The Economist - May 8th 14th 2010: Deep trouble Big oil and American´s energy policy
About
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication
owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in an office in the City of
Westminster, London. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in
September 1843. While The Economist calls itself a "newspaper", each issue appears on
glossy paper, like a newsmagazine. In 2009, it reported an average circulation of just
over 1.4 million copies per issue, about half of which are sold in North America.
The Economist claims it "is not a chronicle of economics." Rather, it aims "to take
part in a severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy,
timid ignorance obstructing our progress. It practices advocacy journalism in taking an
editorial stance based on free trade and globalisation, but also the expansion of
government health and education spending and the government support of banks and other
financial enterprises in danger of bankruptcy. It targets highly educated readers and
claims an audience containing many influential executives and policy-makers.
The publication belongs to The Economist Group, half of which is owned by the Financial
Times, a subsidiary of Pearson PLC. A group of independent shareholders, including many
members of the staff and the Rothschild banking family of England, owns the rest. A
board of trustees formally appoints the editor, who cannot be removed without its
permission. In addition, about two-thirds of the seventy-five staff journalists are
based in London, despite the global emphasis
The Economist's primary focus is world news, politics and business, but it also runs
regular sections on science and technology as well as books and the arts. Every two
weeks, the publication adds an in-depth special report on a particular issue, business
sector or geographical region. Every three months, it publishes a technology report
called Technology Quarterly or TQ. Articles often take a definite editorial stance and
almost never carry a byline. Not even the name of the editor (from 2006, John
Micklethwait) is printed in the issue. It is a longstanding tradition that an editor's
only signed article during his tenure is written on the occasion of his departure from
the position. The author of a piece is named in certain circumstances: when notable
persons are invited to contribute opinion pieces; when Economist writers compile
special reports; and to highlight a potential conflict of interest over a book review.
The names of The Economist editors and correspondents can be located, however, via the
media directory pages of the website.The publication's writers adopt a tight style that
seeks to include the maximum amount of information in a limited space. Atlantic Monthly
publisher David G. Bradley described the formula as "a consistent world view expressed,
consistently, in tight and engaging prose."
There is a section of economic statistics. Tables such as employment statistics are
published each week and there are special statistical features too. It is unique among
British weeklies in providing authoritative coverage of official statistics and its
rankings of international statistics have been decisive. In addition, The Economist is
known for its Big Mac Index, which it first published in 1986. This uses the price of a
Big Mac hamburger sold by McDonald's in different countries as an informal measure of
the purchasing power of currencies.
__________________________
http://depositfiles.com/files/unogfh0ix