Magazines regulate the public’s access to information in various ways. Like the newspaper industry, the magazine industry not only dictates which stories are told but also how they are presented. Although significant similarities exist between the newspaper and magazine industries’ control over information, some notable differences within the sectors themselves deserve exploration.

Format

Generally, the format of most magazines allows for a more in-depth discussion of a topic than is possible in the relatively constrained space available in newspapers. Most large newspapers, such as The Washington Post or the Los Angeles Times, generally cap even their longest articles at 1,000 words (State of the Media, 2004). Magazines, however, frequently allow for double that word count when publishing articles of great interest (State of the Media, 2004). Length, however, varies from magazine to magazine and story to story. Coverage of the war in Iraq offers a good example of this variance. Researchers studied magazine coverage of Iraq for four weeks in 2003 by examining the difference in reporting among Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News & World Report.

In these four issues, the war in Iraq accounted for more than a fifth (22 percent) of all stories and roughly a third (32 percent) of all the space. These stories were also more likely than others to be long and in-depth. There were also differences in how the three magazines covered the situation. Time devoted the most space to the war, 37 percent, compared to the 34 percent for Newsweek and 24 percent for U.S. News. And again, Time had longer stories (seven stories in the four issues studied were more than 2,000 words). Newsweek ran six lengthy stories across the four issues studied, and U.S. News ran two lengthy stories (State of the Media, 2004).

These seemingly minor differences in coverage reflect the significant power of editorial choice in the magazine industry. This power, in turn, shapes the public’s access to information, a crucial aspect for readers to be aware of to understand the industry’s influence.

Choice to Publish

Just as newspapers do, magazines control which stories reach the public by deciding which articles to include in their publications. The choice of stories depends on the political climate and on global events.

Leading newsmagazines Time and Newsweek both underwent major transitions in their content during the late 20th century. Between the 1970s and 1990s, both greatly increased the number of science articles, entertainment articles, and stories on personal health. Interestingly, despite both publications’ stated commitment to news, a dramatic decrease occurred in articles on domestic and foreign government affairs. Whether these changes reflected a shift in reader interest or an alteration in the editors’ perspectives remains unclear; however, these shifts demonstrate that a magazine and its editorial staff ultimately have the final say.

Advertisers’ Influence

Magazines derive approximately half of their income from advertisers (Cyber College, 2010). With such a large stake in the magazine industry, advertisers can play a major role in deciding which stories they print. Because magazines rely on advertisers for their revenue, they exercise caution when publishing stories that could offend advertisers.

Magazines tend to shy away from controversial content that can turn off advertisers. Recently, a large American auto manufacturer sent a memo to approximately 50 magazines requesting that their ad agency be notified if future issues of the magazine contained articles that addressed political, sexual, or social problems that might be perceived as provocative, controversial, or offensive (Cyber College, 2010).

Magazines must maintain a delicate balance to keep advertisers happy. With ad prices driving the magazine industry, many publications satisfy advertisers by avoiding potentially controversial stories. However, this can lead to a situation where the content is not entirely reflective of the truth or the public interest, potentially undermining the magazine’s credibility and the public’s trust in the media.

Another anecdote about advertisers controlling stories illustrates how some publishers must conform to the demands of advertisers. For instance, a magazine might be pressured to change the tone or content of an article to avoid offending a major advertiser, potentially compromising the magazine’s editorial independence and the public’s right to unbiased information.

In an even more blatant attempt to influence magazine content, a large corporation informed several magazine publishers that the content of their magazines would be carefully monitored for several months and that a substantial advertising contract would be awarded to the publication that portrayed their industry in the most favorable light (Cyber College).

While it may be easy to portray the advertising industry as an evil, controlling entity that seeks to conceal stories from the public, the reality is more complex. Advertisers exert some control over stories, and this influence can introduce biases into the content. This is a concern that readers should be aware of when consuming magazine content.

As online media continues to grow, it is reshaping the magazine industry’s dynamics. Advertisers, in response, are shifting their focus from expensive print ads to cheaper, web-based advertisements. This evolution, mirroring the rise in online readership, is a significant factor in the industry’s changing landscape.

Editorial Leanings

Each magazine has its own editorial slant, which helps determine which stories are published and how they are presented. A 2003 study examining leading newsmagazines, including Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News & World Report, verified these differences by demonstrating variations in how the publications presented their articles to the reading public.

U.S. News & World Report…is the most information-laden, the most likely to publish highly traditional complex news topics, and the most likely to report in a neutral manner—a more straightforward accounting of the facts of events with less of a writer’s “take” or opinion on what those events mean. Newsweek is lighter, more focused on lifestyle and celebrity coverage, and is more likely to publish stories that contain an emotional component. Time magazine is a hybrid of sorts between the two. Its content is more like U.S. News’—neutral and information-driven. Its covers, on the other hand, look a good deal more like Newsweek’s—highlighting lifestyle and entertainment(State of the Media).

These distinctions among the three publications may seem slight, but they affect the information contained between their covers. However, these editorial leanings do not make one magazine more prestigious or valid than the others; U.S. News & World Report may offer facts and figures about a particular event, while Newsweek may provide the human side of the story. Readers should understand, however, that several variables influence the articles they see in each publication.

Online News Sources

The Internet has significantly changed the way that the public receives information. The advent of online news sources has lessened the control that magazines have over information. Today, several online-only magazines provide, for little to no cost, news and coverage that audiences could only previously find in print publications. Online-only magazines include Slate, which offers a daily digest of information from newspapers around the globe, and Salon, which provides readers with many stories for free and more in-depth coverage for a subscription cost. Like their print counterparts, online magazines rely on revenue from advertisers; however, because online advertising costs less, advertisers may have a smaller stake in online content. All these factors contribute to changing perspectives on how the journalism industry controls information.