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Legendary New York Editor Dead at 82

New Journalism pioneer Felker defined city magazine format

By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 1, 2008 2:45 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Clay Felker, founder and editor of New York magazine, died today at 82. Felker was the pioneer of a distinctive format that has become the model for weekly magazines: long, novelistic features alongside short, spicy service pieces. "Clay was obsessed with power, and he invented a magazine in the image of that obsession," current New York editor Adam Moss told the New York Times.

At New York, Felker attracted a stable of feature writers, among them Tom Wolfe, Jimmy Breslin, and Gloria Steinem, who helped raise the magazine's national profile and introduce New Journalism, an approach Felker once said "communicates not only the facts but the emotions." His era at New York ended in 1977 when Rupert Murdoch bought the magazine, but his influence endures there and throughout magazine journalism.

A 1977 file photo of Clay Felker, founder of New York magazine. Felker, who revolutionized the city magazine genre as founding editor of New York, died Tuesday, July 1, 2008, at his New York home.
A 1977 file photo of Clay Felker, founder of New York magazine. Felker, who revolutionized the city magazine genre as founding editor of New York, died Tuesday, July 1, 2008, at his New York home.   (AP Photo)
An April 23, 1996, file photo of Clay Felker New York Magazine founding editor, at a reception before the 1996 National Magazine Awards in New York.
An April 23, 1996, file photo of Clay Felker New York Magazine founding editor, at a reception before the 1996 National Magazine Awards in New York.   (AP Photo/Todd Plitt)
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