Back of the Book

It came as no surprise that Newsweek magazine http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/money/55115037-79/newsweek-magazine-print-digital.html.csp that has become tabloid thin, will cease publication of its print edition the end 2012.  They announced day before yesterday that they will be adopting an all-digital format.  I have fond memories of my ties to them from the time I was living in Europe, searching for news from home. As a CNN viewer, I enjoyed Christiane Amanpour’s coverage but found other correspondents dry and boring.  Larry King’s abrasive and rude style did not appeal to me, although his guests were provocative.  I loved Elsa Klensch, but needed more substance than talk of fashion, entertainment and war.  I wanted something to read and carry with me either on the S-train or U-Bahn. Dissatisfied that many of the newspapers were slanted toward England, I found my match when I subscribed to Newsweek International. The European edition was intelligent—with fascinating glimpses into many subjects and an analysis of the global issues that affected the lives of Europeans and Americans alike.  Every week I looked forward to getting my copy and would read it from cover to cover. It influenced me to the point of when I got to New York I proudly walked down 57^th Street, passed Carnegie Hall http://www.carnegiehall.org/ and into the Newsweek office, declaring myself a reader and got the ear of the Human Resources representative. My knowledge and memory gained me quick entry into the Library as a temp in the circulation dept. The pay was poor, the cafeteria first-rate and inexpensive, and it was an exciting place to be, with the news of the day.  When I wasn’t researching something, I got to read, being paid to do what I love, what comes naturally. I got to meet smart people, who had a sense of serving a good cause—to do honest reporting about serious topics, believing they would help shape a better world. Through those contacts, I got to know a well-known columnist who offered me a job working from her home.  Although I turned it down, I grew to respect many journalists and the domestic version as much as its international counterpart.  

In some ways, the news was expected, still it’s another loss for me; good-bye to a publication of 80 years and of an institution, another reminder of the precarious future we are currently living in.