Marvin Olasky on the Press, Presidents, and Pivots

The longtime editor-in-chief of World magazine discusses the Zenger Prize, his new gig at Christianity Today, the temptations of conservative politics (compassionate or otherwise), and his memoir Pivot Points. Highlights Resources…

John Murdock

April 12, 2025

The longtime editor-in-chief of World magazine discusses the Zenger Prize, his new gig at Christianity Today, the temptations of conservative politics (compassionate or otherwise), and his memoir Pivot Points.

Highlights

1:00
Aspiring galactic editor and globe trotter
3:45
Street level reporting v. suite level pontification
15:15
BREAKING: Flatwater Free Press on the Zenger Prize long list
18:00
Welcome to the jungle . . . and Phoenix
25:00
Adventure is out there!
30:00
A young communist hears Jesus in Russian
34:00
Leaving World for purple pastures
41:00
Character counts, on the diamond and in the Oval
49:00
Covering Marvin’s seat at W’s table
59:45
Hitchhiking as a way of life

Resources

Marvin’s bio and buy the book (and the other book)

Announcing the Zenger Prize winners at FPR

Read the winning articles

Nominate the next winner

Marvin’s work at Current (R.I.P)

Wendell Kimbrough helps us find our way home

John Murdock

John Murdock is an attorney and globetrotting localist who worked for over a decade in Washington, D.C.; left the Capital Beltway to write from a family farmhouse deep in the heart of the Lone Star state; taught law in South Korea; and then rode the housing waves of Boise. In 2023, John left the crisp dry air of Idaho and returned to the stifling humidity of his native east Texas. His writing is catalogued at johnmurdock.org.