Erwin Knoll (1931 – November 2, 1994) was an American journalist who was editor of '' The Progressive'' from 1973 to 1994.

Early life

Knoll was born in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, into a

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family, and as a child fled from the Nazis."Erwin Knoll: A True Progressive". John B. Judis.'' In These Times'', November 28th, 1994 (p. 8-9) He later came to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', 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 List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

,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 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 in Milwaukee enjoined publication, but the U.S. Department of Justice 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

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in January 1982,

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William French Smith referred to the

epigram An epigram is a brief, interesting, memorable, sometimes surprising or satirical statement. The word derives from the Greek (, "inscription", from [], "to write on, to inscribe"). This literary device has been practiced for over two millennia ...

"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." The adage is similar to what has later been referred to as the 'Gell-Mann amnesia effect'. Knoll was against the Strategic Defense Initiative, 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.

Death

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