Niche Magazines

A magazine has a right to define itself as it wishes, however broad or narrow. Still, one expects a magazine with any sort of coherent purpose to be consistent in its articulation of its viewpoint.

Thus, Newsweek’s claim to be a general, non-sectarian news magazine is criticized in Get Religion:

….But this post is about Newsweek. It’s about journalism. What IS this cover story? Is Newsweek declaring itself a niche, advocacy journalism magazine?

To be blunt about it, is this now the World magazine for oldline Protestants and progressive Catholics, Jews, secularists and all others who believe that red-zip-code America is, deep down, not worthy of balanced, fair, traditional American journalism? Is there much of a difference, in journalism theory, between the Meacham Newsweek cover on Palin and this World magazine story on Obama?…

Personally, I think Newsweek, First Things, World Magazine, and The Atlantic are all niche magazines, albeit of various sizes and constituencies.

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