Newsweak

I was shopping at my local Giant. I'm old school as I like for someone else to ring up the charges and pack my bags rather than have myself do it. While waiting, I glanced at the magazine rack. I was shopping in an upscale neighborhood -- or so I thought -- as Newsweek was on display.

So while I wait, I picked it up just to look at the cover. Well what would you know? On the cover was an article on how Obama might just run a center-right government. (I know that Ann Coulter is pushing a get drunk and vote for McCain program but was it possible that I drank so much that I totally blacked out during the voting process?) After checking my watch, I realized that the election hasn't yet happened.

There was also a little bit about why Fareed Zakaria is voting for Obama. (Just out of curiosity, who died and made this guy important? Seriously, when he would be on This Week it was time to refill the coffee mug.)

So, being a supporter of the fairness doctrine that I am, I searched for the bone thrown to the McCain campaign. I had a dozen items that had to be scanned at the checkout. I could have a few hundred, and I'd still be looking for something neutral (much less positive) about McCain.

Now, I haven't read Newsweek in eons, which suggests that I'm way overdue for a physical. It wasn't out of any sense of bias but rather, they would print first and ask questions later -- way later. Check out out this and this to see why. Moreover, if you compare an edition of the magazine from, say, twenty years ago, you'll find way more (liberal) opinion and a whole lot less news.

Now I note that the magazine's circulation has plummeted. If I read this article correctly, it seems that the magazine has lost a half a million readers in the past year. (That's one one of every six for the magazine.) Yikes!

I guess I wasn't the only one who put the magazine back on the rack and walked away.