The Washington Spectator
 | |
| Type | Monthly periodical |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | Tristram Coffin |
| Publisher | Hamilton Fish V |
| Editor | Louis Dubose |
| Founded | 1974 |
| Headquarters | New York City |
| ISSN | 0887-428X |
| Website | www |
The Washington Spectator is a left-leaning independent political periodical with a circulation of 60,000, published monthly by The Public Concern Foundation. It was founded by Tristram Coffin in 1971 as Washington Watch,[1] and became The Washington Spectator in 1974.[2] Generally, every issue covers a single topic—most often, one that its editors believe is not receiving sufficient coverage in the mainstream media outlets.
Current leadership
The current editor-in-chief is Lou Dubose,[3] who assumed the editorship in 2007. Dubose is the author of Vice: Dick Cheney and the Hijacking of the American Presidency and co-author, with Molly Ivins, of the books Bushwhacked: Life in George Bush’s America, Shrub: The Short but Happy Political Life of George W. Bush, and Bill of Wrongs: The Executive Branch's Assault on America's Fundamental Rights.
The current publisher is Hamilton Fish.[4]
History
Besides founder and former editor Coffin, former editors include Ben A. Franklin, who helmed the periodical from 1993 to 2005.[5] In the early 1990s, the Spectator distinguished itself with reporting on the sexual assault scandals of Oregon Senator Robert Packwood, who resigned his office in 1995. [6]
Recent staffers include David Weigel, a reporter for The Washington Post. Former publisher Kevin Walter now serves as associate publisher of Mother Jones magazine.[7] Phillip Frazer has also served as publisher of the Spectator.
References
- ^ Fish, Hamilton. "Ben A. Franklin, 1927-2005," The Washington Spectator, January 1, 2006.
- ^ Robert McG. Thomas Jr. "Tristram Coffin Is Dead at 84; Created Washington Spectator," The New York Times, June 16, 1997.
- ^ Nichols, Lee. "Mr. Dubose Goes to Washington – Part Time," The Austin Chronicle, July 20, 2007.
- ^ "About the Spectator," The Washington Spectator (retrieved October 17, 2011).
- ^ "Ben A. Franklin, 78, Reporter for The Times, Dies," The New York Times, November 22, 2005.
- ^ Fibich, Linda. "A Gadfly's Fight for Credentials," American Journalism Review, November 1995.
- ^ Kevin Walter biography on motherjones.com (retrieved October 17, 2011).