The magazine was co-founded in late 1991 by
Michael Shermer and Pat Linse as they formed the Skeptics Society. The magazine was first published in early 1992. It is published through Millennium Press. As of July 2021, Shermer remained the publisher and
editor-in-chief of the magazine. The magazine's co-publisher and
art director was Pat Linse, until her death in July 2021. Other noteworthy members of its editorial board include, or have included,
evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins,
Pulitzer Prize-winning scientist
Jared Diamond,
magician and
escape artist turned educator
James “The Amazing” Randi, actor, comedian, and
Saturday Night Live alumna
Julia Sweeney, professional mentalist
Mark Edward, science writer
Daniel Loxton,
Lawrence M. Krauss and
Christof Koch.
Skeptic has an international circulation with over 40,000 subscriptions and is on newsstands in the U.S. and Canada as well as Europe, Australia, and other countries. The cover story of the magazine's first issue paid tribute to
scientist and
science-fiction writer
Isaac Asimov. According to Shermer, Asimov died when the issue was going to print, so artist Linse produced a pencil portrait of the author. As Asimov wrote a number of stories featuring robots and coined the term "
robotics", the cover of volume 12, #2 (2006), which is devoted to the topic of artificial intelligence, depicts a
robot sitting on a park bench reading that first issue. Every issue of the magazine opens with a description of The Skeptics Society and its mission statement, which is to explore subjects such as
creationism,
pyramid power,
Bigfoot,
pseudohistorical claims (as in the examples of
Holocaust denial and extreme
Afrocentrism), the use or misuse of theory and
statistics,
conspiracy theories,
urban myths,
witch-hunts,
mass hysterias,
genius and
intelligence, and cultural influences on science, as well as controversies involving
protosciences at the leading edge of established science, and even
fads like
cryonics and
low-carb diets. In addition to publishing the magazine, the Society also: • sponsors lecture series at the
California Institute of Technology • produces and sells tapes of the lectures, as well as other books on pertinent subjects • holds field trips to investigate and research such subjects • conducts social events to promote good-will • provides resources for the public, skeptic organizations (such as
SkeptiCamp) and the media, with which they may approach controversial subjects from a skeptical viewpoint In 2011, the magazine had three regular columnists:
James Randi wrote "'Twas Brillig…",
Harriet A. Hall wrote "The Skep Doc" and
Karen Stollznow wrote "Bad Language". The magazine's page count was between approximately 100 and 110 pages until the 2010s. It was reduced to approximately 80 pages with Vol. 16 No. 3 (2011). , the magazine had two regular columnists: Harriet A. Hall and
Carol Tavris. In 2021, the magazine's 100th edition, Vol. 26 No. 2 included a retrospective of over 40 years of
Skeptic artwork and covers by Linse and Loxton.
Topics Each issue features an
editorial. In the past this was provided by
James Randi, and was often a reaction to stories from mainstream news media such as the 2005 story by the
ABC newsmagazine Primetime Live featuring a
Brazilian
faith healer,
João Teixeira. Other times Randi wrote about topics he had investigated in the past, such as alleged
dowsers, alleged
psychics like
Sylvia Browne, and UFOs. The magazine also features a large correspondence section called "Forum". This includes not only letters from lay readers but also in-depth comments and rebuttals from
professionals, contributing to extended academic debate across issues raised in past editions. The bulk of the magazine treats a variety of topics.
Cover stories have ranged from examination of alleged
UFOs in
religious icons and theories of the likelihood of
artificial intelligence to tributes to influential skeptics including
Isaac Asimov Some editions feature special sections devoted to a particular topic or theme that is examined through multiple articles by different authors, such as
intelligent design.
Junior Skeptic Bound into most issues is a 10-page young-readers' section called
Junior Skeptic. Heralded by a cover printed on glossy paper (the rest of the magazine is printed on non-glossy stock),
Junior Skeptic focuses on one topic, or provides practical instruction written and illustrated in a style more appealing to children.
Daniel Loxton is the Editor of
Junior Skeptic. He writes and illustrates most issues. The first edition of
Junior Skeptic appeared in volume 6, #2 of
Skeptic (2000). == Official podcasts ==