Time and Newsweek, Sept. 15

(posted Saturday, Sept. 13)

Time devotes nearly its entire issue to Princess Di. Newsweek sees that issue, and raises with a second, separate, advertisement-free "Commemorative Issue." Joyce Carol Oates and Martin Amis eulogize in Time. Newsweek's regular issue trumps with Nancy Reagan and Katharine Graham. Both magazines provide detailed accounts of the night of the accident, the week of mourning, and the funeral; and both conclude that the future of the monarchy hinges on Di's sons. Newsweek calls for Prince Charles to step aside in favor of William. It also advises Charles' paramour, Camilla Parker Bowles, to avoid publicity until the Diana fuss subsides. Also, both mags do the required soul-searching about the paparazzi, concluding that the public's appetite for celebrity photos will overcome its revulsion for photographers' methods. Newsweek's Commemorative Issue also features essays and countless pictures. Di friend Rosa Monckton chastises the media for their exploitation of Di in a piece exploiting her own relationship with Di, complete with private photos of the princess.

Mother Teresa's death is shunted to the back of each regular issue. The obits are, not surprisingly, reverential. Time's is longer.

Economist, Sept. 13

(posted Saturday, Sept. 13)

The cover editorial and article on China's economic future recommend wholesale privatization. Foreign investors cheer party boss Jiang Zemin's slow moves toward capitalism, but China's looming bank crisis requires far more rapid reform. A piece says that the ozone layer is healing thanks to CFC bans. But there's cause for worry: Ozone depletion is no longer a trendy political cause, and CFC smuggling is rampant in Russia. A story on AOL's purchase of CompuServe observes that online services increasingly resemble television networks: Their core business is information and entertainment, not modems and servers.

NewRepublic, Sept. 29

(posted Friday, Sept. 12)

New editor Charles Lane replaces Michael Kelly, who was ousted last week. Editor in Chief Martin Peretz writes that Lane "represents continuity with the best traditions of this journal: political independence, intellectual seriousness, good writing and decency toward those with whom one disagrees." Lane also contributes a cover story about the Clinton administration's ineffectual Haiti policy. The United States has failed to improve living conditions or uphold the authority of President René Preval. De facto leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide has proven nearly as authoritarian as former dictator "Papa Doc" Duvalier. An article argues that liberals should oppose the National Endowment for the Arts on the grounds that art does not need federal subsidies. Also, why Princess Di was like President Clinton: The public cared more about her empathy than about her actions.