Martin Peretz
Encyclopedia
Martin H. "Marty" Peretz (pəˈrɛts; born December 6, 1938), is an American
publisher. Formerly an assistant professor at Harvard University
, he purchased The New Republic
in 1974 and took editorial control soon afterwards. He retained majority ownership until 2002, when he sold a two-thirds stake in the magazine to two financiers. Peretz sold the remainder of his ownership rights in 2007 to CanWest Global Communications
, though he retained his position as editor-in-chief. In March 2009, Peretz repurchased the magazine with a group of investors led by ex-Lazard
executive Laurence Grafstein. In late-2010, Peretz gave up his title of editor-in-chief at The New Republic, becoming instead editor emeritus, and also terminated his blog "The Spine".
. He received his B.A. degree from Brandeis University
in 1959, and M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University in Government
, going on to lecture in social studies. He has seven honorary doctorates: "the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from Bard College
(1982), Coe College
(1983), Long Island University
(1988), Brandeis University
(1989), Hebrew College
(1990), Chicago Theological Seminary
(1994), and the degree of Doctor of Philosophy honoris causa from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
(1987)." In 1982, he received the Jerusalem Medal.
Peretz was married for 42 years to Anne Labouisse Farnsworth Peretz, daughter of Henry Richardson Labouisse, Jr.
and an heir to the Singer Sewing Machine Company
fortune. Anne had helped him buy The New Republic
in 1974. The couple divorced in 2009, his wife citing infidelity and bad temper as problems in the marriage.
In a profile of Peretz published in New York Magazine in Dec., 2010 by Benjamin Wallace-Wells, Peretz was described this way:
Peretz is also a descendant of the Yiddish writer I. L. Peretz. He is the father of director Jesse Peretz
and writer Evgenia Peretz. Peretz is a long-time friend and supporter of Al Gore
.
In 1993, Harvard inaugurated the Martin Peretz Chair in Yiddish Literature in his honor. The Chair is currently held by Ruth Wisse
.
Peretz is a member of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy
's Board of Advisors.
and neoliberal positions on economic and social issues, and assumed correspondingly pro-Israel
stances in foreign affairs. Peretz has said "Support for Israel is deep down, an expression of America's best view of itself." Alexander Cockburn
and Ken Silverstein
have stated that Peretz said "I am in love with the state of Israel."
Media critic Eric Alterman wrote in the American Prospect regarding Peretz's tenure as editor of the New Republic: "[D]uring his reign, Peretz has also done lasting damage to the cause of American liberalism. By turning TNR into a kind of ideological police dog, Peretz enjoyed... [playing] a key role in defining the borders of "responsible" liberal discourse, thereby tarring anyone who disagreed as irresponsible or untrustworthy. But he did so on the basis of a politics simultaneously so narrow and idiosyncratic — in thrall almost entirely to an Israel-centric neoconservatism."
Peretz has used the editorial page of the The New Republic to attack people whom he perceives as enemies of Israel—"sometimes we attack people unfairly" according to his close friend and TNR literary editor Leon Wieseltier
. For example, Peretz attacked I. F. Stone
after the journalist signed a public appeal for water and medical supplies for siege victims trapped in West Beirut during the 1982 Israeli Siege of Beirut
: Peretz editorialized, "So this is what I. F. Stone has come to, asking his admirers to put up money so that the PLO can continue to fight." In an editorial titled "Blacklisted", Peretz claimed during the first Persian Gulf War in 1991 that he was "the only writer on the Middle East not invited by PBS or NPR
to speak about the Gulf."
Peretz does not support Israeli settlements in the West Bank, describing the settlers as "self-righteous and often brutal."
Peretz has long supported Democrats over Republicans, including being a major behind-the-scenes benefactor of Eugene McCarthy
's primary presidential bid in 1968. He supported Senator Barack Obama
in both his Democratic primary race and in the 2008 general election. Recently, Peretz has expressed disappointment with Obama, telling The New York Times Magazine: “I’m not sure I feel betrayed, but it’s close... our first African-American president has done less to fight AIDS in Africa than George Bush, he’s done nothing on human rights.”
On January 8, 2010, Peretz referred to himself as a "loyalist" to the Democratic Party, albeit a "strained" one:
A supporter of Israel
, Peretz was a key editorial voice—despite at the time he had decreasing influence in Washington politics and editorial circles—in opposing the appointment of Charles W. Freeman, Jr.
as chief of the National Intelligence Council
, Peretz wrote:
After he withdrew his nomination, Freeman gave an interview to Robert Dreyfuss
in The Nation
saying he regretted he did not identify his attackers, including Peretz, as “right-wing Likud in Israel and its fanatic supporters here." In the Washington Post, the late columnist David Broder, in a column entitled "The Country's Loss", wrote that Freeman was "low-key, thoughtful and obviously smart as hell" and that his nomination was killed because extreme supporters of Israel severely distorted his record.
On November 8, 2010, Peretz indicated that he would prefer the Democratic Party nominate someone other than Obama for President in 2012:
Peretz has described Obama's foreign policy as "a folly and a fraud" and the principles of it as "at best, stupid and, at worst, treacherous."
According to articles in the New York Times Magazine and elsewhere, editors of the New Republic gave Peretz his own blog in recent years because, due to disagreements about his opinions, "other TNR writers were embarrassed to share space with him."
of Slate Magazine and Eric Alterman
of The Nation for making comments they considered bigoted, particularly towards Arabs and Muslims. He has written (among other things) that "'Arab
society' is 'hidebound and backward' [and] [t]hat the Druze
are 'congenitally untrustworthy'"
On September 4, 2010, Peretz drew media attention and controversy when he posted an editorial which concluded:
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof denounced Peretz's comments, asking: "Is it possible to imagine the same kind of casual slur tossed off about blacks or Jews?"
Peretz issued an apology on September 13. Regarding his statement about Muslims and the First Amendment, Peretz said: "I wrote that, but I do not believe that. I do not think that any group or class of persons in the United States should be denied the protections of the First Amendment, not now, not ever." Peretz also said that his comment that "Muslim life is cheap, most notably to Muslims" was "a statement of fact, not of value" and pointed out that Kristof himself agreed that Muslims have not adequately condemned violence perpetrated by Muslims on fellow Muslims.
Kristof responded by criticizing Peretz for falsely claiming that Kristoff agreed with him, and also for continuing to generalize that all Muslims had the attitude of Muslim terrorists toward human life:
On September 17, 2010, Peretz issued another apology:
Following the controversy, Harvard University
canceled Peretz's scheduled September 25 speech on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Harvard's Social Studies Department
where Peretz once taught. The Atlantics James Fallows
summarized Peretz's reputation on September 25, concluding that if his legacy were settled that day, despite being "beloved by many students and respected by some magazine colleagues", in his 70s he would be considered a bigot. Jefferson Morley, a Peretz friend, who worked at The New Republic
from 1983 to 1987, told Jack Shafer of Slate
, "I could never reconcile this intellectual strength with his racism and unpleasant attempts to play the bully."
One of the magazine's writers, Stephen Glass, was found to have fabricated portions or all of 27 of 41 stories he wrote for the magazine. Stories were found to have included some accurate reporting interwoven with fabricated quotations, scenes, and incidents. In some instances, stories were made up in their entirety.
Explaining why it took so long to catch Glass' fraud, Peretz blamed two of his editors, the late Michael Kelly and Charles Lane for not catching the fraud earlier.
included Peretz as the roman à clef
character "Jonathan Perry."
Peretz is portrayed in Stephen Glass's 2003 novel The Fabulist and by Ted Kotcheff
in the 2003 film Shattered Glass based on the Stephen Glass controversy.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
publisher. Formerly an assistant professor at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, he purchased The New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
in 1974 and took editorial control soon afterwards. He retained majority ownership until 2002, when he sold a two-thirds stake in the magazine to two financiers. Peretz sold the remainder of his ownership rights in 2007 to CanWest Global Communications
CanWest Global Communications
Canwest Global Communications Corporation, which operated under the corporate brand Canwest, was a major Canadian media company based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with its head offices at Canwest Place...
, though he retained his position as editor-in-chief. In March 2009, Peretz repurchased the magazine with a group of investors led by ex-Lazard
Lazard
Lazard Ltd is the parent company of Lazard Group LLC, a global, independent investment bank with approximately 2,300 employees in 42 cities across 27 countries throughout Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, Central and South America...
executive Laurence Grafstein. In late-2010, Peretz gave up his title of editor-in-chief at The New Republic, becoming instead editor emeritus, and also terminated his blog "The Spine".
Personal
Peretz is a graduate of the Bronx High School of ScienceBronx High School of Science
The Bronx High School of Science is a specialized New York City public high school often considered the premier science magnet school in the United States. Founded in 1938, it is now located in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx...
. He received his B.A. degree from Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
in 1959, and M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University in Government
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, going on to lecture in social studies. He has seven honorary doctorates: "the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from Bard College
Bard College
Bard College, founded in 1860 as "St. Stephen's College", is a small four-year liberal arts college located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.-Location:...
(1982), Coe College
Coe College
Coe College is a private, four-year, liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Founded in 1851, the institution is historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church . Its current president is James R. Phifer. It is one of the smaller universities to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa...
(1983), Long Island University
Long Island University
Long Island University is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian institution of higher education in the U.S. state of New York.-History:...
(1988), Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
(1989), Hebrew College
Hebrew College
Hebrew College is an accredited college of Jewish studies in Newton Centre, near Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1921, Hebrew College is committed to Jewish scholarship in a transdenominational academic environment. The president of the college is Rabbi Daniel Lehmann...
(1990), Chicago Theological Seminary
Chicago Theological Seminary
The Chicago Theological Seminary is a seminary of the United Church of Christ. It prepares women and men for leadership in the church and society through Master of Divinity , Master of Arts in Religious Studies , Master of Sacred Theology , Doctor of Ministry , and Doctor of Philosophy programs...
(1994), and the degree of Doctor of Philosophy honoris causa from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
(1987)." In 1982, he received the Jerusalem Medal.
Peretz was married for 42 years to Anne Labouisse Farnsworth Peretz, daughter of Henry Richardson Labouisse, Jr.
Henry Richardson Labouisse, Jr.
Henry Richardson Labouisse, Jr. was an American diplomat and statesman. He was the third Director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East from 1954 to 1958. He was the director of the United Nations Children's Fund for fifteen years...
and an heir to the Singer Sewing Machine Company
Singer Corporation
Singer Corporation is a manufacturer of sewing machines, first established as I.M. Singer & Co. in 1851 by Isaac Merritt Singer with New York lawyer Edward Clark. Best known for its sewing machines, it was renamed Singer Manufacturing Company in 1865, then The Singer Company in 1963. It is...
fortune. Anne had helped him buy The New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
in 1974. The couple divorced in 2009, his wife citing infidelity and bad temper as problems in the marriage.
In a profile of Peretz published in New York Magazine in Dec., 2010 by Benjamin Wallace-Wells, Peretz was described this way:
- Peretz is a born belligerent. He was anti-Stalin by the age of 7; spent half a century defending a controversial brand of Zionism in the obscure, fratricidal fights of the ideological left; and retains a decisive eye for an enemy. Now, at 71, Peretz has a broad trunk and very narrow hips, and he leaves the impression of having been stuffed into his own skin, kicking and screaming. His extraordinary capacity for charm is matched by an extraordinary capacity for anger.
Peretz is also a descendant of the Yiddish writer I. L. Peretz. He is the father of director Jesse Peretz
Jesse Peretz
Jesse Peretz is an American bass guitar player, feature film director, and Grammy-Award winning music video director.-Life and career:...
and writer Evgenia Peretz. Peretz is a long-time friend and supporter of Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
.
In 1993, Harvard inaugurated the Martin Peretz Chair in Yiddish Literature in his honor. The Chair is currently held by Ruth Wisse
Ruth Wisse
Ruth R. Wisse is the Martin Peretz Professor of Yiddish Literature and Professor of Comparative Literature at Harvard University.She is the sister of David Roskies, professor of Yiddish and Jewish literature at the Jewish Theological Seminary.-Career:...
.
Peretz is a member of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Washington Institute for Near East Policy
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy is a think tank based in Washington, D.C. focused on United States foreign policy in the Middle East. It was established by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in 1985...
's Board of Advisors.
Editorial stance
Under the leadership of Peretz, The New Republic generally maintained liberalLiberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
and neoliberal positions on economic and social issues, and assumed correspondingly pro-Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
stances in foreign affairs. Peretz has said "Support for Israel is deep down, an expression of America's best view of itself." Alexander Cockburn
Alexander Cockburn
Alexander Claud Cockburn is an American political journalist. Cockburn was brought up in Ireland but has lived and worked in the United States since 1972. Together with Jeffrey St. Clair, he edits the political newsletter CounterPunch...
and Ken Silverstein
Ken Silverstein
Ken Silverstein is an American editor covering the Washington bureau for Harper's Magazine. In addition to contributing to the print edition of Harper's Magazine, Silverstein publishes a weblog entitled "Washington Babylon" on the magazine's website...
have stated that Peretz said "I am in love with the state of Israel."
Media critic Eric Alterman wrote in the American Prospect regarding Peretz's tenure as editor of the New Republic: "[D]uring his reign, Peretz has also done lasting damage to the cause of American liberalism. By turning TNR into a kind of ideological police dog, Peretz enjoyed... [playing] a key role in defining the borders of "responsible" liberal discourse, thereby tarring anyone who disagreed as irresponsible or untrustworthy. But he did so on the basis of a politics simultaneously so narrow and idiosyncratic — in thrall almost entirely to an Israel-centric neoconservatism."
Peretz has used the editorial page of the The New Republic to attack people whom he perceives as enemies of Israel—"sometimes we attack people unfairly" according to his close friend and TNR literary editor Leon Wieseltier
Leon Wieseltier
Leon Wieseltier is an American writer, critic, and magazine editor. Since 1983 he has been the literary editor of The New Republic.Wieseltier was born in Brooklyn, New York and attended the Yeshiva of Flatbush, Columbia University, Oxford University, and Harvard University, and was a member of...
. For example, Peretz attacked I. F. Stone
I. F. Stone
Isidor Feinstein Stone was an iconoclastic American investigative journalist. He is best remembered for his self-published newsletter, I. F...
after the journalist signed a public appeal for water and medical supplies for siege victims trapped in West Beirut during the 1982 Israeli Siege of Beirut
Siege of Beirut
The Siege of Beirut took place in the summer of 1982, as part of the 1982 Lebanon War, which resulted from the breakdown of the cease-fire effected by the United Nations...
: Peretz editorialized, "So this is what I. F. Stone has come to, asking his admirers to put up money so that the PLO can continue to fight." In an editorial titled "Blacklisted", Peretz claimed during the first Persian Gulf War in 1991 that he was "the only writer on the Middle East not invited by PBS or NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
to speak about the Gulf."
Peretz does not support Israeli settlements in the West Bank, describing the settlers as "self-righteous and often brutal."
Peretz has long supported Democrats over Republicans, including being a major behind-the-scenes benefactor of Eugene McCarthy
Eugene McCarthy
Eugene Joseph "Gene" McCarthy was an American politician, poet, and a long-time member of the United States Congress from Minnesota. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1949 to 1959 and the U.S. Senate from 1959 to 1971.In the 1968 presidential election, McCarthy was the first...
's primary presidential bid in 1968. He supported Senator Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
in both his Democratic primary race and in the 2008 general election. Recently, Peretz has expressed disappointment with Obama, telling The New York Times Magazine: “I’m not sure I feel betrayed, but it’s close... our first African-American president has done less to fight AIDS in Africa than George Bush, he’s done nothing on human rights.”
On January 8, 2010, Peretz referred to himself as a "loyalist" to the Democratic Party, albeit a "strained" one:
I do not want the Republicans to gain any [Congressional] seats, the more so as that party stands for (almost) nothing in which I believe. So call me a party loyalist, even though my loyalties are very much strained. But, then, I care most about foreign policy ... and my party does not give a damn.
A supporter of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Peretz was a key editorial voice—despite at the time he had decreasing influence in Washington politics and editorial circles—in opposing the appointment of Charles W. Freeman, Jr.
Charles W. Freeman, Jr.
Charles W. Freeman, Jr. is an American diplomat, author, and writer. He has served for the State and Defense Departments in many different capacities in the past thirty years, with the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs calling his career "remarkably varied"...
as chief of the National Intelligence Council
National Intelligence Council
The National Intelligence Council is the center for midterm and long-term strategic thinking within the United States Intelligence Community . It was formed in 1979...
, Peretz wrote:
But Freeman's real offense (and the president's if he were to appoint him) is that he has questioned the loyalty and patriotism of not only Zionists and other friends of Israel, the great swath of American Jews and their Christian countrymen, who believed that the protection of Zion is at the core of our religious and secular history.
After he withdrew his nomination, Freeman gave an interview to Robert Dreyfuss
Robert Dreyfuss
Robert Dreyfuss is a freelance investigative journalist whose work has appeared in The Nation, Rolling Stone, Mother Jones, The American Prospect, and other progressive publications. His work also appears on line at TomPaine.com....
in The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
saying he regretted he did not identify his attackers, including Peretz, as “right-wing Likud in Israel and its fanatic supporters here." In the Washington Post, the late columnist David Broder, in a column entitled "The Country's Loss", wrote that Freeman was "low-key, thoughtful and obviously smart as hell" and that his nomination was killed because extreme supporters of Israel severely distorted his record.
On November 8, 2010, Peretz indicated that he would prefer the Democratic Party nominate someone other than Obama for President in 2012:
Press people are speculating that maybe Barack Obama will be a one-term president. Yet wouldn't it be better that, rather than have a Republican candidate trounce him in the general elections, a Democrat try to unseat him in the party primaries and at the convention. Surely, there are many sensible Democrats who realize that the "yes, we can" dream is, in fact, Obama's own hallucination.
Peretz has described Obama's foreign policy as "a folly and a fraud" and the principles of it as "at best, stupid and, at worst, treacherous."
According to articles in the New York Times Magazine and elsewhere, editors of the New Republic gave Peretz his own blog in recent years because, due to disagreements about his opinions, "other TNR writers were embarrassed to share space with him."
Accusations of bigotry
Over the course of his career, Peretz has drawn criticism from some fellow commentators, particularly Jack ShaferJack Shafer
Jack Shafer covers media for Reuters.com Opinion section. Prior to joining Reuters, he edited and wrote the column Press Box for Slate, an online magazine. Before his stay at Slate, Shafer edited two city weeklies, Washington City Paper and SF Weekly...
of Slate Magazine and Eric Alterman
Eric Alterman
Eric Alterman is an American English teacher, historian, journalist, author, media critic, blogger, and educator. His political weblog named Altercation was hosted by MSNBC.com from 2002 until 2006, moved to Media Matters for America until December 2008, and is now hosted by The...
of The Nation for making comments they considered bigoted, particularly towards Arabs and Muslims. He has written (among other things) that "'Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
society' is 'hidebound and backward' [and] [t]hat the Druze
Druze
The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
are 'congenitally untrustworthy'"
On September 4, 2010, Peretz drew media attention and controversy when he posted an editorial which concluded:
But, frankly, Muslim life is cheap, most notably to Muslims. And among those Muslims led by the Imam Rauf there is hardly one who has raised a fuss about the routine and random bloodshed that defines their brotherhood. So, yes, I wonder whether I need honor these people and pretend that they are worthy of the privileges of the First AmendmentFirst Amendment to the United States ConstitutionThe First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
which I have in my gut the sense that they will abuse.
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof denounced Peretz's comments, asking: "Is it possible to imagine the same kind of casual slur tossed off about blacks or Jews?"
Peretz issued an apology on September 13. Regarding his statement about Muslims and the First Amendment, Peretz said: "I wrote that, but I do not believe that. I do not think that any group or class of persons in the United States should be denied the protections of the First Amendment, not now, not ever." Peretz also said that his comment that "Muslim life is cheap, most notably to Muslims" was "a statement of fact, not of value" and pointed out that Kristof himself agreed that Muslims have not adequately condemned violence perpetrated by Muslims on fellow Muslims.
Kristof responded by criticizing Peretz for falsely claiming that Kristoff agreed with him, and also for continuing to generalize that all Muslims had the attitude of Muslim terrorists toward human life:
Making generalizations about racial, ethnic or religious groups is a dangerous game. Many Muslims see Americans dropping bombs in Iraq or Afghanistan and think that Christians don’t value human life. Arabs see Israelis invading Gaza and insist that Jews don’t value human life. Islam is no more monolithic than Christianity or Judaism, and these kinds of sweeping generalizations have historically led to dehumanizing other groups in ways that lead to discrimination and violence. They’re invidious and dangerous whether it’s we or Afghans who fall for them.
On September 17, 2010, Peretz issued another apology:
… [I]n this past year I have publicly committed the sin of wild and wounding language, especially hurtful to our Muslim brothers and sisters. I do not console myself that many other Americans at this moment are committing the same transgressions, against others. I allowed emotion to run way ahead of reason, and feelings to trample arguments. For this I am sorry.
Following the controversy, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
canceled Peretz's scheduled September 25 speech on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Harvard's Social Studies Department
Committee on Degrees in Social Studies
At Harvard University the Committee on Degrees in Social Studies is the committee that runs the honors-only, interdisciplinary concentration in social science subjects for undergraduate students...
where Peretz once taught. The Atlantics James Fallows
James Fallows
James Fallows is an American print and radio journalist. He has been a national correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly for many years. His work has also appeared in Slate, The New York Times Magazine, The New York Review of Books, The New Yorker and The American Prospect, among others. He is a...
summarized Peretz's reputation on September 25, concluding that if his legacy were settled that day, despite being "beloved by many students and respected by some magazine colleagues", in his 70s he would be considered a bigot. Jefferson Morley, a Peretz friend, who worked at The New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
from 1983 to 1987, told Jack Shafer of Slate
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
, "I could never reconcile this intellectual strength with his racism and unpleasant attempts to play the bully."
Stephen Glass controversy
During Peretz's tenure as editor of the New Republic, the magazine faced one of journalism's most notorious fabrication scandals.One of the magazine's writers, Stephen Glass, was found to have fabricated portions or all of 27 of 41 stories he wrote for the magazine. Stories were found to have included some accurate reporting interwoven with fabricated quotations, scenes, and incidents. In some instances, stories were made up in their entirety.
Explaining why it took so long to catch Glass' fraud, Peretz blamed two of his editors, the late Michael Kelly and Charles Lane for not catching the fraud earlier.
In popular culture
In the 1993 novel Blue Hearts which was set in Washington D.C., PBS news anchor Jim LehrerJim Lehrer
James Charles "Jim" Lehrer is an American journalist and the executive editor and former news anchor for PBS NewsHour on PBS, known for his role as a frequent debate moderator during elections...
included Peretz as the roman à clef
Roman à clef
Roman à clef or roman à clé , French for "novel with a key", is a phrase used to describe a novel about real life, overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people, and the "key" is the relationship between the nonfiction and the fiction...
character "Jonathan Perry."
Peretz is portrayed in Stephen Glass's 2003 novel The Fabulist and by Ted Kotcheff
Ted Kotcheff
Ted Kotcheff , sometimes credited as William Kotcheff or William T. Kotcheff, is a Canadian film and television director, who is well known for his work on several high-profile British television productions and as a director of films such as First Blood.-Early life:Kotcheff was born William...
in the 2003 film Shattered Glass based on the Stephen Glass controversy.
External links
- TNR biography
- "The Spine", Martin Peretz's blog at TNR
- "Peretz Dossier" of Peretz's Anti-Arab and Anti-Muslim Remarks
- "The Perpetually Perfervid Peretz," Slate
- "Marty Peretz's Word Power", Slate
- "My Marty Peretz Problem--And Ours", The American Prospect