Ne Plus Ultra

It is difficult to say anything negative about this publication, except perhaps that they endorsed George Bush for President.** From its cosmopolitan breadth in reporting to its insularly British wit, The Economist covers more and digs deeper than any other news magazine in print. And don't be fooled by its title: each issue overflows with news and commentary before commencing with meaty finance and economics sections. If you want to stay up-to-date on world, US, European, and business affairs, this is the magazine to have, and well worth its steep price!

Nota bene that subscribing to the print edition also qualifies the reader to access years of past issues online, as well as a complex search engine that digs through the decades of indispensable research material found in past issues.

**In pure deadpan comedic style common in Economist commentary and reporting, a note of erratum appeared discreetly at the bottom of an otherwise standard page questioning the wisdom of that endorsement.

Best Source for News Analysis - Period.

Though I'm just echoing what many have already mentioned in the reviews before me, I can not emphasis enough how different this publication is compared to the likes of Newsweek and Times. Please do not be mislead by the magazines title 'The Economist.' While it covers business and the economy in detail it offers so much more, including a detailed analysis of all the major news stories from around the world.

The magazine is published weekly in sections which cover all the geographic areas (for in depth news analysis - and not just when there is a war going on there), Business and Finance, and Arts amongst others. One of my favorite sections is the one page obituary they always devote to someone of distinction (not necessarily the most famous) every week.

The writing is always concise (and always without a byline) and a certain dry humor permeates the magazine throughout. Sometimes the amount of information contained in the weekly can be a bit overwhelming, but it is always presented in a very clear manner. The analysis is always well thought out and well researched and typically, the Economist, will not shy away from giving its own opinions. This is the sort of magazine that you may not always agree with, but one which you will always respect.

If you had to choose only one ...

Everybody knows that to become and remain even minimally educated you must read the Economist every week without fail. But the editors make it so damned difficult ... there's always one must-read special section but all too often there's more than one. I don't know how they can get so much good copy written, so regularly; but they make the duty of reading it all awfully difficult.