Thoughts on the economist?

grrl

Diamond Member
Jun 21, 2001
6,204
1
0
Left-wing propaganda. Everyone knows this.

HamburgerBoy is dumbfuck, but everyone knows that.

For a buck an issue you can't go wrong. It's a great weekly magazine. Being a British publication its main focus isn't the US - its much more international in scope - plus it has none of the pulp stories you find in Time or Newsweek. Every couple months or so they also have a special "survey" section on a different country or industry. The survey alone is usually about 15 pages.
 

sjwaste

Diamond Member
Aug 2, 2000
8,757
12
81
Yeah, I would recommend it. It carries a bit more of an international perspective, including coverage of other countries. It's pretty balanced politically (some say its left, but in the 3 years I've been getting it, it averages to the middle). The articles are densely written, not much fluff. Honestly, if I were to recommend one publication of any kind to read and stay on top of things, it'd be the Economist. The second would be the WSJ, but unless you're used to reading the paper every day, you're just going to have a stack of unread papers.

If you have unused airline miles, do some searching on Fatwallet or just google - you can sometimes find a good deal, like 1 year for 3200 miles. I've never actually paid for it.
 

sjwaste

Diamond Member
Aug 2, 2000
8,757
12
81
OH. Forgot to mention. Subscribers also get the audio edition - either a ZIP of mp3's or a podcast, whichever you want to use, to listen on whatever portable device you use. That's one of the biggest benefits if you ride a crowded train where you really can't read because you're standing and being bumped into constantly.
 

cheezy321

Diamond Member
Dec 31, 2003
6,218
2
0
The economist rocks. Its a fantastic weekly publication. For $51 its definitely worth it.
 

dullard

Elite Member
May 21, 2001
26,120
4,766
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Pick up a copy in your local bookstore and read through it. You don't even need to buy that copy, just read it in the bookstore.

I like it. It is strongly libertarian in its opinions. Contrary to what people say above, that is neither left nor right on the political spectrum. Libertarians agree with some democratic ideas and some republican ideas. That said, it isn't strongly opinionated.

It just gives good interesting facts on international issues that you won't find anywhere else unless you browse obscure international new websites. And it does a pretty good and balanced report on America and England with every issue.

I especially like the technology quarterly that is one of their repeating regular special additions.

It isn't perfect though. The book reviews are dull, the economic data is out of date by the time a magazine is printed and mailed to you (compared to what I get online). It tends to repeat articles twice in every issue (a leader section at the front and a longer section at the back). Thus, there is less content there than first meets the eye. And you might not really care about politics in Nauru.

I generally get mine with whatever frequent flyer miles I have on an airline I don't intend to use to fly regularly. So, to prevent the miles from expiring, I just get another subscription to the Economist.
 

shopbruin

Diamond Member
Jul 12, 2000
5,817
0
0
I like the Economist.

I picked up a Newsweek the other day and it resembled a tabloid. So sad.
 

FearoftheNight

Diamond Member
Feb 19, 2003
5,101
0
71
Thanks for the tip. I just used 2100 miles I had sitting around for 26 issues...you just saved me some $$ man! /beer

Yeah, I would recommend it. It carries a bit more of an international perspective, including coverage of other countries. It's pretty balanced politically (some say its left, but in the 3 years I've been getting it, it averages to the middle). The articles are densely written, not much fluff. Honestly, if I were to recommend one publication of any kind to read and stay on top of things, it'd be the Economist. The second would be the WSJ, but unless you're used to reading the paper every day, you're just going to have a stack of unread papers.

If you have unused airline miles, do some searching on Fatwallet or just google - you can sometimes find a good deal, like 1 year for 3200 miles. I've never actually paid for it.
 

Perknose

Forum Director & Omnipotent Overlord
Forum Director
Oct 9, 1999
46,890
10,712
147
Thanks for the tip. I just used 2100 miles I had sitting around for 26 issues...you just saved me some $$ man! /beer

Good move. I heartily agree with all the positive comments about it.

Another print mag, albeit a monthly, that I like is Foreign Policy. Like the Economist, I find it to be serious and informative w/o being overly partisan.
 

silverpig

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
27,703
12
81
I really enjoy the magazine. It has good articles, is well written, has intelligent commentary by the readers, is great online (I think the subscription gets you full online and iPhone access), and makes a great gift!
 

yllus

Elite Member & Lifer
Aug 20, 2000
20,577
432
126
The Economist is excellent. In the same vein is The Week, which would have nearly the same quality of political commentary if not for The Economist constantly stealing their talent away. :)
 

Nebor

Lifer
Jun 24, 2003
29,582
12
76
It's great. Sadly I never finish reading an issue before the next one arrives.
 

Narmer

Diamond Member
Aug 27, 2006
5,292
0
0
The Economist is getting too pro-China for me. I'm glad they made the mistake of sending free 30 issues for me because I'm not interested in paying for articles that glosses over the negatives of China. It's too pro-business as well, glossing over the fact that Wall Street needs serious financial reform. They are also anti-Japan. I find this ironic considering the Economist, along with countless other American policymakers, were telling the Japanese that they needed to let millions of businesses go out of business in order to reform their economy in the 1990s. The Japanese did not listen. Strangely, they had no complaints when the US and other Wester governments started rescuing their own companies in the current financial crisis. They even supported these acts. Funny how you can tell people on the other side of the world what to do but find it difficult to walk the walk when it your own people. Needless to say, the United States is learning from Japan in their rush to embrace quantitative (sic?) easing. However, their ex-poste analysis can be excellent when they make an effort.
 
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Perknose

Forum Director & Omnipotent Overlord
Forum Director
Oct 9, 1999
46,890
10,712
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...great online (I think the subscription gets you full online and iPhone access), and makes a great gift!

A print sub does get you full online access. They even forgot to restrict mine for months after my last print sub ended. Even sans sub their web site is still a useful tool.