Nearly every president elected since the 1930s has been named Time magazine’s Person of the Year, often just weeks after they won a race for the White House.
On Thursday evening, the publication announced that President-elect Joe Biden continues the trend — with a twist. He is the first to receive the title alongside his running-mate, Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris.
“The Biden-Harris ticket represents something historic,” the magazine’s editor in chief, Edward Felsenthal, said in a video announcing the pick. “Person of the Year is not just about the year that was but about where we’re headed.” Continue reading.
The following article by Matt Gertz was posted on the MediaMatters website November 27, 2017:
Charles and David Koch, the billionaire brothers who are major funders of Republican candidates and conservative organizations, now own a stake in Time Inc. On Sunday night, the Meredith Corporation announced that it is purchasing the company with the help of $650 million from a Koch equity fund. A Koch spokesman suggested this is purely a business decision, and Meredith has claimed the right-wing billionaires will not have a seat on its board or influence over the editorial decisions of the newly acquired magazines, which include Time and Fortune. But journalistsarerightfully skeptical that the Kochs would enter the embattled magazine publishing business if they didn’t view the investment as a way to advance their conservative principles.
If the Kochs do begin to play a role in the workings of Time, they will join a handful of major conservative donors who have decided in recent years to purchase, fund, or launch media outlets as a way to expand their political influence. The new owners often bring in new leaders who push the newsroom to support their boss’ political interests. With print, digital, and broadcast journalism business models all faltering, right-wing billionaires will have more opportunities to pull off these sorts of takeovers in the future. Continue reading “The Kochs just got their hands on Time. Who’s next?”
The following article by Michael Calderone and Jason Schwartz was posted on the Politico website November 27, 2017:
‘They’re always looking to exert influence in one way or another,’ says Koch biographer after the conservative billionaires backed Meredith’s takeover of the magazine giant.
Reports of the Koch brothers role in the deal, or lack thereof, have been met with skepticism from journalists, media watchers and Koch chroniclers. David Koch speaks at the 2015 Defending the American Dream summit hosted by Americans for Prosperity. | Paul Vernon/AP Photo
Charles and David Koch have actively promoted conservative and libertarian policies for years by pumping tens of millions of dollars into political campaigns, advocacy organizations, think tanks and University groups.
Yet the billionaire industrialists’ $650 million investment supporting Meredith Corporation’s takeover of Time Inc, the magazine giant behind titles like Time, Fortune, People, and Sports Illustrated, was characterized by a Koch spokesman on Sunday night as a “passive” one. And Meredith said in a release that Koch Equity Development — the Koch brothers’ private equity arm involved in the deal — “will not have a seat” on its board and “will have no influence” on editorial or managerial operations.
Meredith Corp., a publisher backed by GOP mega-donors Charles and David Koch, announced on Sunday it was buying Time Inc. for $1.8 billion, according to multiple reports.
The publisher said it would acquire Time’s outstanding shares for $18.50 per share, Reuters reported.
Celebrities ranging from movie stars to professional athletes mocked President Trump for claiming Friday that he turned down being named Time’s “Person of the Year.”
Trump’s original tweet, which the magazine denied, claimed Time told him he was “probably” going to be named the magazine’s “Person of the Year” for 2017. But Trump “took a pass.”
The following article by Jenna Johnson was posted on the Washington Post website November 24, 2017:
President-elect Donald Trump was named Time magazine’s Person of the Year in 2016.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Trump says that Time magazine was contemplating naming him the “Person of the Year” for a second year in a row but that he pulled himself out of the running because he didn’t want to participate in an interview and photo shoot.
“Time Magazine called to say that I was PROBABLY going to be named ‘Man (Person) of the Year,’ like last year, but I would have to agree to an interview and a major photo shoot,” Trump tweeted on Friday evening. “I said probably is no good and took a pass. Thanks anyway!”
