The Week: a New Hidden Gem on the Newsstand

The concept is simple enough. Every week you get a magazine that focuses primarily on informing you of the past week’s major events, relying, in a large part, on a multitude of other publications. In a typical feature article, perspectives from various sources are presented on a particular event. The sources range from the Dallas Morning News to the Bucharest Monitorul. The event coverage spans the gamut from the run-of-the-mill political fare to a brief paragraph on the Budapest cops getting a makeover (that’s right – the drab communist-era uniforms have finally been shed in favor of cool Western-looking outfits replete with sheriff stars). The Week makes no bones about its reliance on other newspapers; at the end of every issue, you will even find a list of sources.

If information overload were a disease, this magazine would make a pretty good cure. We live in a complicated time in a complex world, where events of significance never stop happening, and the abundance of news sources means you never have to stop following them. The Week provides a way to stay well-informed in a time-efficient manner. And it does so pretty damn well. But it does more – for in addition to facts and analysis, it gives you opinions, often diametrically opposed ones – something you will not often find in any single publication. In fact, the magazine prides itself on its own objectivity, a claim well-earned by its tendency to cite a broad spectrum of views. And despite The Week’s emphasis on efficiency in presentation, the magazine is far from dry. Serious news stories share the space with humorous snippets, the editor’s letter is invariably personal and thought-provoking, and the last page is always devoted to an essay or a book excerpt. There are reviews of the arts, books, consumer products, and a curious weekly real estate page generally featuring properties pleasing the eye but not the wallet.

What truly sets The Week apart from many other ‘weeklies’ is its refusal to be parochial. The global span is in its nature: the magazine’s origins are British; its U.S. version only hit the newsstands about a year and a half ago. The American readership is still relatively small, but seems to be growing briskly. And rightly so – the magazine’s concept is a winner. The Week seems to embody the notion that if anything of value has happened or anything of notice been said, you want to know about it. The general media misses things: political correctness, commercial considerations, and personality-driven reporting may crowd out important items from many news outlets. But if at least someone out there reports it, chances are The Week is reading it, and so will you in your next issue.

The Week may not have the thoroughness of The New York Times, the depth of The Economist, or the basketball coverage of Sports Illustrated. And if collecting coins is your thing, do not cancel that Coin World subscription just yet. But The Week will have some of each and then some. It is superb as either a primary or supplementary news source. Whether you are already a news junkie or not, The Week will inform, educate, and entertain you. And all along, it will stay fresh and unique. How else could you take in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Financial Times, and the South China Morning Post all in one sitting? And how else would you have found out about those wild cops in Budapest?