The Nation and Coverage of Hippies and Woodstock

By Nikki Schwab, Washington Whispers

The Nation magazine hosted a screening of the new flick Taking Woodstock last night in Washington, and for a little historical context, Nation archivist Jeff Kisseloff rummaged through past issues to see what the lefty magazine had said about the epic concert. Turns out: nothing. The Nation, which seemingly wouldn't shy away from such an event today, didn't cover Woodstock. "They didn't identify with hippies and the young generation very well," explains Kisseloff. "Basically, it was an old left magazine, so to them, hippies were as foreign as Republicans in a way." Every once in a while, the Nation's editors tasked one of their best investigative reporters, Jack Newfield, to write about the hippies, but this wasn't always a good fit, Kisseloff tells Whispers. "It was sort of awkward," says Kisseloff. "You could tell [he] didn't know what to make of them." Taking Woodstock comes out in theaters on Friday.

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