Reading With A Nose For News

When genius and futurist John Naisbitt put outbecause it's interesting and fun to know what's going
Megatrends in 1982 calling our future the "informationon, others keep up to manage their money.
age" even he could not have predicted the amountEconomics and the things that effect finance play a
and value of information we would inhabit by the turndecisive role in the slant of U.S. News and World
of the century. With all forms of media, securityReport. This magazine doesn't put on the same
cameras cell phones recording our every move therefriendly front as Newsweek and instead covers hard
is more news and not-really-news than we cannews stories, often with a financial or economic
assimilate in a day.world angle as part of the picture. For investors or
News magazines have become a helpful and neededpeople who care about the price of tea in China
conglomeration of information to help us sort outbecause it affects their trade interests, U.S. News
fact from fiction and keep us up on the need toand World Report is an obvious choice.
know we encounter. Although they all relate news,News For The Rest Of Us
each of our three major news magazines offers aThen there are folks who simply like to keep up to
different slant on the events of our times.date in a more generic or general way. We want to
Politics Stage Left or Rightbe informed but don't want to take a college class on
For political coverage above and beyond media scopegovernment or business to understand our events.
the distinct leader is Newsweek. From its quotes ofFor these folks, Time is the leading magazine of
politicians and media stars to its "Conventionalchoice. Time covers politics and money but includes a
Wisdom" meter, Newsweek offers all its news with aplethora of other topics as well. Time was a
very political approach. If there's an article aboutgroundbreaking force in bringing spirituality articles to
global warming, it will talk about how politician'sthe cover and front of the magazine and handles
respond to the crisis.movies, media, and human interest with the same
If there is a movie review it will take note of anywarm professionalism as it does politics, money and
imagery or idea that is remotely political. People whodemographics. Time's famous "Person of the Year" is
love Sunday morning news talk shows are the typeoften the subject of controversy and is popularly
who enjoys Newsweek's Capital Hill coverage andawaited every year. The person is not always a
view of the world from the policy makers of power.political leader, and not always a popular choice but
Like most publications, Newsweek is only asreflects the world's focus on the event of our age.
bipartisan as the writers on staff, but it does workThere's a lot of stuff going on every minute of
hard to objectify its coverage and does offer aevery day and we are privy to most of it via media.
range experiences to play in its politicized arena.Selecting a news magazine that fits your focus of
What About My Wallet?information helps funnel that coverage into a
While some keep up with national and global affairsmeaningful block of knowledge.