Now Playing at Reason.tv: How The Week Is Redefining News Mags for the 21st Century
Bill Falk is editor in chief of The Week, the magazine that promises to "tell you all you need to know about everything that matters." Six years old and boasting a growing circulation of 500,000 subscribers, The Week has redefined the news magazine for the 21st century by offering wide-ranging and witty takes on the topics of the day. For each issue, Falk and his staff sift through thousands of newspapers, magazines, websites, and other sources to produce a concise and comprehensive gazette of news, opinion, and attitude.
Although The Week is a non-partisan publication, Falk has no shortage of opinions about the state of the media-and particularly the troubles facing old-style, mass-circulation print behemoths such as Time and Newsweek. Such mags are "clearly in a bad place," he says. "It's unclear what their role is in this new media landscape….They're fishing around for what their role is going to be."
In this 10-minute interview conducted and filmed by reason.tv's Nick Gillespie and Dan Hayes, Falk explains why he thinks The Washington Post is the best newspaper in America, why content will always be king across all media platforms, and why it may not be a bad thing that politics is starting to look more and more like a reality TV show in which contestants get voted off the island.
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I am imagining what Nick's closet looks like: one rack full of identical black teeshirts, and one rack full of identical black leather jackets. Saves time in the morning because you don't have to think about your wardrobe! But getting that eternal Don Johnson five o'clock shadow takes some creativity. You have to shave late at night to have the proper stubble in the morning when you do your interviews.
The Week for libertarians: a little Rockwell, a little Weigel, the occasional reference to a rascist newsletter and some anti-religious bigotry, and finally a little Gravel and Dondero to lighten things up.
If there were a drinking game where you had to have a drink every time Nick said "right", "uh huh" or "yep" while the other guy was talking, you would die of alcohol poisoning. At 00:52, there is a cut to Falk talking for about 21 seconds and in that time Nick gets in 11 rights and two uh huhs.
I am imagining what Nick's closet looks like: one rack full of identical black teeshirts, and one rack full of identical black leather jackets.
Brandybuck, if you're sitting around imagining Nick without any pants, you might want to seek help.
Gee, these are mean comments. I was going to make fun of "Reason's" kiss-ass description of "The Week," claiming that it has "redefined the news magazine for the 21st century by offering wide-ranging and witty takes on the topics of the day," which I suspect is not entirely true, but what the fuck. OK, Nick Gillespie is a middle-aged family man pretending that he isn't Homer Simpson but so what? Let him slide!
Here is the sumamry for those who want to save 10 minutes.
His favorite media:
Washington Post
Slate
BBC
He thinks banging together democrats and republicans creates wisdom.
He thinks Newseek and Time are good magazines.
This guy is involved in some really dark state worship.
here are some nice comments:
Nick seems cool, he corrects Falk, saying both parties are completely stupid. He points out that no serious/honest person could think Newsweek or Time is a good magazine.
Nick is then trying hard to be polite as evidenced by the "right, right, right uh huh". If you didn't know that Nick backs the Communist Manifesto prescribed Federal Reserve System you'd think he was a libertarian.
Haven't watched yet, but aww, are you guys all The Week lovey because they quote you all the time?
No, seriously, I get it delivered to Canada because I love The Week, even if it means news is old. I like getting the summaries of people I hate to read and the little, but important, things that fall through the cracks of more immediate news.
Well, I'm not their obvious audience. I'm a news junkie and DO read a lot of news each night, but it tends to be specialized (libertarian, feminism, um, comics) or Canadian. The profile does fit my husband, who only gets his news from me if it's not in The Week. But I think part of the reason I like it so much is because it's like the internet - I'm so accustomed to multiple opinions that just one seems like I'm missing out. Also, their editors are so good at condensing.
I like banging ideologies together. Oh yeah, talk politics to me.
I work in the mail room of a company where the board members get the week. So I read it when I'm suppose to be working. I think it's a pretty good mag but would never pay for it.