OPINION
1
New Newsweek a Lot Like Old Newsweek
By Kevin Spak
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Posted May 22, 09 10:02 AM CDT
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(Newser)
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Freshly fired by Time, Michael Kinsley checked out the much-ballyhooed Newsweek makeover. Let’s just say he’s less than impressed. In his introductory note, editor John Meacham says, “We are not pretending to be your guide through the chaos of the information age.” Already, Kinsley sees a mistake: “Why not at least pretend?”
The new Newsweek will feature “reported narrative” and “argued essay,” Meacham says. Snarks Kinsley: "He says he wants 'provocative (but not partisan) arguments.' Which would be what? 'Let's paint the Capitol dome dark brown'?" The revamped mag “bizarrely resembles the old Newsweek more than the new Newsweek Meacham describes.” It includes a by-the-numbers Obama interview, a hodgepodge of departments, even a letters page. The reported narratives and argued essays must come next week.