The unflattering Newsweek cover photo of Rep. Michele Bachmann, (R., Minn.) who won the Republican Party’s Iowa straw poll on Saturday, continues to trigger chatter among media people, observes Grumpy Editor.
The magazine's Aug. 15 issue features a close-up head shot of a wide-eyed Republican presidential candidate staring into the camera.
Newsweek's bold, white cover line: The Queen of Rage.
On Sunday’s CNN’s Reliable Sources program, hosted by Howard Kurtz, guest Roger Simon, chief political columnist for Politico and former political editor, U.S. News & World Report, probably has the best answer in the photo decision by Newsweek where Tina Brown is editor-in-chief.
Mentioning that “selection of the cover is very, very important,” Simon explains:
“The cover was designed to have less to do with Michele Bachmann than getting buzz for a news magazine --- getting buzz for Newsweek.”
He points out, “News magazines need buzz to survive" and the cover is going to whoever "gets them the most buzz.”
The Bachmann cover stems from an Aug. 1 Washington, D.C. photo shoot by photographer Chris Buck.
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