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179 of 182 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very different weekly news magazine, June 2, 2007
Reading The Economist is a very different experience from that of reading the "big three"-- Time, Newsweek, and US News-- for two reasons.
First, it's a British publication, written in a very British manner. It's tone can vary from flatly dry to dryly ironic to jarringly blunt. There's nothing here that one can call politically correct; the authors and editors call 'em as they see 'em.
Second, it's a serious news magazine. Each issue is packed with stories about current affairs, politics, economics, and business. There are also book and movie reviews. However, there is almost no pop culture news and absolutely none of the celebrity gossip that has begun to corrupt the "big three."
It's important to understand that reading The Economist takes some commitment of time and effort, probably at least two or three hours an issue. Every article is deeply analytical, and many stories are revisited weekly for updates. This is a NEWS magazine, not a news MAGAZINE, if that makes sense.
The issue of political bias always arises with the media. The Economist takes definite stands on nearly every issue, and those editorial stands are clearly stated and defended. However, it is at the same time scrupulously fair and balanced. That's quite a trick, but the staff pulls it off week after week.
So, if you're ready and willing to spend some time reading thoughtful, thought-provoking, in-depth analysis of the news of the world, you won't find a better news magazine than The Economist.
(You might want to buy a copy on a magazine rack somewhere and check the subscription offers on the insert cards. They're almost certain to be better than the Amazon price.)
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113 of 131 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Great magazine but don't order via Amazon, May 9, 2007
Great magazine. Enough said.
But Amazon uses a fulfillment house called "Synapse" and once you click on "Place Order", Amazon wipes their hands of any issues you might have and you're transferred to Synapse, who is completely incompetent. I keep forgetting this and have entered 3 magazine subscriptions... each one there have been issues, and when I email them, no response. When I call them, I'm transferred to another country and the person is just reading a script from the screen without really understanding why I'm calling.
Get the magazine - but not from Amazon!
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30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Magazine In The World, April 3, 2007
Bill Gates once said in an interview that he reads every page of The Economist. It's no coincidence that so do a lot of other smart and influential political, business, academic and media leaders throughout the world. If you want to know everything about everything, you need to start reading this on a weekly basis.
The Economist's tightly argued and balanced expository pieces illuminate realm after realm of the world's politics, history, economics, business, finance, books, arts, science and technology. Its often lighthearted, wry tone does nothing to conceal its serious purpose and curiousity in the progression of human events.
The magazine pulls no punches and offers a range of sharp, unsentimental opinions from its well-known free market, liberal democratic perch. I myself don't often agree with The Economist's take on things (though I even more often do--there's a lot of stuff in every issue). Nonetheless, I always respect its reasoning and objectivity.
Also, regular extensive readers like Mr. Gates know well and have almost come to depend upon the magazine's more tangibly personal benefits: imagine what the absorption and consideration of so much incisive argumentation and news background on a weekly basis does to the mind! At the risk of sounding a bit far-fetched, I always feel sharper and wiser when I've been reading The Economist.
I apologize for the effusiveness of this review, but if you can't tell by now, I can't say enough great things about this magazine. Highly recommended.
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