New York Times Magazine
''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. ...
''. He also wrote a monthly column about the publishing business ("In Cold Print") for the ''Times'' Book Review.
Navasky was named the editor of ''The Nation'' in 1978. In that forum, for many years, he was immortalized in
Calvin Trillin
Calvin Marshall Trillin (born 5 December 1935) is an American journalist, humorist, food writer, poet, memoirist and novelist. He is a winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor (2012) and an elected member of the American Academy of Arts ...
's Uncivil Liberties column as "the wily and parsimonious Victor S. Navasky," or "The W. & P." for short.
Navasky is a supporter of alleged Soviet spy
Alger Hiss, having published vociferous defences of the man's innocence in ''The Nation'' both during his lifetime and after.
In 1994, while on a year's leave of absence from ''The Nation'', he served first as a fellow at the
Institute of Politics at
Harvard Kennedy School
The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...
and then as a senior fellow at the
Freedom Forum Media Studies Center
Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving on ...
at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
. When he returned to ''The Nation'', he led a group of investors in buying the magazine, and became its publisher.
Navasky has also served as a
Guggenheim Fellow, a visiting scholar at the
Russell Sage Foundation and
Ferris Visiting Professor of Journalism
Ferris may refer to:
__NOTOC__ People and fictional characters
* Ferris (name), a list of people and fictional characters with either the given name or surname
* Ferris MC, stage name of German rapper Sascha Reimann (born 1973)
* Ferris Bueller, st ...
at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
. He has taught at a number of colleges and universities and has contributed articles and reviews to numerous magazines and journals of opinion.
In addition to his ''Nation'' responsibilities, Navasky is also Director of the George T. Delacorte Center for Magazine Journalism at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
, a member of the Board of
Independent Diplomat
Independent Diplomat is a non-profit non-governmental organisation founded in 2004 by British former diplomat Carne Ross to give advice and assistance in diplomatic strategy and technique to governments and political groups. It provides diplomat ...
, and a regular commentator on the public radio program
Marketplace
A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a '' souk'' (from the Arabic), ' ...
.
In 2005, Navasky was named chairman of the ''
Columbia Journalism Review
The ''Columbia Journalism Review'' (''CJR'') is a biannual magazine for professional journalists that has been published by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961. Its contents include news and media industry trends, an ...
'' (CJR). This appointment engendered some controversy; as Navasky's name did not appear on the masthead, critics on the political right saw this as hiding that, despite the magazine's purported lack of political bias, a "major left-wing polemicist is calling the shots at CJR without any mention on the masthead."
In 2005, Navasky received the
George Polk Book Award given annually by
Long Island University to honor contributions to journalistic integrity and investigative reporting. He serves on the boards of the
Authors Guild,
International PEN and the
Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American independent non-profit, non-governmental organization, based in New York City, New York, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journ ...
.
As of 2020, Navasky serves on the board of
Defending Rights & Dissent
Defending Rights & Dissent (DRAD) is a national not-for-profit advocacy organization in the United States, dedicated to defending civil liberties, exposing government repression, and protecting the right of political dissent. DRAD was formed as th ...
.
[
]
Marriage and family
Navasky, who has three children, lives in New York City, with his wife, Anne (Strongin) Navasky.
Publications
* ''Kennedy Justice'' (Atheneum, 1971)
* ''Naming Names'' (Viking, 1980); a book concerning the Hollywood blacklist
* ''The Experts Speak: The Definitive Compendium of Authoritative Misinformation'' (with
Christopher Cerf), 1984, 1998, ()
* ''A Matter of Opinion'' (Farrar Straus and Giroux, 2005) ()
* ''Mission Accomplished!'' (or ''How We Won the War in Iraq''), (with
Christopher Cerf), 2008, ()
* ''The Art of Controversy: Political Cartoons and Their Enduring Power'', (Knopf 2013) ()
Magazines
* ''
Monocle
A monocle is a type of corrective lens used to correct or enhance the visual perception in only one eye. It consists of a circular lens, generally with a wire ring around the circumference that can be attached to a string or wire. The other ...
'' (founding editor)
* ''
The Nation
''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper t ...
'' (editor, later publisher)
* ''
Columbia Journalism Review
The ''Columbia Journalism Review'' (''CJR'') is a biannual magazine for professional journalists that has been published by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961. Its contents include news and media industry trends, an ...
'' (chairman)
Notes
References
External links
*
Columbia Journalism School profile page*
*
Videos of 2010 Delacorte Magazine Lectures, moderated by Victor Navasky1984 audio interview of Victor Navasky, RealAudio at Wired for Books.org with Don SwaimThe Bat Segundo Show #64(2006 podcast interview with Navasky)
*
ttp://therealnews.com/t/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=74&jumival=330/ Interview with Victor Navasky on Barack Obama and his politics for changeby
Paul Jay
*
*
Victor S. Navasky Papers'', Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives ar New York University.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Navasky, Victor
American male journalists
Columbia University faculty
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism faculty
Harvard Fellows
1932 births
Living people
Military personnel from New York City
Princeton University alumni
Swarthmore College alumni
Yale Law School alumni
George Polk Award recipients
National Book Award winners
The Nation editors
The New York Times editors
Waldorf school alumni
American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent
Jewish American writers