Will somebody please get a gun and put America's newsmagazines out of their misery?
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Will somebody please get a gun and put America's newsmagazines out of their misery?
A meme here at Attytood over the last seven years has been the problems of daily newspapers in an Internet age. But if you think it's hard for a once-a-day print publication to stay relevant in a 24/7 world, then you need to multiple that struggle times-7 for America's newsmagazines. For the last decade, pundits have asked how these publications that ruled the media landscape in the mid-20th Century can survive in this kind of environment.
The only moderately satisfying answer is that publications like Time and Newsweek -- which have large staffs of enormously talented journalists -- can publish news and commentary on the Web in a timely fashion similar to Web-oriented sites like Slate or the Huffington Post. They do this and they do it OK, although like every "legacy media" outfit the revenue isn't sustaining as the big profits of the print monopoly era. But what can they do about the supposed raison d'etre of the whole enterprise -- that thinner-and-thinner gloosy thing that's on the newstand once a week.
Honestly? Nothing. The "weekly newsmagazine" is an oxymoron. There's just nothing about the news that has a "weekly" component to it anymore. At this point, the print editions of Time and Newsweek would need to do something truly remarkable and praiseworthy to justify their continued existence. Instead, they are going out like a tragically insane individual, stripping naked and running down the street yelling profanities at civil sociery.
Time had its meltdown -- with its much talked-about breast-feeding-a-3-year-old-mom-just-in-time-for-Mother's-Day cover that just tangentially related to the topic of overproductive moms. Over at Newsweek, you'd think they'd see this as a chance to brand themselves as the more serious and responsible rival. But this is 2012 -- what was I thinking? Instead, head honcho Tina Brown reportedly said -- and I'm not making this up -- "let the games begin."
Or maybe she said "game on." Or maybe she said in a Jamaican accent, "gay, mon."
You see the result: Newsweek's cover calling President Obama "America's first gay president" because -- like roughly half of all U.S. heterosexuals -- he now supports the idea of same-sex marriage. It reminds me of their famous 1964 cover calling Lyndon Johnson "the first black president" after he signed the Civil Rights Act. OK, I'm just kidding...they didn't do that in 1964. People would have thought such a cover was stupid and immature.
Unlike today?
Of course, in the short run they'll probably sell a few extra copies with these shock covers. But at the expense of destroying a brand of top-notch journalism that it took 75 years to build up. And then what desperate ploy will they use to beg readers to pay attention? One can only imagine. Harry Truman said famously that it's a damn shame when anyone dies, and that will be no less true of Time and Newsweek.
But it's just so sad and pathetic to see it end like this.
To all those mocking liberals: please look in the mirror and ascertain whether you see anything but a self centered person who cares only about how much money he/she has in the bank and how to protect the money from government taxation. Then tell me how conservatism jives with Christianity? I guess Jesus would have to be born again.— retzlaff- ===}}} Then tell me how conservatism jives with Christianity? {{{===
Christianity is a "lifestyle choice." That means that it's OK to discriminate against Christians.
— Talking point sleuth - To all those mocking conservatives: please look in the mirror and ascertain whether you see anything but a self proclaimed progressive who cares only about how much money his/her neighbor has in the bank and how to extract that money via government taxation.— RG
- Anothe branch of the professional left competing for Will's market share.— tr88
- Nesweek is half-owned by the estate of Sidney Harman, likely his wife, ultra lefty Jane Harman. Ultra gold digger.--Sidney Harman, 91, became the sole proprietor of one of the nation's most time-honored news publications Monday after purchasing Newsweek magazine from The Washington Post Company for $1, plus the assumption of the magazine's liabilities.
The sale means a most partisan couple will control a publication that, while often considered left-leaning by many media observers, fashions itself as a mainstream hard-news publication unafraid to pursue subjects of any political stripe.
Newsweek's new owners, for their part, have a long history of Democratic support. According to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics, the couple has combined to contribute more than $450,000 to Democratic candidates and party committees since the 1990 election cycle.
Sidney Harman himself has given more than $185,000 to Democratic candidates and party committees. The couple together has made another $240,000 in joint contributions.
— tr88 
Comment removed.- The pother half of Newsweek is owned by Interactive Corp, controlled by Billionaire Barry Diller, another big-time leftist democratic donor.— tr88
- Are they going to play hail to the chief when he comes out of the closet? Rick Perry of Texas will be coming out soon in perryminkle chaps. I hear Sen. Graham of SC. is coming out dressed like miss daisy,and the speaker of the house is coming out as the no good witch of the mid west. Maxine Waters is coming out as James Brown and Sen.Boxer as dog the bounty hunter. Now that is what I call bipartisonship, this is also my resume to become a reporter for news week and if they hire me it shows they will hire any one.— angrywhtguy
- Comment removed.
- I thought James Buchanan was our first.— Roger Podacter
- Comment removed.
- "related to the topic of overproductive moms."
did you mean "overprotective" ?
and by the way - I think your "somebody get a gun" headline is WAY out there.
at least for you and other anti-"gun zealots".
:snort:— ekw555 - Obama has just put the nail in his coffin that he will not get re-elected. The economy is in a shambles, he spends our tax money like a drunken sailor, and now he follows the lead of his idiot vice president and flip flops on gay marriage. The average working American knows this guy is a flaming fringe liberal and want out from the stupidity that has been the last 4 years. The only thing stopping him from losing is Romney himself. All Romney has to do is not do something completely stupid to win this election.— Sane1
- What's ironic is that Tina Brown thinks that Obama will be thrilled to be named the first gay president. That cracks me up.— DC
As they sometimes say in another industry, Will, "embrace the suck". I am positive that working at either Newsweek and Time was at one time on your bucket list; your bitterness at being overlooked for a job is quite evident. And really, with the typos, it is beyond embarrassing.— m13sully
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