NEWSWEEK: The Weekly News Magazine That Sets The Pace

I grew up in a very conservative home where TIME magazine was the weekly news magazine. Does anyone remember a weekly news magazine full of dazzling photojournalism called LIFE?

I remember someone in a government class I took once observed: "LIFE is a magazine for people who can't read and TIME is a magazine for people who can't think."

Well, both observations, while funny, are untrue. Growing up in the Bible Belt, we were always a little suspicious of Newsweek Magazine, though. I mean, it was supposed to be one of those RADICAL LIBERAL magazines put out by those weird New Yawkers who, we were told, would greatly benefit the American public if they would just saw off Manhattan Island and let Greater New Yawk float out to sea, leaving us Mom's Apple Pie types in peace and harmony forever more in la-ti-da my country 'tis of thee.

Naturally, I bought a subscription to Newsweek as soon as I gained my independence. And I've been buying it ever since. You can't live in Lake Wobegon, or even the Bible Belt, forever. Sooner or later you have to stick your head out and see what the rest of the world thinks.

In the intervening years, I've picked up TIME a time or two. But TIME seems like it is imitating Newsweek the way CBS and NBC are imitating FOX.

Now the funny thing about Newsweek is that it is actually pretty middle-of-the-road, as newsmagazines go. Oh, it's not over in conservative territory with US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT and all the drum-beaters, but look, they let George Will write for them don't they? And they let different people write the "My Turn" column that often have a decidedly conservative bent. So I think they make an honest attempt at balance.

Two things I always like about Newsweek are the Quotes Page (always full of irony and painfully pointed cartoons) and the Technology Page. Since I like both irony and technology (isn't the NASDAQ slide ironic, by the way?) these are always favorite areas. I also DO like the section by Ms. Bryant about money and the opinion page on the back.

The "main news area" is always good because the stories, while balanced, still have a dash of attitude thrown in to keep them interesting. A recent lead story called "The Incredible Shrinking President" about Bill C. and the Divine Ms. H. really zapped our former fearless leader but was full of humorous insights at the same time. Not exactly Rush Limbaugh territory but not exactly Jessie Jackson territory either by an Arkansas country mile. Just sort of the thing you'd hear around a coffee shop table in some town out in the MidWest. That's okay as long as they keep it scrappy. Both the left AND the right need a good kick in the keister every now and then to keep them awake.

Newsweek always has good pictures and they go for good shots. The magazine is always tasteful and respectful of people too.

So if you want my epinion, I think Newsweek is the leader when it comes to weekly newsmagazines today. It lets you think and see good pictures at the same time. And that's worth something in today's world.

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