Magazines Should Endorse Candidates - CBS News

Take a new stand

Sad times

Believe throughout yesterday

By Jon Friedman

MEDIA WEB QUESTION OF THE DAY: Carry out you imagine Newsweek and Occasion must endorse a new candidate?

Stengel's argument seems outdated for you to me. Today's readers desperately want to become inspired as well as informed. It's up to the editors for you to create a sense of excitement along with lift many out of a pattern involving predictability.

Media Internet appears about Mondays, Wednesdays along with Fridays. Really Feel free to transmit email to: jfriedman@marketwatch.com.

New York times Executive Editor Bill Keller furthermore deserves little sympathy. He seemed stunned the paper's current story on Sen. John McCain drew this sort of wide and also hostile reaction. (Read associated column).

Meanwhile, the particular Observer quoted Newsweek's Meacham as expressing his "incredible frustration that I've got a quantity of the most decent, hard-work ing, honest, passionate, straight-shooting, non-ideological those who just want to talk about with the damn truth, along with the means to understand this past this image that will we're just middlebrow, anyone know, a new journal that will your own grandparents get, or perhaps something, that is the challenge. And In Which I just don't know how to complete it, thus if you've got just about any ideas, tell me."



Don't shed just about any tears with regard to Jon Meacham, your editor of Newsweek. He's feeling sorry adequate pertaining to himself these days to spend for the rest of us.

The The Huge Apple Observer recently reported in which Meacham beseeched about a hundred graduate-level journalism students in Columbia using this message: "I need you."

This plaintive exhortation is nearly Shakespearian. Every Week publications just like Newsweek, owned by simply Washington Publish , along with Time, part of Moment Warner , clearly require us a lot much more than we want them.

I respect Newsweek along with I such as Meacham, yet he should find real. Newsweek's not enough pizzazz is his own fault.

Well, since you asked so earnestly, here's my suggestion: you have to surprise, delight and, yes, entertain the readers.



Although each publications may be counted onto produce high-quality work, that's will absolutely no longer adequate to impress an audience. Viewers will get interesting information coming from any kind of variety of trendy blogs, too.

"At an occasion when newspapers are wanting to ensure his or her survival through attracting younger readers, the believed of endorsements will be both counterproductive as well as an anachronism," Stengel features contended. When papers consider attributes inside presidential elections, he argues, that they undermine the actual very cause for their own business: impartiality. "It's a recipe for getting much less influence, certainly not more."

Time and Newsweek must arrive track of compelling reasons behind us for you to read them. I may consider one: Endorse the presidential candidate. It's a new approach to attract fascination in the positive approach and assistance to develop a buzz. The Particular a couple of periodicals are already throughout heated competition with regard to so long they might have lost sight of the battle regarding youthful readers.

Apropos of nothing in the news, this is most likely for you to make anyone infant boomers smile -- and also cringe: the youngest Beatle, George Harrison, that died in 2001, could have turned 65 in Feb. 25. Final week, John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, ceebrated your ex 75th birthday. "All my troubles seemed up in order to now away..."

Shares i nvolving The big Apple Occasions took a hit following the McCain story appeared, falling a lot much more than 6% Thursday and also falling Friday as well to do well in a two-day total involving concerning 10%.

On the Times' Net site, Keller wrote: "Personally, I has been surprised by the volume in the reaction. I was surprised by how lopsided your opinion was against our decision, with visitors whom described themselves as independents as well as Democrats joining Republicans within defending Mr. McCain coming from the things they saw as getting a low cost shot. We knew several visitors would disagree using our choice to publish this information. after all, we wrestled with our very own doubts on which score."



Endorsing the presidential candidate represents responsible journalism, giving readers a much better idea of such a publication believes in. Nevert heless Richard Stengel, Time's managing editor, thinks I couldn't become more incorrect with regards to that.

MONDAY REPORT CARD: Your San Francisco Bay Area Chronicle not too long ago announced promises to combine its sports along with company sections upon Mondays and also Tuesdays. The Actual transfer is actually aimed, associated with course, at saving money. Whilst desperate occasions contact regarding desperate measures, this motion is ominous.

Meacham can't manage to understand why Newsweek offers lost much associated with its snap, crackle and also pop in the current media world. He is apparently flabbergasted that will such a well-reported along with smartly published once a week newspaper could have forfeit its buzz therefore dramatically.