| Product: |
The Economist |
| Date: |
08/01/07 (70 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Great varied topics, very easy to read
Disadvantages: Bit pricey
I am a real fan on the Economist magazine, and have now been a subscriber for about 2 years. I first started reading it as a kid, as my family got it, but always found it extremely dull at the time (I wasnt as sad then as I am now!) However, with age and time, I've gradually realised how much of a quality journal it is. It comes out weekly, and find it gives me enough information to make daily newspapers largely redundant, and a lot more info as well.
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OVERVIEW
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Well I have to admit, it doesnt have the most catchy or sexy name, but the Economist isn't all about economics. Its foundations certainly are in economics, but its articles cover a huge range of topics, be it the environment, arts, politics or science. There is a section on Finance and Stock Markets at the back, but I know plenty of people who have no interest in economics who enjoy reading this magazine.
It comes out every Friday (the print deadline is 7.00PM Thursday), and is remarkably up to date. If an event occurs early on a thursday, it will usually make that week's edition! (I remember the July bombings which were on a thursday were mentioned in the edition which arrived the next day to my door via the post! - Not sure how they do it!)
The great thing about the Economist is that it is pretty center-ist politically. I dont think it has a real political agenda other than common sense. I tend to agree with almost everything they write, as it is logical and well balanced. The other reason why I like it is that it uses simple language, with a bit of humour. The economist manages to make articles, say on the state of the Japanese Post Office extremely interesting (honest!) The simple language also makes complex political issues easy to digest and understand. It usually presents both sides of the story before giving its own conclusions.
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SO WHAT CAN I READ ABOUT?
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These are the sections you would expect to find in an average edition:
- The world this week (short pieces on various business and political events which have happened round the world that week)
- Leaders (longer essays on important issues - the editorial)
- Letters
- Executive Jobs
- Britain (section on UK news)
- Europe (section on Europe!)
- United States (dont need to explain this anymore!)
- The Americas
- Middle East and Africa
- Asia
- Business
- Special report (may be two)
- Finance and Economics
- Sicence and Technology
- Books and Arts
- Obituary
- Courses
- Economic and Financial Indicatiors
- Emerging Market Indicators
Most editions have one or two special feature sections. The most current edition has two - a focus on India's economy and new skyscrapers, for example!
There are various international editions, which have different weightings to the different regional sections. The UK edition has a great section on UK news and events, which I know is a lot smaller in the US edition. But all in all, the editions are pretty similar other than different local advertisments.
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SOME ODDITIES ABOUT THE ECONOMIST
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ITS A MAGAZINE WHICH CALLS ITS SELF A NEWSPAPER
The economist originally formed a section of the Bankers' Gazette and Railway Monitor (in 1845!). It originally clamed to be a "political, literary and general newspaper", and I feel it is still this. Indeed it is still registered as a newspaper at the post office, as it aims to bring general, up to date news to its readers.
THE JOURNALISTS ARE ANONYMOUS
It was only after about a year of reading this mag that I realised that the articles never say who they are written by! The website says that 'what is written is more important than who writes it. ' And I guess thats true. Despite this, friends I know in the journalism business still say that the ultimate job would be to be a writer for the economist. I dont know of any other mags or papers with this policy.
THE BIG-MAC INDEX
Proof of it's ability to make economics understandable, the Economist has created its now famous yearly 'Big Mac index'. The Big Mac Index uses an economic theory called the Purchasing Power Parity to show relative living costs when comparing currencies from country to country. Tjis is usually a complex (and hard to understand) task, but the Economist uses the price of a Big Mac, which it states, should cost relatively the same amount throughout the world when taking account of local wages and currency exchanges. There is a lot about it on its website if you are interested (but Ive probably totally lost, and bored you!) This is published yearly and shows which currencies are over, or under valued (although in reality its just a bit of fun)
IT HAS OVER 1,000,000 SUBSCRIBERS WORLDWIDE (a huge amount for a magazine)
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GRR, IT AINT CHEAP!
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Well, unfortunately this great informative read does come at a price. Currently, an edition in the UK costs £3.25. I think this is quite a lot considering the fact its a weekly - it would cost £195 to buy a year's worth!
However, I subscribe, which cost me a more reasonable £70. This price varies, as there are often special offers. Subscription also includes access to the economist.com website, which is great. (There is another Ciao section covering the website so I wont cover it here!).
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WHO IS IT OWNED BY?
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All big mags are owned by holding companies, and the Economist is no exception. It is owned by Pearson, which is a huge multinational company, which owns brands such as Penguin Books and the Financial Times.
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CONTACT DETAILS
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www - economist.com
UK EDITORIAL OFFICE
The Economist
25 St James's Street
London SW1A 1HG
United Kingdom
Other editorial offices in Bankok, Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, Cairo, Chicago, Delhi, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Jerusalem, Johannesburg, Los Angeles, Mexica City, Moscow, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Tokyo and Washington.
Subscriptions -
https://www.economist.com/subscriptions/index.c fm
HAVE A GOOD READ (AND DONT FORGET YOULL ALSO NEED TO BUY HEAT TO CATCH UP ON THE CELEB NEWS!)
Please note - I also publish as dan_ep on Ciao!
Summary: A great thinker's mag
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Last comment:
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SticMan - 13/03/07 Economist is really good, especially for all those budding professionals out there, I did subscribe to it a while back, its much cheaper than buying it on a ad-hoc basis throughout the year. |
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