Otto Fuerbringer
Encyclopedia
Otto Fuerbringer was an editor for the American
news magazine Time
.
Fuerbringer was born in St. Louis
, to Ludwig and Anna Zucker Fuerbringer. He was the youngest of five children. As a student at Harvard
, he edited the student newspaper The Harvard Crimson
.
After graduating in 1932, he started working for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
, before being hired by Time in 1942. Reaching the rank of assistant managing editor in 1951, he was appointed managing editor in 1960. Later, as head of Time Inc.
's magazine-development group, he also introduced People
magazine.
During Fuerbringer tenure as editor, the magazine's circulation rose from three to five million. He did much to rejuvenate what was a rather austere publication, and once famously said of the journalism his staff did that "It only has to be true this week." Though a social conservative, Fuerbringer nevertheless did much to focus the magazine's attention on the counter-culture and the political and intellectual radicalism of the 1960s.
A 1964 issue dealt with the sexual revolution, while in 1967 the birth control pill was discussed. His best known act as editor was probably his April 8, 1966 cover story "Is God Dead?
" In the accompanying article he explored the role of religion in an increasingly secular society, and investigated a trend among contemporary theologians to write God
out of the field of theology
. Fuerbringer had initially been a supporter of the Vietnam War
, but in 1968 he wrote an editorial
conceding that the war was unwinnable.
Shortly before his death, in 2007, he wrote an autobiography, titled "On TIME". Fuerbringer was married to his wife Winona Gunn Fuerbringer for 68 years. The couple had four children. The Pulitzer Prize
-winning journalist David Halberstam
once said of Fuerbringer "He was the most controversial man within Time magazine, immensely influential, perhaps the most influential conservative of his generation in journalism, but outside the magazine almost no one knew his name."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
news magazine Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
.
Fuerbringer was born in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, to Ludwig and Anna Zucker Fuerbringer. He was the youngest of five children. As a student at Harvard
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 edited the student newspaper The Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson, the daily student newspaper of Harvard University, was founded in 1873. It is the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates...
.
After graduating in 1932, he started working for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is the major city-wide newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri. Although written to serve Greater St. Louis, the Post-Dispatch is one of the largest newspapers in the Midwestern United States, and is available and read as far west as Kansas City, Missouri, as far south as...
, before being hired by Time in 1942. Reaching the rank of assistant managing editor in 1951, he was appointed managing editor in 1960. Later, as head of Time Inc.
Time Inc.
Time Inc. is a subsidiary of the media conglomerate Time Warner, the company formed by the 1990 merger of the original Time Inc. and Warner Communications. It publishes 130 magazines, most notably its namesake, Time...
's magazine-development group, he also introduced People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine.
During Fuerbringer tenure as editor, the magazine's circulation rose from three to five million. He did much to rejuvenate what was a rather austere publication, and once famously said of the journalism his staff did that "It only has to be true this week." Though a social conservative, Fuerbringer nevertheless did much to focus the magazine's attention on the counter-culture and the political and intellectual radicalism of the 1960s.
A 1964 issue dealt with the sexual revolution, while in 1967 the birth control pill was discussed. His best known act as editor was probably his April 8, 1966 cover story "Is God Dead?
Is God Dead?
"Is God Dead?" was an April 8, 1966, cover story for the news magazine Time. A previous article, from October 1965, had investigated a trend among 1960s theologians to write God out of the field of theology. The 1966 article looked in greater depth at the problems facing modern theologians, in...
" In the accompanying article he explored the role of religion in an increasingly secular society, and investigated a trend among contemporary theologians to write God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
out of the field of theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
. Fuerbringer had initially been a supporter of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, but in 1968 he wrote an editorial
Editorial
An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...
conceding that the war was unwinnable.
Shortly before his death, in 2007, he wrote an autobiography, titled "On TIME". Fuerbringer was married to his wife Winona Gunn Fuerbringer for 68 years. The couple had four children. The Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning journalist David Halberstam
David Halberstam
David Halberstam was an American Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author and historian, known for his early work on the Vietnam War, his work on politics, history, the Civil Rights Movement, business, media, American culture, and his later sports journalism.-Early life and education:Halberstam...
once said of Fuerbringer "He was the most controversial man within Time magazine, immensely influential, perhaps the most influential conservative of his generation in journalism, but outside the magazine almost no one knew his name."