Clearly, the official conflation of Newsweek, and the web site, The Daily Beast, awhile back, w/ the taste-challenged, opportunistic ex-pat Brit, Tina Brown, at the editorial helm of both these struggling media platforms, has, in my mind, lead to the devaluation, and quasi-tabloidization of the former....... a sad, but possibly predictable turn of event, considering Newsweek's once highly regarded status in the weekly print news reporting, analysis, and commentary biz. Time and Newsweek being the twin standard-bearers in this niche journalistic market for so many decades.

I happen to have subscribed to Newsweek for going on roughly four years, and frankly was heartened by the new-and-improved aesthetic, overall look, and better readability of the magazine since its almost total revamp from last fall. Admittedly, Tina Brown likely played a major role in this graphics/ layout reconfiguration. Some credit is due there.

Prior to this latest revamp, sadly much of the editorial content of the magazine had a decidedly print advertising look about it. So many of the feature articles, (and even the Table of Contents page), opened w/ a pictorial page, or full spread that initially smacked of 'adver', creating a sense of confusion in the reader, i.e., Is that an ad, or an article kind of ambiguity. IMO, there was far too much dropping out of type, or the superimposing of copy over a full page, margin-to-margin photo. Not very reader-friendly.

Thankfully, 'the new look', is much cleaner, clearer, w/ a solid visual distinction between what is editorial, and what's an advertisement.

Now, re/ Tina Brown's July 4th edition photoshopped Newsweek cover of the late Princess Diana strolling along side a perky Kate Middleton, plus the attendant article, in part, speculating possible back-and-forth tweets between Lady Di and her son William (if she had lived), I find totally beyond the pale, tasteless to the extreme, very unprofessional, and down-right repugnant.

The ambitious Tina Brown, as much as she tries to pan herself off as a serious journalist, IMHO, is deep-down, a sleazy, tabloid provocateur who bottom-line will stoop as low into the gutter as humanly possible to maximize media buzz, while hoping to attract more subscribers to her two current media 'darlings'.

Frankly, I hope the negative push-back on this fake Di brewing fiasco is humongous, and Newsweek subscribers voice their disapproval, en mass, and follow up w/ action------canceling their subscriptions if they truly feel Newsweek, under Brown's leadership has lost its moral compass.

I'm sure The Royals are steaming PO-ed over this tawdry Newsweek dreck, and so they should be.

ALEX