Like thousands of others around the country, I was sipping my Sunday morning coffee and flipping through the newspaper this past weekend. Then, I came across the Parade magazine cover, which featured Benazir Bhutto on the cover. When I took a closer look, I scratched my head and wondered if I had received an outdated issue by mistake. The headline asked, "Is Benazir Bhutto America's best hope against al-Qaeda?" The cover also prominently printed the quote, "I am what the terrorists most fear." My first reaction was, They have to know she was assassinated, right? Like other confused readers, I wondered how the January 6th issue could run 10 days after her December 27th death.
Apparently, Parade goes to print a LONG time before it actually hits newsstands (in this case, December 21). By the time of the assassination, some 32-million magazines had been distributed to about 400 newspapers (including the KC Star). The magazine said it was too late to change the article and decided "it was an important interview to share with the American people."
Take a look at the article -- which includes a letter from the editor and comments from readers. You'll find a lot of people who think the decision revolved around money. In other words, the magazine would have to fork over some cash to print 32-million revised copies.
Most papers, the Star included, ran clarifications in that day's news section. However, a lot of people missed the A-2 note, according to reader's representative Derek Donovan. Others simply didn't like the logic. As a result, Donovan has taken "some pretty nasty" calls and e-mails from readers.
He's not alone. Heavy-hitters like the LA Times and the Chicago Tribune are also under fire. Donovan is not aware of any newspapers that decided not to include the weekly magazine insert. In my internet research, I haven't found any publications that strayed from the crowd, either.