Newsweek Goes in for the Kill

I remember a Time when Newsweeklies were timely and relevant and some even gave US the World. (Clearly though perhaps not so cleverly, I'm referring to the Time, Newsweek and US News & World Report.)

There was always some amount of difference among the three, but not usually that much difference. They all had to address whatever big news story hit a few days earlier. Now the difference among them is greater even as the need for each has diminished, based on circulation anyway.

Back to the headline. Headlines are often written by someone other than the actual reporter. The reporter writes the slug -- the working title of the piece -- while a different editor writes the headline when the piece is ready.

Whoever edits the tech headlines at Newsweek needs a vacation. Or a better thesaurus. Check out these recent headlines:

• Apple Kills Again, Sept. 1, 2010
• Why the Google-Verizon Deal Won't Kill You, Aug. 15, 2010
• Why the iPad Hasn't Killed Kindle, July 26, 2010
• Does Apple's iPhone 4 Signal the Death of the Macintosh?, June 8, 2010

That's quite a killing spree!

Having the magazine be offered up for sale and then sold for less than the newsstand price of a signle issue (I know -- the new owner has taken on the assumption of debt), is bound to make anyone cranky.

But it's time that the killing stopped.