So, they have done it again. Newsweek magazine this week has a different cover photo for their American edition. This time, the cover story on the American edition is about Steve Foley, the Congressional lothario, rather than on global warming. Foley is certainly a signficant story, but one would be hard pressed to argue that political scandal is a bigger deal than a trend that may destroy all life on the planet.
Newsweek editors used the same tactic a few weeks ago, when they put Annie Liebovitz, a celebrity photographer, on the cover of the American edition, rather than choosing the same image they used in their other editions: a Taliban member in Afghanistan holding a rocket propelled grenade. The subhead was: "Five years after the Afghan invasion, the Taliban are fighting back hard, carving out a sanctuary where they--and Al Qaeda's leaders--can operate freely."
Obviously, Newsweek is a very successful, very long-running newsmagazine, so they must be doing things according to what they believe the consumer will desire. So, why would American consumers not want to see an image of the conflict in Afghanistan on the cover of their edition? Granted, the story still runs inside all editions, but it is a safe bet that many people only see the cover of the magazine as they walk by the newstand and form their opinions of what is going on in the world from that image. By keeping the truth that Afghanistan is a losing proposition, they are effectively shielding people in this country from the truth. Should Americans be blinded by the media to what is going on around them? Or is this someting the American people desire?
2 comments:
You pointed out a valuable point in the use of different covers by Newsweek. I think it reflects not only a different agenda and/or "interests" of the American news consumer, but also the increasing stratification between the American view and the rest of the world. If something is deemed cover-worthy in the rest of the world, what about Americans make us think that we should have different priorities from the rest of the world?
I could not agree more with Diane. American ego has long been commented upon by the rest of the world, and I believe it is glaringly on display here. At a time when the world is again teetering on the blade of nuclear chaos, it amazes me that no one seems to care that America is on a totally different page than the rest of the world. (Yes, the bad pun was intended - my apologies.)
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