Former Forbes Editor Shunned Boosterism

James Michaels, editor of Forbes magazine for nearly four decades, died of pneumonia Tuesday in New York City. He was 86.

Michaels left behind a legacy at Forbes as a tough, blunt editor who shunned long-winded pieces with no clear voice. He wanted strong, even opinionated, stories as long as the opinions could be backed up by facts.

He was promoted to editor of the magazine in 1961, a post he held until 1999. After that, he became editor emeritus and vice-president of editorial up until his death. During his tenure, Forbes developed a reputation as a business magazine that held corporations accountable to its investors. It also expanded its brand to books, newsletters and television.

His professional honors included a Gerald Loeb Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994. One of his early jobs was covering India’s independence from Britain and the religious clashes that followed.

In recent years, Michaels, a World War II veteran, was a regular on Forbes on Fox TV show, where he displayed contrarian views laced with historical context.

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Copyright © 2008 Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism