Type Monthly periodical Publisher Hamilton Fish V Headquarters New York City | Founder(s) Tristram Coffin Editor Louis Dubose | |
Founded 1974; 43 years ago (1974) | ||
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, and became The Washington Spectator in 1974. Generally, every issue covers a single topic—most often, one that its editors believe is not receiving sufficient coverage in the mainstream media outlets.
Contents
Current leadership
The current editor-in-chief is Lou Dubose, 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.
History
Besides founder and former editor Coffin, former editors include Ben A. Franklin, who helmed the periodical from 1993 to 2005. 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.
Recent staffers include David Weigel, a reporter for The Washington Post. Former publisher Kevin Walter now serves as associate publisher of Mother Jones magazine. Phillip Frazer has also served as publisher of the Spectator.