Economist Magazine

The Economist, though in appearance a magazine, is technically speaking an English newspaper. It is published weekly, and provides coverage on a wide variety of subjects including international business, politics, science, finance, technology and the arts. It is considered a "high end" publication, and is written with well-above average readers in mind. According to those in the know, The Economist counts influential business leaders and governmental decision makers among its readers.

No Byline Please, We're British

There are a number of things which make this newspaper in magazine's clothing unique. One is that nearly every article is written without a byline--meaning that all staff writers write anonymously. Another is that the editor's name is withheld until the date of his resignation, at which point a final editorial which reviews his tenure is published, and he publicly signs his name to his work. Further, The Economist has a trademark tightly written style which packs maximum info into minimum space. Finally, nearly every Economist article closes with a clever witticism. Many have good-naturedly accused Economist writers with taking more care with their closing bon mots than with the overall content of each article.

In terms of politics, The Economist manages to be both fiscally conservative and politically liberal. On the one hand, it endorses relatively conservative American politicians: In 2000 it supported George W. Bush over Al Gore; though opposed to the California Gubernatorial Recall in general, the Economist did endorse Arnold Schwarzenegger for Governor (in 2004, however, it backed the "incoherent" John Kerry over the "incompetent" George W. Bush). On the other hand, it also supports gay marriage, legalized prostitution, the legalization of marijuana, and tighter U.S. gun control laws.

For the last 162 years, The Economist has been committed to "take part in an extreme contest between intelligence--which presses forward--and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress." It claims to be committed to the "extreme centre." With circulation numbers at an all time high (topping a million per year), and the fact that 80 percent of their readers are located outside their country's borders, it appears that this clever, well written weekly with plenty of bite will be staying in the magazine (alright, alright, newspaper) mix for many, many years to come.