Abstract

CSJ-07-0001.0 This case study tells the story of how one editor at Time magazine took a concept—create a “mirror on America”—and translated it into 12 pages in the magazine. The case describes the kind of decisions editors have to make on a daily basis: what to include, what to leave out, how to staff a story, how much time to spend reporting. It also raises the issue of hierarchy in a newsroom. Whose call ultimately is it what goes into a story—the managing editor’s, the frontline editor’s, or the reporter’s?

The case will give students insight into the workings of a weekly news magazine. It will allow them to exercise their own editorial judgment, and to struggle with the strategic and practical decisions which go into assembling a story about a complex subject. They will also get an unusual glimpse into the concerns of a graphics department.

This case can be used in a class about magazine writing and/or editing; about integrating graphics into a text narrative; or about editorial decisionmaking.