The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

News, Weak

Posted on | June 8, 2010 | 33 Comments

The bidding for Newsweek hasn’t been exactly eager:

[S]ome Newsweek staffers . . . describe the mood as ranging from stunned to funereal to angry — the latter emotion fueled by a sense that Editor Jon Meacham erred badly by transforming the newsweekly into an upscale, left-leaning opinion magazine. Meacham has said that in the face of mounting losses — $44 million since 2007 — he had no choice but to seek fewer subscribers who would be willing to pay more.
On one level, the situation is a paradox. Here you have a magazine loaded with talent . . . and few seem willing to bet on its financial future. That amounts to a no-confidence vote not just on the category of newsweeklies, which have long been squeezed between daily papers and in-depth monthlies, but on print journalism itself. The lucrative properties these days are digital, and Newsweek’s Web site has long been a flop, both creatively and commercially. . . .
The result is a conventional wisdom, to use a phrase popularized by Newsweek, that the magazine smells like a loser.

Brilliant — losing $44 million to produce a liberal opinion magazine. Because, according to Meacham’s theory, people would pay more for liberal opinions than for news.

It takes a special kind of stupid to think that way — if you can call that “thinking.”

Category: Journalism, Liberals

Comments

33 Responses to “News, Weak”

  1. Estragon
    June 8th, 2010 @ 6:03 am

    Why expect Meacham’s thinking on business strategy to be less stupid than his thinking on anything else? From shortly after he took the helm, he already steered the magazine sharply to the left, and proceeded to drive it to the edge of bankruptcy.

    So, if THAT didn’t work, to a stupid leftist the obvious solution was to get rid of the pretense of any objectivity or straight reporting and dive full-length into premium leftist opinion.

    Because, like, you just can’t find leftist opinion anywhere, you know.

    As NW circles the bowl, let’s remember to flush twice – we want to make sure it all goes down. How embarrassing if a guest should come over and find Evan Thomas still a floater . . .

  2. Estragon
    June 8th, 2010 @ 6:03 am

    Why expect Meacham’s thinking on business strategy to be less stupid than his thinking on anything else? From shortly after he took the helm, he already steered the magazine sharply to the left, and proceeded to drive it to the edge of bankruptcy.

    So, if THAT didn’t work, to a stupid leftist the obvious solution was to get rid of the pretense of any objectivity or straight reporting and dive full-length into premium leftist opinion.

    Because, like, you just can’t find leftist opinion anywhere, you know.

    As NW circles the bowl, let’s remember to flush twice – we want to make sure it all goes down. How embarrassing if a guest should come over and find Evan Thomas still a floater . . .

  3. Estragon
    June 8th, 2010 @ 2:03 am

    Why expect Meacham’s thinking on business strategy to be less stupid than his thinking on anything else? From shortly after he took the helm, he already steered the magazine sharply to the left, and proceeded to drive it to the edge of bankruptcy.

    So, if THAT didn’t work, to a stupid leftist the obvious solution was to get rid of the pretense of any objectivity or straight reporting and dive full-length into premium leftist opinion.

    Because, like, you just can’t find leftist opinion anywhere, you know.

    As NW circles the bowl, let’s remember to flush twice – we want to make sure it all goes down. How embarrassing if a guest should come over and find Evan Thomas still a floater . . .

  4. Joe
    June 8th, 2010 @ 6:55 am

    See ya. Evolution is a bitch.

  5. Joe
    June 8th, 2010 @ 6:55 am

    See ya. Evolution is a bitch.

  6. Joe
    June 8th, 2010 @ 2:55 am

    See ya. Evolution is a bitch.

  7. Brandon Kiser
    June 8th, 2010 @ 12:29 pm

    Hilariously, the conservative magazine Newsmax is among the few potential buyers. Newsweek liberals are shaking in their boots.

  8. Brandon Kiser
    June 8th, 2010 @ 12:29 pm

    Hilariously, the conservative magazine Newsmax is among the few potential buyers. Newsweek liberals are shaking in their boots.

  9. Brandon Kiser
    June 8th, 2010 @ 8:29 am

    Hilariously, the conservative magazine Newsmax is among the few potential buyers. Newsweek liberals are shaking in their boots.

  10. Noel
    June 8th, 2010 @ 1:16 pm

    “Brilliant — losing $44 million to produce a liberal opinion magazine.”

    He’ll make it up in volume.

  11. Noel
    June 8th, 2010 @ 1:16 pm

    “Brilliant — losing $44 million to produce a liberal opinion magazine.”

    He’ll make it up in volume.

  12. Noel
    June 8th, 2010 @ 9:16 am

    “Brilliant — losing $44 million to produce a liberal opinion magazine.”

    He’ll make it up in volume.

  13. molonlabe28
    June 8th, 2010 @ 2:06 pm

    Newsweek isn’t a magazine “loaded with talent,” nor is its demise an indictment of weekly news magazines in general.

    Newsweek has failed because people don’t want to pay $5 to read liberal drivel.

    Time will be joining its ranks in the next 2 – 4 years.

  14. molonlabe28
    June 8th, 2010 @ 2:06 pm

    Newsweek isn’t a magazine “loaded with talent,” nor is its demise an indictment of weekly news magazines in general.

    Newsweek has failed because people don’t want to pay $5 to read liberal drivel.

    Time will be joining its ranks in the next 2 – 4 years.

  15. molonlabe28
    June 8th, 2010 @ 10:06 am

    Newsweek isn’t a magazine “loaded with talent,” nor is its demise an indictment of weekly news magazines in general.

    Newsweek has failed because people don’t want to pay $5 to read liberal drivel.

    Time will be joining its ranks in the next 2 – 4 years.

  16. craig henry
    June 8th, 2010 @ 2:52 pm

    Yeah, Meachem ruined Newsweek. But he did score a sweet gig on PBS.

  17. craig henry
    June 8th, 2010 @ 2:52 pm

    Yeah, Meachem ruined Newsweek. But he did score a sweet gig on PBS.

  18. craig henry
    June 8th, 2010 @ 10:52 am

    Yeah, Meachem ruined Newsweek. But he did score a sweet gig on PBS.

  19. proof
    June 8th, 2010 @ 3:00 pm

    Maybe they should call it “News Talking Points”?
    You really have to spell it out for some of those guys!

  20. proof
    June 8th, 2010 @ 3:00 pm

    Maybe they should call it “News Talking Points”?
    You really have to spell it out for some of those guys!

  21. proof
    June 8th, 2010 @ 11:00 am

    Maybe they should call it “News Talking Points”?
    You really have to spell it out for some of those guys!

  22. Count Vikula
    June 8th, 2010 @ 3:06 pm

    I replaced Time, Newsweek, and National Geographic with The American Conservative, The New American and The Smithsonian Magazine, and haven’t looked back since!

  23. Count Vikula
    June 8th, 2010 @ 3:06 pm

    I replaced Time, Newsweek, and National Geographic with The American Conservative, The New American and The Smithsonian Magazine, and haven’t looked back since!

  24. Count Vikula
    June 8th, 2010 @ 11:06 am

    I replaced Time, Newsweek, and National Geographic with The American Conservative, The New American and The Smithsonian Magazine, and haven’t looked back since!

  25. richard mcenroe
    June 8th, 2010 @ 3:42 pm

    What in the name of sweet soiled Beelzebub is ‘upscale’about Newsweek?

  26. richard mcenroe
    June 8th, 2010 @ 3:42 pm

    What in the name of sweet soiled Beelzebub is ‘upscale’about Newsweek?

  27. richard mcenroe
    June 8th, 2010 @ 11:42 am

    What in the name of sweet soiled Beelzebub is ‘upscale’about Newsweek?

  28. ak4mc
    June 8th, 2010 @ 4:09 pm

    Newsweek isn’t a magazine “loaded with talent,”

    Somebody must have heard me say, “Newsweek is a load,” and they interpreted.

  29. ak4mc
    June 8th, 2010 @ 4:09 pm

    Newsweek isn’t a magazine “loaded with talent,”

    Somebody must have heard me say, “Newsweek is a load,” and they interpreted.

  30. ak4mc
    June 8th, 2010 @ 12:09 pm

    Newsweek isn’t a magazine “loaded with talent,”

    Somebody must have heard me say, “Newsweek is a load,” and they interpreted.

  31. Adobe Walls
    June 8th, 2010 @ 8:36 pm

    The processes Mr Meachem uses to reach his conclusions can not be characterized as thinking.

  32. Adobe Walls
    June 8th, 2010 @ 8:36 pm

    The processes Mr Meachem uses to reach his conclusions can not be characterized as thinking.

  33. Adobe Walls
    June 8th, 2010 @ 4:36 pm

    The processes Mr Meachem uses to reach his conclusions can not be characterized as thinking.