Newsweek Still Just Phoning It In
Having recycled a 1979 Time magazine cover and one of its own covers from 1987 in recent weeks, it’s only logical that the print edition of Newsweek is relying on an old and pre-used stock photo for its latest cover, as it continues to circle the drain:
As Steve Green writes in response, “It’s one thing to try and sell magazines with mock-titilating covers. It’s another to just grab some over-used stock photo.” How over-used? Steve links to foodie Website Eater.com, which notes:
The UK’s Observer Food Monthly already used the same stock photo on its cover back in April 2008. This same photograph has also appeared in a May 2012 issue of Harper’s Bazaar in Russia. It’s sort a boring re-occurring stock photo, as found here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Naturally, Politico raves over the cover, but then, we already knew they’re awfully cheap dates to begin with.
Related: “US newsstand magazine sales slide 10%,” Fox-NY reports adding that “Cosmopolitan was still the top-selling magazine at newsstands” — which helps to explain the above Newsweek cover. Given that, as Ace once noted,
Newsweek’s chief competitor when it was owned (and eventually junked) by the Washington Post “wasn’t The Economist. Newsweek’s chief competitor was actually People Magazine,” it makes sense for Tina Brown to see herself, maybe even subliminally, as in competition with Cosmo.
Incidentally, (found, as with the Fox-NY story, via Drudge), AP lists “Single-copy sales of top 25 US magazines.” Based on the list, women appear to be doing the vast majority of magazine buying — Cosmo, Us, and two versions of People make the list.
Time and Newsweek don’t.
Even worse? It promotes asparagus. Aaag, gack, gag me with a cancer stick. What has the world done that Newsweek has to inflict asparagus on us. Ever wonder why insects won’t touch asparagus? The same reason they won’t touch tobacco, deadly poison.
If asparagus is the fave of the top chef’s of the world, then I’m glad I stick to fast food and diner fare. I don’t know what they did to kill their taste buds, but it must’ve involved a hot flame and gallons of kerosene.
Asparagus. I’d sooner babysit an infant wolverine with projectile diarrhea.
Tina’s obviously decided whatever photo department Newsweek had should be free to enjoy the wonders of funemployment as part of Recovery Summer IV in her favorite president’s America. They’re probably only springing for used copies of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator now, and tossing the job off to some summer intern (if Newsbeast still has the cash-on-hand to afford one. Or a computer.)