The release of an issue of Newsweek featuring Sarah Palin in running shorts on the cover has been met with charges of sexism, or, at the very least, a bias against her conservative political leanings. A review of Newsweek covers of recent years has found that most political figures get pretty fair treatment on their covers, while covers featuring Palin are usually unflattering.
Palin has been featured on four Newsweek covers. One, a professional portrait shot with John McCain, ran just after the Republican National Convention and mirrors a similar pose used on the cover featuring Barack Obama and Joe Biden after the Democratic National Convention. The other three covers, however, all feature unflattering poses or out-of-context photos that portray the Alaska governor as unprofessional.
Besides the "running shorts" cover (which uses a picture taken for a fitness magazine and an article promoting exercise), Newsweek used a photo of Palin in the Alaska wilderness wearing hunting gear and holding a shotgun for another cover. A third Palin cover featured an un-retouched, extreme close-up photo showing a portion of Palin's face, that highlighted some blemishes and wrinkles and earning some criticism at the time of release.
Newsweek covers featuring other political figures are rarely unflattering or controversial. A review of Newsweek from recent years of Barack and Michelle Obama, Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton found all received fair, if not flattering, treatment on the cover. Not only were the pictures used supportive of the subject, but the verbage on the cover was largely supportive.
Hillary Clinton has received mostly fair treatment on Newsweek covers, with one proclaiming "Hear Her Roar" and another naming her one of the "Women of the Year." Only one Hillary cover could be seen as negative, with the words "Saint or SInner" proclaimed on a cover timed to the release of her book.
Despite a number of verbal and political slip-ups in his time as vice-president, Joe Biden received a pass on a recent Newsweek cover, featuring a studio portrait and the words "Why Joe is no Joke." Obama has received almost saint-like coverage, including one cover in which the sun creates a halo-effect around his head. First Lady Michelle Obama has also received positive covers and stories in Newsweek.
Newsweek editor Jon Meachum defends their choice of photos, stating "We chose the most interesting image available to us to illustrate the theme of the cover, which is what we always try to do. We apply the same test to photographs of any public figure, male or female: does the image convey what we are saying? That is a gender-neutral standard." It is, in truth, a very true statement. Newsweek has been largely critical of Palin, painting her as unsophisticated and unready for national office, and by that standard, picking a photo of Palin holding a gun or wearing running shorts supports such a smear. It would be out of place to support Newsweek's largely pro-Obama coverage with an unflattering photo. What would people think if the photo of then-Sen. Obama swimming shirtless in the ocean were to run on a Newsweek cover?
Source: Newsweek
Comments
What are you talking about. I think it's a great picture!
They would think that the picture was taken without his consent or knowledge while he was exercising or enjoying vacation time,not the same as posing for a picture, unlike the picture on the cover. Now if the picture on the cover where of here running in the park, doing sit ups or swimming in the ocean as you like to bring up then the example at the end would have some merit, but this is politics. Don't pose for a "cute" picture if you don't want to be seen in a "cute" picture.
The point is not that she posed for a "cute" picture, (which was actually taken for a running/fitness magazine that obviously has no integrity to then sell off the photo to Newsweek)but rather why is it that Newsweek out of hundreds of photographs available would choose to exploit this photo, on their cover no less, in order to promote their supposedly unbiased, informative,high quality journalism.(LOL) Don't forget that Newsweek is provided in many school rooms and school libraries around the country for our impressionable youth to be "more enlightened" with. I would like to see Obama on the cover with that Marlboro hanging out of his mouth.....but I really would rather see our "news" media formats stick to presenting unbiased and balanced reporting and let the public make up our own conclusions without their obvious attempts at subliminal messages.Otherwise rename the magazine "Liberal Newsweek" and have more TRUTH in advertising.
Nice use of the flag to protect the chair back from her "sweaty?" arm. Good "conservative" symbolism.
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