Hoisted from Comments: A Puzzle: The Economist's American Political Coverage

Dilbert Dogbert and Bupa:

Brad DeLong's Semi-Daily Journal: A Puzzle: The Economist's American Political Coverage: The daughter got married this weekend and so I spent some time cooped up in a motel room dog sitting. The wife, who pitied my lack of internet access and reading material, brought two Newssqueeks to the room for me to while away the time. God!!! I stopped reading NW a long time ago, same with Time, for all of the reasons listed above. I had forgoten how awful American news mags are. For all the decay of The Economist, it can not compare with the rot, stench and decay of American news mags.

Posted by: DILBERT DOGBERT | October 22, 2006 at 05:49 PM

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Agree with Dilbert Dobert. The selection of American weeklies is pathetic. The Economist is still the best in the category. I've subscribed for 20 years. I disagree with most who say the secular decline is decades old. There was a dramatic switch in American coverage after 9/11 which betrays its 150 year British Liberal roots. Whatever decline was in the works before then pales in comparison.

Still, who on earth reads the Economist for its American coverage? The bulk of the pulbication is focused on the rest of the world. It carried out a long campaign against Berlusconi. It usually gets it about right in its coverage of usually-uncovered corners of the world, like Macedonia this week.

If Brad can read the WSJ but not its editorial page, why not read the Economist but not its American coverage?

Posted by: Bupa | October 22, 2006 at 07:09 PM