A Matter of Opinion

by Victor S. Navasky

Victor S. Navasky is the renowned editor, writer, and teacher who has been at the helm of The Nation for almost thirty years. A Matter of Opinion , a scintillating reflection on his journalistic experiences, is also an extraordinary political document-a spirited, provocative argument for independent journals of opinion as vital to the health of democracy.

Whether at the satirical magazine Monocle (which he founded when he was in law school), or at The New York Times , or finally at The Nation , Navasky's commitment to political engagement and to the social and intellectual values of independent cultural activity has always been front and center. In a wonderfully entertaining narrative, he tells of his innovative efforts to find money to keep The Nation afloat and to keep its pages lively, honest, and relevant, and he embellishes it with unforgettable stories-about his colleagues and opponents, from E. L. Doctorow to Bill Buckley; his heroes, from I. F. Stone to Jürgen Habermas; and his precedessors, from Daniel Defoe to Carey McWilliams.

Navasky's accomplishments have been legion, despite the threats of revenue-driven multinational media corporations, and despite the sometimes ugly, sometimes hilarious problems that fearless muckrakers face in any culture. A Matter of Opinion is a passionately written, irresistibly charming account of a great journalistic tradition.

Genres: Memoir, Politics, Journalism

464 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Victor Saul Navasky (born July 5, 1932) is an American journalist, editor, publisher, author and professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He was editor of The Nation from 1978 until 1995, and its publisher and editorial director 1995 to 2005. In November 2005 he became the publisher emeritus. Navasky's book Naming Names (1980) is considered a definitive take on the Hollywood blacklist. For it he won a 1982 National Book Award for Nonfiction.

Reviews

[Ken Bickley · Rating 4 out of 5]

As you might expect of a publisher/editor/teacher/scholar, Navasky is an excellent writer. He's even able to make this memoir of a magazine fascinating (at least to me). "The Nation" is America's oldest weekly publication, dating to 1865, and has always been a liberal journal of opinion. It's also always been on the verge of collapse, and Navasky's story of the continual battle to raise the money to keep it going is really good. If you're a Fox News fan you won't like it; but if you're sort of not-very-political, like me, I think you will. It takes time and effort to read it though.

[Jerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading Victor Navasky’s memoir is like entering another world, a world where Democrat Ed Koch isn’t just less liberal than his fellow Democrats, but is a neo-conservative. A world of Binkys and Hams and Pings summering in Martha’s Vineyard. A world where well-off socialists fight for the right to eat caviar, and “socialist experiments” good for every business but those of socialists.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-composed and entertaining reminiscences.