Fact (American magazine)
American magazine (1964–1967)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fact, stylized fact:, was an American quarterly magazine that commented on controversial topics. It was in circulation between January 1964 and August 1967.[1]
| |
 Cover of the September-October 1964 issue | |
| Editor | Ralph Ginzburg |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Quarterly |
| Publisher | Trident Press |
| Founded | 1964 |
| First issue | January 1964 |
| Final issue | August 1967 |
| Country | US |
| Based in | New York City |
| Language | English |
| ISSN | 0429-9825 |
| OCLC | 1568723 |
History
Established in January 1964,[1] the publisher of Fact was Trident Press based in New York City.[2] The magazine was edited by Ralph Ginzburg and Warren Boroson[3][4] and designed by Herb Lubalin.[5][6] Ginzburg was known for having previously published the magazine Eros.[6][7] Due to the content of that magazine, Ginzburg was sentenced to prison on obscenity charges.[8][7] It described itself as a "bimonthly of uncompromising truth".[4] One of the editors of fact: was Robert Anton Wilson, a prolific science fiction author whose works include the Illuminatus! series.[6]
In its first issue, it contained a lengthy criticism of Time magazine, including 25 pages of letters from people claiming to have been hurt by its coverage.[4][6] This issue also included an interview from Ginzburg with neo-Nazi George Lincoln Rockwell, titled "The Man Who Thinks Goldwater is a Communist".[4][6][7] Another article in the issue discussed the sexual symbolism of the Christmas holiday.[6]
Fact was notable for having been sued by Barry Goldwater over a 1964 issue entitled "The Unconscious of a Conservative: A special Issue on the Mind of Barry Goldwater". In Goldwater v. Ginzburg, a federal jury awarded Goldwater $1 in compensatory damages and $75,000 in punitive damages, to punish Ginzburg and the magazine for being reckless. The American Psychiatric Association then issued the Goldwater rule reaffirming medical privacy and forbidding commenting on a patient whom the individual psychiatrist has not personally examined.[9]
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the award and the Supreme Courts denied a petition for certiorari (review); Justice Black and Justice Douglas joined a dissenting opinion, rather unusual at the time (1970) on orders denying "cert."[10]