When genius and futurist John Naisbitt put out Megatrends in 1982 calling our future the "information age" even he could not have predicted the amount and value of information we would inhabit by the turn of the century. With all forms of media, security cameras cell phones recording our every move there is more news and not-really-news than we can assimilate in a day.

News magazines have become a helpful and needed conglomeration of information to help us sort out fact from fiction and keep us up on the need to know we encounter. Although they all relate news, each of our three major news magazines offers a different slant on the events of our times.

Politics Stage Left or Right

For political coverage above and beyond media scope the distinct leader is Newsweek. From its quotes of politicians and media stars to its "Conventional Wisdom" meter, Newsweek offers all its news with a very political approach. If there's an article about global warming, it will talk about how politician's respond to the crisis.

If there is a movie review it will take note of any imagery or idea that is remotely political. People who love Sunday morning news talk shows are the type who enjoys Newsweek's Capital Hill coverage and view of the world from the policy makers of power. Like most publications, Newsweek is only as bipartisan as the writers on staff, but it does work hard to objectify its coverage and does offer a range experiences to play in its politicized arena.

What About My Wallet?

While some keep up with national and global affairs because it's interesting and fun to know what's going on, others keep up to manage their money. Economics and the things that effect finance play a decisive role in the slant of U.S. News and World Report. This magazine doesn't put on the same friendly front as Newsweek and instead covers hard news stories, often with a financial or economic world angle as part of the picture. For investors or people who care about the price of tea in China because it affects their trade interests, U.S. News and World Report is an obvious choice.

News For The Rest Of Us

Then there are folks who simply like to keep up to date in a more generic or general way. We want to be informed but don't want to take a college class on government or business to understand our events. For these folks, Time is the leading magazine of choice. Time covers politics and money but includes a plethora of other topics as well. Time was a groundbreaking force in bringing spirituality articles to the cover and front of the magazine and handles movies, media, and human interest with the same warm professionalism as it does politics, money and demographics. Time's famous "Person of the Year" is often the subject of controversy and is popularly awaited every year. The person is not always a political leader, and not always a popular choice but reflects the world's focus on the event of our age.

There's a lot of stuff going on every minute of every day and we are privy to most of it via media. Selecting a news magazine that fits your focus of information helps funnel that coverage into a meaningful block of knowledge.