Ellen Levine was the first female editor-in-chief of Good Housekeeping magazine and helped launch O: The Oprah Magazine.
- Died: November 6, 2022 (Who else died on November 6?)
- Details of death: Died at her home in New York City of complications from dementia at the age of 79.
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Pioneering editor
Levine got her start in journalism young, working on the school newspapers at her high school and at Wellesley College. After working as a reporter at a suburban New Jersey newspaper, she worked for Cosmopolitan, serving as a senior editor. Levine began running magazines in 1982, when she was hired as editor-in-chief of Woman’s Day; she then moved to editor-in-chief of Redbook. When in 1994 Levine was named editor-in-chief of Good Housekeeping, she was the first female editor-in-chief of the magazine that had catered to women since its launch in 1885. While still at Good Housekeeping, she partnered with Oprah Winfrey to launch O, an immediate success on newsstands.
First Amendment defender
In 1985, as she was running Woman’s Day, Levine was chosen to sit on the Commission on Pornography, organized by Attorney General Edwin Meese. The committee was convened to determine if pornography was harmful and should be regulated by the government. The committee recommended government action against pornography, including suggesting that citizens organize campaigns against magazines like Playboy on their newsstands. Levine was one of two committee members who opposed such suggestions, and she noted in her dissenting opinion that such magazines were legal under the First Amendment.
Levine on the staying power of magazines like Good Housekeeping
“There is a deep-rooted need for communication – this will not go away. Journalism is communication and there are many forms of it.” —from an interview for Leaders Online
Tributes to Ellen Levine
Full obituary: The New York Times
