Yesterday I blogged about photo selection bias on Newsweek.com's front page. The subjects in comparison were Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and newly-minted Cuban dictator Raul Castro. McCain makes another unflattering photographic appearance on the Newsweek home page today, but it's Barack Obama who gets the comparatively better image. The Democratic nomination frontrunner is shown in a Getty Images photo holding a young child. The headline caption reads, "First Woman President? Obama's campaign bends gender conventions."
By contrast, McCain's is an unflattering AP photo that appears to be from an Iraq junket. The headline caption: "McCain's 100-Year War: The GOP candidate is wrong to run on 'success' in Iraq."
Photos via screen capture shown below the page break:
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Newsweek is the worst
February 26, 2008 - 18:17 ET by Scout FinchOf all the weekly news magazines, Newsweek is the most blatantly biased simply by judging the photos they use with their articles. And covers? Again, the worst. They Photoshop their cover photos and reveal their bias every week.
I don't even see how they're relevant anymore. News consumers demand 24/7 news coverage. By the time they print their biased little news stories and accompany them with their biased photos and print them on un-recyclable glossy paper--it's old news!
I'd say it's more like
February 26, 2008 - 18:25 ET by JasonCI'd say it's more like we've been persuaded to believe that that's what we need. What does 24 hour news entail? Superficial, unnaunced coverage of the story du jour and similarly superficial, unnaunced, loud-mouthed pundits. Yeah, what would we do without those 24 hour news channels?
McCain's caption
February 26, 2008 - 18:22 ET by c5thenShould have been "Victory, not surrender is his platform".
Barack's caption, "First Woman President", is accurate enough I think.
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic. Let's get it back! Alan Keyes '08.
»→ Barack's caption
February 26, 2008 - 18:25 ET by Cool Arrow"Larry, sometimes I just want to cuddle"
♣ a seal
"Newsweek" should be
February 26, 2008 - 18:55 ET by jdhawk"Newsweek" should be renamed "Liberal Crap." What a waste of paper and ink. In the article on bambi, the author wastes three pages to tell us that bambi is a woman? And, yet, it is another fervant attempt on the part of drive by media to hide who bambi really is - a stupid liberal with the same old socialist feel good, been tried, don't work BS ideas.
What does it matter. Nobody buys "Newsweek." The nonsense that they are trying to get you to believe has been tried by their 24/7 drive bys over a week ago.
Newsweak
February 26, 2008 - 18:59 ET by HeikiSpeaks for itself, ne?
The picture of McCain looks
February 26, 2008 - 19:28 ET by CrimsonfistedThe picture of McCain looks like my Dad on vacation. Charming, wise. B Huessin O looks like the wus he is.
WhatAMaroon
Dog track time
February 27, 2008 - 07:35 ET by Mica the MagnificentMcCain looks like an old man at the dog track.
I'm sorry the announcer called you by your proper full name. It's disgusting and I apologize. I'm sorry I have to campaign against you. It's disgusting and I apologize. - - - McCain rehearsing his winning strategy against Obama
Quit whining, Newsbusters
February 27, 2008 - 01:06 ET by chuckoThere is nothing wrong or terrible about this McCain photo. What's unflattering, the hat or the glasses? I think he looks pretty cool in that picture, actually. This isn't anything close to a Dukakis in a tank moment, so please, dry up your crocodile tears everybody.
Newsweek on the whole is pretty evenhanded within a majority of their articles. They have their left-wing whackos like Jonathan Alter (who recently called for Hillary to drop out of the race!) and does tilt left more than than right sometimes, but Newsweek is a very good magazine to read every week overall.
Perhaps you missed the John McCain cover photo and cover story from a few weeks back? And also Huckabee and Romney cover stories not too long ago? So stop whining about Newsweek.
There are certainly better examples
February 27, 2008 - 01:18 ET by sarcasmoOf media photo-selection-bias this election season (coughRonPaulcough) which NB has conveniently-ignored, but the idea that Newsweak is good journalism these days is laughable. They're so left-biased & averse to facts it's not even funny. I know this from personal experience with a Newsweak "journalist" who had quite an agenda...
JMR
A corruption-story the TV media will-not cover.
chucko, Newsbusters combats LIBERAL media bias..
February 27, 2008 - 01:24 ET by upcountrywaterHow many pictures of Obama will you see , riding in a tank, near any military at all? Such a squishy photo of him holding a child , conveys hope;change etc).
And there is Mc Cain lookin like he's happy to continue killing for 100 years.
You will not see him in newsweek ever holding a baby.
Iranian uranium; Iranian ICBM's; Iranian satellites..CHANGE is comming BELIEVE in that!
Sorry, chucko, but you blew it with this statement:
February 27, 2008 - 01:29 ET by R D HelmNewsweek on the whole is pretty evenhanded within a majority of their articles.
Better luck in your next life.
No-longer proud (as in former) member of the "Once Conservative Republican Attack Machine."
pointless
February 27, 2008 - 12:28 ET by chuckoIt's probably pointless trying to convince people who are set in their ways and who likely don't actually READ Newsweek every week - they just see what Newsbusters has to say about it and that's it - but I'm gonna try anyway.
Fareed Zakaria, Howard Fineman, Evan Thomas, Michael Isikoff, these are some of the most respected journalists in the business. And they all write for Newsweek and are very fair-minded. There are others of course, but these are just some of them. So, maybe Newsweek just isn't good enough for you. Or maybe you're just not fair-minded enough for Newsweek. Your loss, not mine.
Newsweek. It just sucks.
February 27, 2008 - 01:35 ET by UnsaneHere's my take on Newsweek, chucko:
It sucks so badly I blew twice as much to get a subscription to The Economist. Newsweek's international coverage is extremely poor (typical for a U.S. mag) and yes, they are horrifically biased. Sure, The Economist is biased, but at least they have the guts to ADMIT their biases.
Quit "whining" about Newsweek? Why? Are they somehow 100% above criticism?
Res tantum valet quantum vendi potest.