-------------------- This wrinkle in time, I can't give it no credit, I thought about my space and it really got me down. Got me so down, I got me a headache, My heart is crammed in my cranium and it still knows how to pound Posts: 2794 | From: London, UK | Registered: Aug 2003
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I got to archive some of Annie Liebowitz' pictures and papers when I was working at a library several years ago. I feel I should keep the finer details to myself out of respect for her privacy, but I can and will say publicly that it wasn't a pleasant job.
-------------------- Another lifetime I'd have fallen in love with you Swept away by my feelings, ashamed and confused But just now it's enough to be walking with you Let the mystery play as it will! -Lui Collins Posts: 2669 | From: Jouy en Josas, France | Registered: May 2005
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Are we supposed to be surprised or shocked or something to see that covers featuring U.S. domestic news stories appeal more strongly to American readers than they do to foreign readers?
Dara bhur gCara
As Shepherds Watched Their Flocks Buy Now Pay Later
posted
quote:Originally posted by snopes: Are we supposed to be surprised or shocked or something to see that covers featuring U.S. domestic news stories appeal more strongly to American readers than they do to foreign readers?
- snopes
So, you don't make a value judgement on the kind of stories on the front cover in the US and in the rest of the world?
It's either a news magazine or it isn't.
-------------------- This wrinkle in time, I can't give it no credit, I thought about my space and it really got me down. Got me so down, I got me a headache, My heart is crammed in my cranium and it still knows how to pound Posts: 2794 | From: London, UK | Registered: Aug 2003
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quote:So, you don't make a value judgement on the kind of stories on the front cover in the US and in the rest of the world? It's either a news magazine or it isn't.
The word "news" encompasses quite a broad spectrum of information.
I expect the U.S. version of Newsweek to feature a cover story on the winner of the World Series; I don't expect foreign versions of Newsweek to feature a cover story on the winner of the World Series. Are the reasons for that difference not obvious to everyone? Is it really a shocking concept?
quote:The "shock" bit isn't that Newsweek has different cover stories for different regions but that the US versions are so ... trivial.
That the U.S. and foreign versions feature different types of stories on their front covers doesn't necessarily mean that their contents are significantly different -- it just means that American and non-American buyers generally find different kinds of stories appealing, so each cover features the one story deemed most likely to attract to the broadest audience in the target market:
quote:International editor Fareed Zakaria said the magazines often have different covers because they are tailored to different audiences overseas and at home. Domestically, Newsweek is a mass-circulation magazine with a broad reach while overseas it "is a somewhat more upmarket magazine for internationally minded people who travel a lot," he said.
quote:Originally posted by snopes: That the U.S. and foreign versions feature different types of stories on their front covers doesn't necessarily mean that their contents are significantly different -- it just means that American and non-American buyers generally find different kinds of stories appealing, so each cover features the one story deemed most likely to attract to the broadest audience in the target market:
quote:International editor Fareed Zakaria said the magazines often have different covers because they are tailored to different audiences overseas and at home. Domestically, Newsweek is a mass-circulation magazine with a broad reach while overseas it "is a somewhat more upmarket magazine for internationally minded people who travel a lot," he said.
- snopes
Um, I think that was Dara's point in posting this thread. The magazine is tailored to what different audiences will find most appealing. That's politics for the rest of the world, and trivial stories about celebrities for the US. That either says that the US audience is less interested in hard news, or that Newsweek thinks that the US audience has less tolerance for hard news. Which is what Dara said in the title of the thread - Newsweek has a low opinion of it's US readers.
-------------------- seriously , everyone on here , just trys to give someone crap about something they do !! , its shitting me to tears. Posts: 16061 | From: UK | Registered: Sep 2000
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quote:Originally posted by snopes: Are we supposed to be surprised or shocked or something to see that covers featuring U.S. domestic news stories appeal more strongly to American readers than they do to foreign readers?
- snopes
No, but surely you'd agree that the situation in Afghanistan is quite relevant to the US. It would appear that Newsweek finds that story more marketable everywhere else than in America. Which is strange, because it seems to me foreign politics are a much more popular subject in the US ever since 9/11 than they had been for decades before.
-------------------- Another lifetime I'd have fallen in love with you Swept away by my feelings, ashamed and confused But just now it's enough to be walking with you Let the mystery play as it will! -Lui Collins Posts: 2669 | From: Jouy en Josas, France | Registered: May 2005
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In fact, I'd say that the situation in Afgahnistan was more relevent to the US than many other countries, as it's a US-led invasion that created the current situation over there, and mainly the US' forces that are still over there.
-------------------- seriously , everyone on here , just trys to give someone crap about something they do !! , its shitting me to tears. Posts: 16061 | From: UK | Registered: Sep 2000
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quote:Originally posted by trollface: The magazine is tailored to what different audiences will find most appealing. That's politics for the rest of the world, and trivial stories about celebrities for the US. That either says that the US audience is less interested in hard news, or that Newsweek thinks that the US audience has less tolerance for hard news. Which is what Dara said in the title of the thread - Newsweek has a low opinion of it's US readers.
I'm a bit confused here, it seems like you missed the main point of what snopes was saying, which is that contents of the magazine are the same no matter where it is sold, it is the covers that are different.
Noemi
-------------------- Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult. My blog, no guarantees about witty or intelligent content. My current projects. Coveted Beads <---- our eBay store, new items being added somewhat regularly Posts: 8418 | From: Wyoming | Registered: Feb 2002
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quote:Originally posted by snopes: Are we supposed to be surprised or shocked or something to see that covers featuring U.S. domestic news stories appeal more strongly to American readers than they do to foreign readers?
- snopes
So, you don't make a value judgement on the kind of stories on the front cover in the US and in the rest of the world?
It's either a news magazine or it isn't.
It isn't, IMO. There's news in it, but there's quite a bit of fluff, too. If I want to read serious in-depth coverage of a news event, Newsweek wouldn't be my first choice. It's more of a convenient summary.
I do enjoy Fareed Zakaria's analysis, though, especially his occasional longer pieces.
-------------------- How homophobic do you have to be to have penguin gaydar? - Lewis Black Posts: 8322 | From: Columbus, OH | Registered: Aug 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Noemi: I'm a bit confused here, it seems like you missed the main point of what snopes was saying, which is that contents of the magazine are the same no matter where it is sold, it is the covers that are different.
Yes, I think you are a bit confused. I know that it's the covers which are different. The cover showcases the most likely story to sell. Everywhere that's not America, that's Afgahnistan. In America it's not. The American coverstory is of a celebrity photographer and her new book.
Seeing as America is the place (other than Afgahnistan) that the story on Afgahnistan is most relevent, what does that say about Newsweek's opinion of the American general public, and their tolerence and desire for hard news?
-------------------- seriously , everyone on here , just trys to give someone crap about something they do !! , its shitting me to tears. Posts: 16061 | From: UK | Registered: Sep 2000
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quote:Originally posted by trollface: Seeing as America is the place (other than Afgahnistan) that the story on Afgahnistan is most relevent, what does that say about Newsweek's opinion of the American general public, and their tolerence and desire for hard news?
Sadly, that their opinion of the American general public is probably right.
Posts: 345 | From: Washington, DC | Registered: Jul 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Noemi: I'm a bit confused here, it seems like you missed the main point of what snopes was saying, which is that contents of the magazine are the same no matter where it is sold, it is the covers that are different.
Yes, I think you are a bit confused. I know that it's the covers which are different. The cover showcases the most likely story to sell. Everywhere that's not America, that's Afgahnistan. In America it's not. The American coverstory is of a celebrity photographer and her new book.
Seeing as America is the place (other than Afgahnistan) that the story on Afgahnistan is most relevent, what does that say about Newsweek's opinion of the American general public, and their tolerence and desire for hard news?
Absolutely nothing.
It can only speak to their opinion on what their readership wants. I can't speak for anyone else, but if I want news, Newsweek is not where I get it. They have a particular democraphic which probably finds these stories more appealing. It is quite probable that the demographic of their readership is completely different by country.
Beach...can't just the opinion of an entire country by the cover of a single magazine...Life!
Dara bhur gCara
As Shepherds Watched Their Flocks Buy Now Pay Later
posted
quote:Originally posted by BeachLife:
quote:Originally posted by trollface:
quote:Originally posted by Noemi: I'm a bit confused here, it seems like you missed the main point of what snopes was saying, which is that contents of the magazine are the same no matter where it is sold, it is the covers that are different.
Yes, I think you are a bit confused. I know that it's the covers which are different. The cover showcases the most likely story to sell. Everywhere that's not America, that's Afgahnistan. In America it's not. The American coverstory is of a celebrity photographer and her new book.
Seeing as America is the place (other than Afgahnistan) that the story on Afgahnistan is most relevent, what does that say about Newsweek's opinion of the American general public, and their tolerence and desire for hard news?
Absolutely nothing.
It can only speak to their opinion on what their readership wants. I can't speak for anyone else, but if I want news, Newsweek is not where I get it. They have a particular democraphic which probably finds these stories more appealing. It is quite probable that the demographic of their readership is completely different by country.
Beach...can't just the opinion of an entire country by the cover of a single magazine...Life!
But the editor of Newsweek has explained the decision to change the cover by virtue of the fact that Newsweek is a mass-market current affairs magazine aimed at a more general readership than its more niche "People on airplanes and in libraries for some reason" market in other countries. By its own admission, it views its demographic as the general US public, rather than the hard news market, ergo trollface's criticism of Newsweek has some validity.
Moreover, your internym makes no sense, since this discussion is about Newsweek, and not about the appetite of the US public for news in and of itself, for all that one US poster has said that their assumptions may be correct.
I can't help feeling you haven't really read the thread, but you've just harrumphed your way in here to be annoyed at something, anything you can.
-------------------- This wrinkle in time, I can't give it no credit, I thought about my space and it really got me down. Got me so down, I got me a headache, My heart is crammed in my cranium and it still knows how to pound Posts: 2794 | From: London, UK | Registered: Aug 2003
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I think the only thing it's saying is that people in the US who want hard news look somewhere other than Newsweek. They've found they can more sucessfully market to "soft news" crowd in the US and to a "hard news" crowd abroad. I don't think this translates into how many people are in each of those crowds, or what Newsweek believes about the US marketplace in general, rather it just speaks to how Newsweek sells their magazine.
Gibbie
-------------------- If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate. Posts: 3993 | From: Indiana | Registered: Feb 2000
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I don't think it's a question so much of what the American people want to know, I think it's more along the lines of what they don't want to know.
On the whole, Americans seem to not only be poorly informed about world affairs, but also to not really care about them. I am an American (and damn proud of being one, too), and I think our great nation has struggled with a chip on its shoulder for a long while now, and the current "cowboy diplomacy" of the administrations isn't helping.
I am reminded of a recent visit to my classroom by a group of young men from Quebec. They knew the history of the USA backwards and forwards, but not a single 8th grader could even name the capital of Canada. The closest guess was "Ontario." Americans have got to start taking an active and involved interest in the global community, because as much as we are loathe to admit it, we are members of a global society.
-------------------- "I will tell you in another life, when we are both cats." Posts: 308 | From: Cleveland | Registered: Aug 2005
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quote:International editor Fareed Zakaria said the magazines often have different covers because they are tailored to different audiences overseas and at home. Domestically, Newsweek is a mass-circulation magazine with a broad reach while overseas it "is a somewhat more upmarket magazine for internationally minded people who travel a lot," he said.
I do see where the editor of Newsweek is coming from.
Whenever I buy an international newspaper (usually a daily paper, but it could be a weekly, too), it is because
I expect to have some time on my hands (on a train or a plane, mostly), and
I'm interested in what people in other countries think about current affairs I have an opinion of my own about.
So, a paper covering (no pun intended) world wide political affairs would be more interesting for me than one covering the live of an actor, artist or politician I hardly know. And yes, I do judge the paper by it's cover - what else is there to go by when you're standing in a newsagent and your train is about to leave? This means I would rather pick up an issue of Newsweek with the Afghanistan War on it's cover than one about Annie Leibovitz (Anne who?).
When, on the other hand, I buy a German newspaper, I'm interested in German affairs (not exclusivly, but partly). So an issue of - say - Der Spiegel with an in-dept story about a German actor, artist or politician might well appeal to me.
But than again, I would rather buy the latest Independent or Guardian but an issue of Der Spiegel, so maybe I'm just not into weekly magazins ...
Don Enrico
-------------------- My spelling is Wobbly. It's good spelling, but it Wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places. - Pooh Bear Posts: 2209 | From: Hamburg, Germany | Registered: Oct 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Noemi: I'm a bit confused here, it seems like you missed the main point of what snopes was saying, which is that contents of the magazine are the same no matter where it is sold, it is the covers that are different.
Yes, I think you are a bit confused. I know that it's the covers which are different. The cover showcases the most likely story to sell. Everywhere that's not America, that's Afgahnistan. In America it's not. The American coverstory is of a celebrity photographer and her new book.
The confusion came from the fact that you quoted snopes' post on the covers being deifferent but said:
quote: The magazine is tailored to what different audiences will find most appealing. That's politics for the rest of the world, and trivial stories about celebrities for the US.
To me that portion of your post, since you are referring to the magazine as a whole rather than the cover, read as if you thought the contents of the magazine are different.
quote:Seeing as America is the place (other than Afgahnistan) that the story on Afgahnistan is most relevent, what does that say about Newsweek's opinion of the American general public, and their tolerence and desire for hard news?
What Gibbie said. It's a marketing thing and it's no different than making an ad that appeals to a target market.
Noemi
-------------------- Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult. My blog, no guarantees about witty or intelligent content. My current projects. Coveted Beads <---- our eBay store, new items being added somewhat regularly Posts: 8418 | From: Wyoming | Registered: Feb 2002
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When I said "the magazine is taylored", I was including the cover design as part of that tayloring - highlighting the contents that are most likely to appeal.
But, yes, it's exactly like making an ad that appeals to a target market. And what that ad is tells us something about how those behind the ad view the target market, doesn't it?
-------------------- seriously , everyone on here , just trys to give someone crap about something they do !! , its shitting me to tears. Posts: 16061 | From: UK | Registered: Sep 2000
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I'm just surprised at the idea that anybody might consider Newsweek to be a good source of news.
Edited: Because I can't spell week.
-------------------- 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. That is when the world will end. Posts: 7158 | From: D.C. | Registered: Aug 2002
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Just a thought that occured to me. The cover would only really matter to people who buy a copy in the supermarket or wouldn't usually be interested in a news magazine, rather than a subscriber.
So couldn't this also be interpreted as saying that since their subscribers are more likely to follow news and will find the Afghanistan article anyway, that they think less of their non-regular readers?
(I don't know the percentage of Newsweek readers that are subscribers vs. weekly buyers, but would assume that subscriptions make up the majority.)
Posts: 345 | From: Washington, DC | Registered: Jul 2006
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Yes, but I'm amazed that anyone who's ever read the magazine would think so. (At least the US version, I don't know how different the other ones are.)
It's a crap magazine with poorly written articles and a lot of fluff. I'd go to Fox News before I'd read Newsweek as a reliable source of what's happening in the world. (and I don't ever watch Fox News)
-------------------- 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. That is when the world will end. Posts: 7158 | From: D.C. | Registered: Aug 2002
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Isn't Newsweek a good source for news? Just because they have some light stuff doesn't cancel that out does it? I always think of Newsweek as being similar to Time. Not The Economist but a perfectly acceptable news magazine.
-------------------- If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, it's just possible you haven't grasped the situation. - Jean Kerr Posts: 18428 | From: Ontario, Canada | Registered: Nov 2001
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I wouldn't consider Newsweek to be a good source for news. But like I said, I don't know how different content is in the US version vs the Canadian version, or the Asian version, or the UK version, etc.
I've tried it several times and continue to pick one up at least once every year or so. It hasn't improved in all my time of reading it.
(And I'm not all that into heavy news, so I'm not trying to sound as if I'm some authority in what's "real" news vs. fluff. I just don't find many redeeming qualities in Newsweek articles.)
-------------------- 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. That is when the world will end. Posts: 7158 | From: D.C. | Registered: Aug 2002
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I've had a subscription for several years, but probably won't renew next time. I find myself reading less and less of the magazine. I think maybe I'll replace it with Mental Floss.
-------------------- How homophobic do you have to be to have penguin gaydar? - Lewis Black Posts: 8322 | From: Columbus, OH | Registered: Aug 2005
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I dunno, maybe I'm shallow but I would have read most of these articles if the magazine was in front of me right now.
-------------------- If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, it's just possible you haven't grasped the situation. - Jean Kerr Posts: 18428 | From: Ontario, Canada | Registered: Nov 2001
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I'd say that Newsweek is 70% fluff, but they usually have at least one or two in-depth hard news articles per week that are worth reading.
Put it this way though: It's a weekly magazine, so it should take me longer to go through than any random daily newspaper, and it doesn't.
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