TIME Magazine Review

AOL Time-Warner is a large U.S. conglomerate that provides internet service, music, cable television services, filmed entertainment, and other communications- related business. Besides all of these lines of industry, AOL Time Warner is also a major publisher, producing approximately 140 different magazine titles. The best known among them all is Time Magazine, a well- respected news source that has been printed since 1923.

Magazine Commentary:

Time magazine is a primarily a news magazine, but it includes other topics of interest as well. It combines coverage on world events with the latest trends in science, art, television, business, etc. into one magazine publication.

I've been reading Time on and off again since I was a teenager. Back then, I would often read the weekly issues that came in the mail, making Time the first "mature" magazine that I became familiar with. I remember that I was impressed with the photography in Time and I enjoyed some of the articles very much, while others seemed to be rather shallow and one- dimensional. I feel the same way today. I like some of the worldwide political stories that are covered in Time, but other articles bother me with their one- sided approach. Once a Time journalist has made up his/her mind what direction an article will go, he/she usually sticks with his focus and makes an all- out attack, or lavishes all- out praise, on the subject at hand.

Many people criticize Time because they consider it a "leftist" magazine. I don't know if I necessarily agree with that label or not. It's true that Time often features an article or two that is centered on a liberal cause and it often presents critical assessments of George W. Bush's policies and the actions of other conservatives. But I have also read articles that support certain views of the president and other prominent conservatives. In addition to that, I have read articles in Time that criticize traditionally liberal subjects. So I don't know if it's fair to just brush Time Magazine off and give it a "leftist" label. Besides, Time is more than just a political magazine (although news is the main focus). It includes many articles on subjects that are more neutral in the liberal/conservative spectrum and that have nothing at all to do with politics. Overall, it does lean left, yes. It's definitely more liberal than, say, U.S. News and World Report. But it's not a socialistic publication, like some of the more harsh critics claim it to be.

Time is published weekly and it's one of America's most popular magazines, with more than four million subscribers. This places Time in the Top Ten magazines in the U.S., based on its subscription base. Each issue is about 70 to 90 pages in length, which doesn't sound like much at first, but it's actually typical for a weekly publication.  

Bottom Line Viewpoint:

Overall, I give Time Magazine a thumbs- up recommendation in spite of itself. I really like the photography in Time, as well as certain authors. It's not the perfect news magazine, and its liberal- leaning perspectives will bother some readers. But it's still a good news source, full of timely articles and good commentary from time to time.