Erwin Knoll (1931 – November 2, 1994) was an American journalist who was editor of ''

The Progressive ''The Progressive'' is a left-leaning American magazine and website covering politics and culture. Founded in 1909 by U.S. senator Robert M. La Follette Sr. and co-edited with his wife Belle Case La Follette, it was originally called ''La Follett ...

'' from 1973 to 1994.

Early life

Knoll was born in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, into a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family, and as a child fled from the Nazis."Erwin Knoll: A True Progressive". John B. Judis.''

In These Times ''In These Times'' is an American politically progressive monthly magazine of news and opinion published in Chicago, Illinois. It was established as a broadsheet-format fortnightly newspaper in 1976 by James Weinstein, a lifelong socialist. ...

'', November 28th, 1994 (p. 8-9) He later came to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

as a refugee. As a student journalist, Knoll would get into highly controversial debates with conservatives. He became a U.S. citizen in 1946.Erwin Knoll; Longtime Editor of The Progressive Magazine
''Los Angeles Times'' (November 7, 1994).

Career

Knoll began his journalistic career working with ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', and from 1963-1968 as the White House Correspondent for the Newhouse National News Service. Knoll's work landed him on Richard Nixon's master list of political opponents. Knoll joined ''The Progressive'' as Washington editor in 1968. He became editor of the magazine five years later, moving to

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

,Erwin Knoll Dies at 63
''The Washington Post'' (November 3, 1994). where the magazine was based. He remained editor for 21 years, until his death in 1994. Knoll described the magazine as the "ecumenical journal of the American left." Knoll was well-known as "a celebrated and outspoken defender of

free speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been ...

and a staunch opponent of

militarism Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability and to use it aggressively to expand national interests and/or values. It may also imply the glorification of the mili ...

." In 1979, soon after Knoll took over ''The Progressive'', the magazine became the first publication to be ordered not to print an article by a federal court due to national security. The article was titled "The H-Bomb Secret, How We Got It -- Why We're Telling It." Judge Robert W. Warren of the

U.S. District Court The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

in Milwaukee

enjoined An injunction is a legal remedy, legal and equitable remedy in the form of a special court order that compels a party (law), party to do or refrain from specific acts. ("The United States courts of appeals, court of appeals ... has exclusive ju ...

publication, but the

U.S. Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

dropped the action after a local newspaper, the ''Madison Press Connection,'' "printed a letter that the Government said also contained secret information about the bomb." Speaking to the House of Delegates of the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in January 1982,

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

William French Smith William French Smith II (August 26, 1917 – October 29, 1990) was an American lawyer and the 74th United States Attorney General. After attaining his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1942, Smith went on to join the law firm of Gibson, Du ...

referred to the

epigram An epigram is a brief, interesting, memorable, and sometimes surprising or satirical statement. The word is derived from the Greek "inscription" from "to write on, to inscribe", and the literary device has been employed for over two mille ...

"Everything you read in the newspapers is absolutely true except for the rare story of which you happen to have firsthand knowledge" as "Knoll's Law of Media Accuracy." Knoll was against the

Strategic Defense Initiative The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), derisively nicknamed the "''Star Wars'' program", was a proposed missile defense system intended to protect the United States from attack by ballistic strategic nuclear weapons (intercontinental ballistic ...

, arguing in 1983 that the Reagan Administration's assertion that SDI could be the "key to a decent, humane and peaceful future" was "to tell the biggest lie." In the 1980s, Knoll also regularly appeared on the TV program '' The MacNeil Lehrer Newshour''. Knoll caused some controversy by opposing the

First Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

Death

Knoll died at the age of 63 on November 2, 1994 in his sleep, following at heart attack, at his home in

External links

The Progressive

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knoll, Erwin 1931 births 1994 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers American magazine editors American male journalists American people of Austrian-Jewish descent Austrian Jews