Newsweek magazine is undergoing massive restructuring, buying out the contracts of over 100 employees and offering to buy out many more including its two liberal opinion-mongers Jonathan Alter and Howard Fineman:
The staff of Newsweek will shrink dramatically, after 111 staffers on its news and business sides accepted a buyout last week. [...] More staffers than expected accepted the offer, so at least some their jobs are likely to be filled by new hires. But dozens of positions will be eliminated permanently. [...]
Other longtime senior editors who accepted the buyout include Nancy Cooper, George Hackett and Alexis Gelber. Senior Editor Jerry Adler is reportedly still considering the offer.
Story Continues Below Ad ↓Top political writers Jonathan Alter and Howard Fineman were also offered the buyout but declined it, and will continue in their current positions. Fineman told Radar, "my sense was that they wanted me to stay, and I am delighted to be doing so... I'm a lucky—and happy—guy." Alter said, "Because I've turned 50 I was just barely eligible under the terms, but I'm not taking it."
More is sure to follow. I expect that within five years, Time, Newsweek, or U.S. News will purchase one of its competitors as the weekly news market continues to shrink. Frankly, I'm wondering which of the newsmagazines is going to go all-digital first. The idea of a weekly magazine that attempts to cover the news just doesn't work aside from big "think pieces."
Newsweek may be taking a step in that direction when it launched The Ruckus, a blog aggregating site that takes posts from popular liberal and conservative blogs and sticks them together in one place. The site has some problems, though, because of the fact that so little of a post is readable from its front page, you don't really get a sense of what any story is about.
The unfortunate thing that a lot of media people have trouble recognizing is that people actually like new voices within the new media. Simply repackaging existing "old media" content is a strategy doomed to fail. The cure for what ails old media brands in the new media age is to create new ones, not resuscitate them.
—Matthew Sheffield is the creator of NewsBusters and its Executive Editor.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Newsweak because liberal
March 31, 2008 - 14:23 ET by Chris NormanNewsweak because liberal bias strong.
Conventional Wisdom says
March 31, 2008 - 14:26 ET by Free ThinkerConventional Wisdom says that liberal newsmags laying off people indicates weak profits and declining readership.
...but still gives Newsweek
March 31, 2008 - 17:14 ET by Newsbusterbrown...but still gives Newsweek thumbs up, while it gives Bush and Cheney thumbs down because, well, for the helluva it!
The likes of Fineman and
March 31, 2008 - 14:35 ET by bigtimerThe likes of Fineman and Alter stay put...
Wow what an improvement for readership sales!
All in all this news brings a smile to my face.
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill
Newsweek
March 31, 2008 - 14:40 ET by Melodic_MetalNewsweek is self destructing and I couldn't be happier about it. The number of people no longer trusting in the archaic media is growing exponentially. The only deniers are the suicidal media outlets themselves. EVERYONE has been telling them that their horribly biased coverage is what's killing them, but they refuse to acknowledge it and continue to fabricate reasons for their eventual demise. Swirl Newsweek, swirl!
"To beat Violence, You must ignore the focus groups. You must send in the Mossad, turn off the BBC, CNN, and don't look back."
This is why liberals hate
March 31, 2008 - 14:54 ET by ApacheThis is why liberals hate capitalism. It tends to filter out their BS.
Don't hate capitalism. Hate
March 31, 2008 - 15:05 ET by balboaDon't hate capitalism. Hate what it does to some people. Hate some side effects. But I'm all for money.
Agreed. Capitalism may
March 31, 2008 - 15:15 ET by JasonCAgreed. Capitalism may breed certain behaviors and aesthetics that I find unpleasant or depressing, but it is clearly better than the alternative. Living in Massachusetts during the disastrous conversion to socialized medicine has completely reshaped my thoughts on the matter.
That said, I will continue to critique some of the more repellant practices and effects of capitalism, but that should not be construed as advocacy of socialism; just as a critique of nationalism or hyper-patriotism is not advocating anti-Americanism.
Who can revolt if man has become a simple conglomerate of organs, a person barely free enough to use a remote control to choose his channel? -J. Kristeva
Well, speaking of both BS & "capitalism"
March 31, 2008 - 15:17 ET by sarcasmoI can't help linking a certain capitalist's "I told you so" on the subject. It fits, and these days people don't know what the words "money" and "capitalism" mean anymore. They're both dying, much like the word "liberal" died, Bal, and in all 3 cases for the wrong reasons.
JMR
PS Imagine how jealous other magazine publishers must be of 2600, the Hacker Quarterly. Let's do the 2600-math: Smaller format + fewer (but always cool!) pictures supplied for free by readers + content largely written for free or close to free by the reader community themselves = "ends up selling for MORE than a slick, glossy piece of garbage like Newsweak!" :) Warms this capitalist's heart just to think about it...
A corruption-story the TV media will-not cover.
Capitalism isn't about
March 31, 2008 - 19:38 ET by ApacheCapitalism isn't about obtaining money. Its a system where the economics are free of politics and that government should intervene as little as possible in economic affairs. You may hate what some people do with their money or how much they obtained but they may hate what you do with your money as well. So which one of you should be in control of the other? Capitalism says neither of you should be. You should be in control of your own money and responsible for your own success or failure. You could be happy where you are in life with no desire to be rich and still believe in capitalism.
I don't want to be in
March 31, 2008 - 19:42 ET by balboaI don't want to be in control of anyone. Still don't hate capitalism.
The Incredible Shrinking Newsweek, Time, et al.
March 31, 2008 - 15:19 ET by ledurchiAll I ever wanted was some semblance of objectivity - an indication that some reflection of thought was considered before the idea was written. Thank God for websites like this which make me feel that there is a small chance I just might not be insane.
Untold stories
March 31, 2008 - 17:06 ET by ThisnThatDo you know if any of these magazines have ever done a serious study of the man-made global warming hysteria, or tried to expose Al Gore for what he is? Or perhaps really called out the Muslim religion and the koran so that we could understand the passages that call for our destruction? Or really looked deep into Hillary's shennanigans? Maybe information like that would cause me to give these magazines a second look.
But there's just so many times I can take the re-gurgetation democratic talking points.
___________________________________
If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it is in English, thank a Soldier. - My barber
Reminded me
March 31, 2008 - 17:48 ET by celatorYour post reminded me that I have not purchased or read Newsweek or Time for at least 25 years--unless they were the only reading material in my doctor's waiting room. The bias was increasingly repulsive (and irritatingly predictable), the writing style infantile and the news coverage completely suspect.
When I was much younger, Time and Newsweek were a good read. People talked about what they had read that week. They learned something. That reader reaction has long since dissapeared.
re:ledurchi...
March 31, 2008 - 20:31 ET by PrairieSkyRight on! We cancelled our Newsweek subscription 6 years ago, as I stated in a post further down this thread. We are about to cancel, or in this case not renew, our subscription to U.S. News and World Report for a similar reason. You would think someone in charge of one of these rags would figure out what they're doing wrong.
Dump Clift
March 31, 2008 - 15:36 ET by Blogger Guy00001If they get rid of Eleonor Clift and Jonathan Alter I may consider buying it once again.
That's what happens when you are biased
March 31, 2008 - 16:16 ET by SupermanIs it any wonder that one of the most biased newspapers, The New York Times, and one of the most biased magazines, Newsweek, are hemoraging money?
Hopefully this will be a lesson to other media outlets that the public wants fair and objective reporting in their news. Not partisan advocacy.
We cancelled our longstanding subscription...
March 31, 2008 - 20:11 ET by PrairieSkyto Newsweek six years ago because of the ideological left turn that the magazine took, which became especially pronounced after President Bush (43) was first elected. Off and on for the first two years after cancelling, we would get mail and/or calls about renewing our subscription. Finally, we got fed up and told the next person who had called to get us to renew very bluntly why we had cancelled our subscription, and to not call or send anymore renewal offers. They finally stopped until about 6 months ago-Since then, we have received 2 offers to renew. I guess they are really scraping the bottom of the barrel to get new subscriptions if they are willing to go after people who basically told them to drop dead.
Newsweek
April 1, 2008 - 10:13 ET by candanceDon't worry folks; your explanations about why you boycott Newsweek will not be noticed. Liberals console themselves with "it's the internet taking away the customers" and refuse to believe people are actually boycotting because of the quality of the product.
re:candance...
April 1, 2008 - 16:02 ET by PrairieSkyI think you hit the nail on the head. While the internet is a factor in the losses that print media has been experiencing, it doesn't explain all of it. Of course, as you said, I am sure that those "in charge" at these publications will no doubt continue to delude themselves into thinking that the subscription declines have nothing to do with the quality of the content of their publications.
Newseek
April 1, 2008 - 10:18 ET by WR JonasAnd so I say, "don't hate liberals , hate what liberalism does to people ".
The first impulse of every utopian is to make the people obey the government.