#Last Print Issue of Newsweek…shouldn’t I get a refund?

My uncle has given me a subscription to Newsweek as a Christmas gift for years. He paid for the print copy not the cheaper digital copy. Newsweek admits the decision to go digital was an economic one, but that’s not what people signed up for. Now we are forcibly digital subscribers. Is this fair?

What’s with the current Newsweek cover?

I got my Newsweek today and I was a little put off by the cover, but when my husband had a similar reaction I knew that the cover was most definately suggestive. I saw the linked article on Facebbok and I see others share my opinion and perhaps Newsweek has gone off the rails with their portrayal of women. Read the link and share your thoughts.

http://www.missrepresentation.org/notbuyingit/notbuyingit-newsweeks-best-places-to-eat-cover/

Newsweek: The Black War Over Obama

Cornel West and Tavis Smiley have got to be very happy this week. Their fight with the president garnered them a 2 page spread in Newsweek this week. Allison Samuels addresses the fight that is going on within the black community. Smiley might not be smiling as broadly because he did not get quite as much ink as West, but this battle has staying power so smiley might get more in the next national press evaluation of the two. Poverty existed pre-Obama, during Obama and it will exist after Obama, but is poverty what is really motiviating this ire? Obama is not perfect, but who is? Yes this country has a lot of challenges to solve, but is this negative dialogue going to motivate the poor to vote or in 2012 will they say what’s the use? Is the goal to defeat poverty or to defeat Barack Obama. one has to wonder which one would make the Smiley/West team happier? Tell me what you think. http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/08/14/cornel-west-and-the-black-war-over-obama.html

Newsweek Cover: Diana and Kate, Creative or Creepy?

This week’s Newsweek features a computer generated image of Diana and Kate. Is this creepy or creative? Tell me what you think.

President Obama makes Newsweek’s Power 50 List…is this a good thing?

Today I  received my Newsweek magazine and Rush Limbaugh graced the cover. He has been named the number one pundit by the magazine. They have assembled their Power 50 list and here is the criteria: “In the oversaturated, hypercommodified media culture of 2010, the most influential political figures are generally the ones who make the most money peddling their perspectives.  Included in the rankings are politicians, ex-politicians, media personalities, and political consultants who hawk their personal brands in the public marketplace—and influence American political discourse in the process.” The list includes Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Don Imus and President Obama. My question is why would they include the president on a list which includes the likes of Beck and Limbaugh? Have they so minimized the office of the presidency to the point that Obama’s influence is akin to a ratings hound like Limbaugh? Sure there are other politicians on their list. Former president Clinton is on the list, but it is simply something so wrong with having the President of the United States on this list. Tell me what you think.

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/11/01/power-list-profiles.html

The Media Can Not Destroy Sarah Palin, but if they Are Not Careful They Will Turn Her into a Martyr

 Sarah Palin appeared on Oprah yesterday and she whined about how Katie Couric had an agenda when she interviewed her last year. Palin believes Couric’s mission was to make her look like an idiot. If that was the mission Couric was successful, but sadly I now believe Palin might have a point. I did not put much credence in anything Palin says until today. Today my Newsweek arrived in the mail. I had seen the cover and I found it offensive, but when I read the text I was completely infuriated. It reads, “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Sarah?’’ the subhead reads “She’s Bad News for the GOP and for Everybody Else, Too.” If you do not read one article in the entire magazine you already know where they stand. I am not naïve so I know every magazine has its own slant, but give me a break. I am fairly liberal, but this is truly piling it on. I was listening to MSNBC Morning Meeting today and I heard one of the guests actually say it was Palin’s fault for posing for the photo. He said if she had not posed they would not have had the picture. What? The woman posed for Runner’s Magazine and her attire was entirely appropriate, but to put that photo on Newsweek is simply just dirty politics. As a woman I have to defend Palin. We are ideological opposites, but this should anger all women. I think Palin has a lot to learn on policy issues if she wants to be taken seriously, and I think she takes cheap shots at the president, and I do not think Facebook is the proper venue to comment on policy or to spread fear with terms like “death panels”, but that aside today I have to agree with her when she talks about the mainstream media. This woman can’t simply be dismissed or destroyed. She does have to be dealt with but, not like this.

Sarah Palin Newsweek Cover is Just Wrong

This week’s Newsweek cover has Sarah Palin pictured in running shorts. The photo was actually taken for Runner’s Magazine, and this was an appropriate pose and appropriate attire for that cover, but not Newsweek. This is another heavy- handed attempt to diminish Palin’s credibility. I am not a fan of Sarah Palin, but I am a fan of fairness, and this cover is simply not fair. When Washingtonian magazine had a cover with the president shirtless and in swim trunks last year I thought that was out of line and this is too. Palin should be judged on the merits and this photo simply was out of line.

Newsweek Questions Oprah’s Crazy Talk

When I received my Newsweek I was mildly amused when I read the headline “Crazy Talk, Oprah, Wacky Cures and You. Finally somebody had the audacity to question the Queen or tell the Queen you too are a mere mortal. Oprah has influence. What she says has the ability to get people to do or consider things they might not do. When she has a guest on her show by virtue of being her guest they gain credibility no matter what lunacy they might be spewing. One of the people mentioned in the article was Suzanne Sommers who has used some very unconventional medical procedures on herself, but when Oprah gives her a platform she lends legitimacy to that person. I think Oprah is incredible but not infallible. In recent weeks she had a show with two 14 year olds who were ready to have sex. She had a therapist talking to them as if they were a married couple. When she was challenged on this issue by her best friend Gayle she simply dismissed the criticism. Last week CNBC ran a special called the Oprah Effect. It showcased businesses that had been mentioned on the Oprah Show and how that exposure or salute from the Queen made them millions. So it was great to see an article that did not simply rubber stamp her as the all knowing one but actually questioned some of the things that she has been saying or doing. Finally someone had the nerve to say she can’t turn water into wine, walk on water or feed 5000 with two fishes and five barley loaves. She is a woman, a powerful woman but she is mortal and finally someone had the nerve to say it.