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A Wee Question
| Mon Oct. 26, 2009 4:19 PM PDT
Can someone please explain to me why a supposedly sophisticated magazine like the Economist continues to insist on the juvenile practice of refusing to byline blog posts? I know, I know, voice of God blah blah blah. But seriously. Isn't it time to grow up and enter the 21st century? After all, the whole point of the blog format is to highlight personal voices. I know I'd link to them more often if I knew who I was conversing with.
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This quote is attributed to
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon Oct. 26, 2009 4:57 PM PDT.
This quote is attributed to Micheal Lewis, author of Liar's Poker:
“The magazine [The Economist] is written by young people pretending to be old people. If American readers got a look at the pimply complexions of their economic gurus, they would cancel their subscriptions in droves.”
Always right
Submitted by g. powell on Mon Oct. 26, 2009 5:08 PM PDT.
That's one thing that is so irritating about the Economist: No bylines, except now for their special reports, so when they get something wrong -- like talking about how financial deregulation is so wonderful -- no accountability.
They also keep talking about Social Security is the on the path to insolvency, without giving any evidence. But no actual person is making that charge, so it's harder to challenge.
FWIW, I can live with the
Submitted by Kevin Drum on Mon Oct. 26, 2009 5:32 PM PDT.
FWIW, I can live with the no-byline policy in the print magazine. It's an edited periodical, and they've decided that editorial tone is paramount. I don't think it's a great policy, but it's defensible.
But blogs are a different story. If you don't want to host a blog because it interferes with your editorial preferences, fine. But if you do have a blog, then for God's sake make it a real one. Stop with the game playing.
Lewis's quote is accurate and penetrating. And the Economist isn't the only magazine it applies to.....
Not to mention
Submitted by ablogger (not verified) on Mon Oct. 26, 2009 5:45 PM PDT.
that it's not exactly fair to the bloggers either, as it hampers one's ability to build one's own brand, which in the early 21st century is the commodity you get in exchange for giving up any semblance of employment security, benefits, etc.
God, Kevin, pls don't...
Submitted by jimmy126 (not verified) on Mon Oct. 26, 2009 5:50 PM PDT.
...link to the Economist unless you plan to ridicule them. Ivy League Americans love the Econ because they think of it as some sort of highbrow news, better than Time, etc, but the fact is the Econ sucks. Yes, it's not as lowest common denominator as Time or Newsweek, but they're almost always wrong about everything.
Forget about the fact that every article has a libertarian slant -- leading to some truly ridiculous drivel -- but consider their reporting on ANY topic on which you have 1st hand knowledge. My experience in these cases was the the Econ was always wrong, poorly sourced, drew the wrong conclusions, etc, etc. Then imagine the accuracy of all the other articles of which you don't have any particular knowledge. Their Old World veneer garners them a lot more respect than they deserve.
(See, and I didn't even have to mention Megan McArdle.)
Not as half as good as it thinks it is
Submitted by g. powell on Mon Oct. 26, 2009 6:09 PM PDT.
I lost all faith in The Economist in 2000 when they endorsed Bush for president when he was running on an economic platform that was complete bullshit -- like numbers that didn't add up. As far as I was concerned, if that magazine could endorse a candidate that was outright lying about his economic plans, then the magazine that fancies itself as the defender of rationality was also complete bullshit.
The Economist later endorsed Kerry in 2004, but of course the damage had already been done.
Still read it because there are few alternatives for global and economic/financial news, but not with much respect.
Especially since...
Submitted by Tim (not verified) on Mon Oct. 26, 2009 6:20 PM PDT.
...the "Democracy in America" commentary is several country miles to the left of the general pro-war pro-biz pro-Tory Economist take on the world. -T
Economist punditry (it's hard to use Whiteout on stone tablets)
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon Oct. 26, 2009 6:37 PM PDT.
Oxbridge gentlemen do not blog. They publish their cherished beliefs in the rectitude of greed on a massive and organized scale as if it were the word of God... who does not sign his columns either.
Hey, Economist: FREE GREG IP!
Submitted by ASR1234 (not verified) on Mon Oct. 26, 2009 7:46 PM PDT.
It is even worse than that, Kevin. The Economist went and hired arguably the most capable Fed reporter in the country just as the great crisis got underway. I operate under the assumption that almost everything Fed-ish is by (or at least massaged by) Mr. Ip, but I sure would love to know.
Justice Thomas has similar
Submitted by B on Mon Oct. 26, 2009 7:48 PM PDT.
Justice Thomas has similar concerns. Cameras and stenographers can only reduce public esteem for the office.
anono-blogging
Submitted by Kit_Stolz on Mon Oct. 26, 2009 7:59 PM PDT.
Seriously. You'd think an allegedly smart publication like The Economist would be able to figure out that you can't use the first person singular in a blog without identifying the blogger. It's like having a stand-up comedian perform namelessly behind a curtain. Nonsensical.
Back in the day ...
Submitted by Steve Sailer (not verified) on Mon Oct. 26, 2009 8:12 PM PDT.
I subscribed in the 1980s -- my experience then was that the Economists' weekly 20-page-long "survey" were better than what American newsmagazines were doing, but that the regular short articles were, on average, worse than the coverage in Time, Life, and USNWR.
If you want to find out more
Submitted by K.N. (not verified) on Tue Oct. 27, 2009 4:25 AM PDT.
If you want to find out more about many of the Economist writers and read their juvenile and libertarian posts. try this blog:
Rather more childish, American insistence their particular habit
Submitted by The Lounsbury (not verified) on Tue Oct. 27, 2009 5:07 AM PDT.
are The True Way.
So the Economist wishes to follow a tradition, long-standing, of a unified anonymous voice (other than its pseudonymous focus editorials). And because Californians in their empty Me Me approach to life like personal labels, this is "childish."
I think it's rather refreshingly individualistic of the Economist not to get trapped into the Californian pseudo-individualism of Mass Practice.
Otherwise, the Economist can wear the leftist gits dislike of it as a badge of honour.
In fact it reminds me of that irritating American habit
Submitted by The Lounsbury (not verified) on Tue Oct. 27, 2009 5:14 AM PDT.
of not only addressing total strangers by their first name but also of adopting a pseudo-familiar and pseudo-chummy diminutive right off.
The faux closeness of the American-Californian is fake and superficial. I am rather glad the Economist hasn't Californianised itself any more than it has to date.
Economist Byline
Submitted by TravisRedskins (not verified) on Tue Oct. 27, 2009 5:27 AM PDT.
You can tell who writes posts at Free Exchange. If the byline shows
Posted by:
Economist.com | WASHINGTON , then Ryan Avent wrote the post.
If the byline shows
Posted by:
Economist.com | NEW YORK , then someone other than Ryan Avent wrote the post.
Juvenile?
Submitted by Colm (not verified) on Tue Oct. 27, 2009 9:06 AM PDT.
Why exactly is not including bylines juvenile? They don't include bylines in their print columns, which is arguably a bit eccentric, but what's the big deal?
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