De schoelje van het schendblad. Boekjes open over de journalist Izaak Jacob Lion (1821-1873)

Until the late 1900s journalism in Holland was a profession of nameless persons. One of the few exceptions was the Jewish journalist Izaak Jacob Lion. Starting out as a jack of all trades and a master of none after 1853 until his death in 1873 not only his name was widely known but particularly his reputation for selling his able pen to whichever politician or political party was prepared to pay the most. Around 1860 he finally found his destination in the conservative 'party' and became its leading defendant and witch doctor. In this article Lion's controversial activities are revealed on the basis of the facts his own (rather unreliable) 'booklets' and those of three of his major political opponents: the satirical magazines Asmodée and Uilenspiegel and the liberal journalist Louis Henri Beerstecher (pen-name Nemo).