One point I've made before is that a "brand" isn't really distinguishable from the underlying product. Once the product has been ravaged, the brand isn't worth anything either. And Newsweek sure looks like it's close to the point of no return. Is it just a coincidence that above the fold the website highlights a slide show of best concession speeches, or is it gallows humor?
Someone--maybe Gawker, I can't find a link--did an admirable job of counting the TV appearances of Newsweek's many well known names. You can do a search on the magazine site if you want to see the work for the magazine of some of those big names and judge for yourself how much attention they devoted to their day jobs. There is still some very good reporting in the magazine, like the science reporting from Sharon Begley.
Someone--maybe Gawker, I can't find a link--did an admirable job of counting the TV appearances of Newsweek's many well known names. You can do a search on the magazine site if you want to see the work for the magazine of some of those big names and judge for yourself how much attention they devoted to their day jobs. There is still some very good reporting in the magazine, like the science reporting from Sharon Begley.
But it's hard not to get the impression that seeing the organization crumbling around them, Newsweek's high priced talent didn't especially bother to hold it up. If anything, the magazine now has the feel of a place that has been abandoned by people who long ago stopped paying their mortgages, and since they were moving out anyway decided to strip the wiring and sell off the kitchen appliances as well.
