Newsweek

Now I read Newsweek with astonishment. The tilt is so unbelieveable that only the fact that TIME is worse does the same is there any reason to give it less stars.

On the opinion page I don't mind so much. I don't expect much from Elenanor Clift or the absolutely unbelievable Anna Quindlen. Since we also get the solid George Will and the VERY underated Fareed Zakaria there is some hope. A spirited opinion page is a good thing. (Despite whatever spirits they are drinking.)

It is the "News" section that is now defined loosely. We have over the past year seen articles held, and or modified because they didn't meet the news "template". We have in the past five years seen Newsweek scooped by others (most notablely the Drudge Report) on stories they didn't want to run. This is not the sign of a fine magazine.

Finally the conventional wisdom watch is the worst politically correct tripe in the magazine and is wrong 9 times out of 10.

One saving grace is the political cartoons. A few more of them wouldn't hurt.

I can't really comment on the non news articles as I usually skip them, but the Magazine IS NEWSweek , not THISweek as so should it be judged.

The problem is the news reads as if it was written by journalists trained in hollywood.


NEWS LITE...   February 3, 2002
Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle)
21 out of 30 found this review helpful

Newsweek, as is its prime competitor, Time, is a glossy, weekly news magazine that covers national and global new events. It also covers business, education, art, entertainment, and current newsmakers. Its coverage is snappy and timely, with well written articles and essays, though dubiously objective, as the magazine has a distinctly liberal bent. It is this slant that distinguishes it from Time. The articles have as much depth as may be expected from a news magazine with a broad agenda and are well illustrated with photographs. As a subscriber, I look forward to receiving each weekly issue. Newsweek, as does Time, also publishes topical specialty issues throughout the year that provide more depth of coverage in a specific area.


Superficial coverage and biased journalism   June 13, 2002
kmansc (Los Angeles, CA)
16 out of 28 found this review helpful

Newsweek was intended for the reader who isn't really interested in thinking or knowing much about current events, but wants to pretend like he's informed. The articles are often superficial, biased, and of limited usefulness to the informed citizen.

On issues ranging from Global Warming, taxes, the budget, and campaign finance reform, Newsweek pooh poohs one side of the debate in favor of the other, and often gives shoddy analyses of both sides. The writers also try to mix in undeeded sensationalism into their articles (though not to the tabloid level).

On the positive side, the quotes page and political cartoons are often enjoyable, and occasionally there will be a good syndicated column mixed in with the grabage.

Time is much better, although I certainly wouldn't recommend that magazine either. If you really want to be an informed citizen, stick with your local paper and supplement that with opinion magazines or aticles from the left and right. Don't waste money on this magazine. With the web, you can obtain far more enjoyable, objective, diverse, and balanced coverage for free.


Newsweek? Time? Depends on your political leanings   November 19, 2002
16 out of 22 found this review helpful

I much prefer Newsweek to Time, because I find Time to have strong conservative leanings - I was recently so annoyed with one Time commentary that I threw the rag across the room. I suspect others who have reviewed Newsweek here may dislike it for the very reason I like it - it tends to be much more liberal, and to raise questions about current conservative policies.