But it also points to a larger crisis in journalism itself: The rise of the zombie publication, whose former legitimacy is used to launder extreme and conspiratorial ideas.Įven by the volatile standards of journalism in the twenty-first century, Newsweek’s recent problems are extraordinary. The publication of Eastman’s op-ed says a great deal about the state of Newsweek’s opinion section, which has become a clearinghouse for right-wing nonsense. We apologize.” Still, the magazine refused to recognize what was obvious-that the op-ed was intended to spark questions about the eligibility of a Black woman running for high office. Newsweek’s editors merely feigned horror that the op-ed was taken in the only possible way it could have been taken. This op-ed is being used by some as a tool to perpetuate racism and xenophobia. In an editor’s note signed by global Editor-in-Chief Nancy Cooper and opinion editor Josh Hammer, the magazine acknowledged, “We entirely failed to anticipate the ways in which the essay would be interpreted, distorted, and weaponized…. Three days after the op-ed was published, Newsweek apologized, sort of. Within a few hours, Eastman’s op-ed was being brandished by President Trump, who told reporters he had “heard”Harris may not be eligible to serve. It was, as many pointed out, a racist attack with no constitutional merit, on par with the birther conspiracy theory that claimed Barack Obama was born in Kenya. An op-edwritten by John Eastman, a conservative lawyer and founding director of the Claremont Institute’s Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, coyly suggested that Kamala Harris, who was born in California, may not be eligible to serve as vice president because her parents were immigrants. Last week, Newsweek suggested one possible purpose: The legitimization of narratives straight out of the right-wing fever swamps. “While the name Newsweek still carries a certain authority-remnants of its status as a legacy outlet-and the magazine can still bag an impressive interview now and then, it serves an opaque purpose in the media landscape.” “Nobody I spoke to for this article had a sense of why Newsweek exists,” Tovrov wrote. All that was left was clickbait, op-eds from the likes of Nigel Farage and Newt Gingrich, and a general sense of drift. Writing in The Columbia Journalism Review last year, Daniel Tovrov depicted Newsweek, once one of America’s most distinguished magazines, as a shell of its former self. Late Tuesday night, their exposé was published, revealing a deep financial relationship between the parent company and a small Christian school, Olivet University.Īlex Shephard summarizes the bizarre fate of what was once a highly respected publication. Despite the firings, a group of staff journalists continued reporting on the company’s finances. A few weeks later, the Washington Post reported that the editorial staff at Newsweek had descended into “chaos” when two of its top editors and a journalist were abruptly fired: they were writing an investigative report about ties between Newsweek and its owners. In 2018, the offices of Newsweek were raided by federal agents investigating a money-laundering operation between the publication, the cult, and the college. Jang also was founder of a cult called “The Community,” according to this report in Mother Jones.
Its owners were tied to a small Christian college (Olivet University) led by a charismatic Korean pastor, David Jang. IBTM changed its name to Newsweek Media Group. Diller regretted his purchase and sold Newsweek in 2014 to a group called International Business Times Media. Ownership turned over a few more times, from Harman to Barry Diller. In 2010, the Post sold Newsweek to 91-year-old businessman Sidney Harman Harman bought it for $1 and assumption of its liabilities.
The Newsweek story has been covered by many media outlets over the past several years, but I had not seen those stories and had no idea about what happened to this once iconic magazine.įor half a century, Newsweek was owned by the Washington Post and was a well-respected voice in American journalism.
It has become an outlet for rightwing advocacy. Alex Shephard writes in the latest issue of The New Republic that something odd has happened to Newsweek.