Newsweek Becomes News Of The Week, Especially On Blogs

Every once in a while, a story surfaces that shakes up the blogosphere. This week, it was a story involving an apology from Newsweek magazine for publishing a piece in its May 9 issue that alleged U.S. soldiers at Guantanamo Bay flushed a Koran down the toilet as a means of interrogation. The story triggered riots in Afghanistan that resulted in the death of 16 people.

The blogosphere's reaction has been immense. According to a study released today by blog researcher Cymfony, more than 2,000 posts have been logged about this story since it broke on May 15, and the numbers keep climbing.

The Cymfony study states that the reactions of bloggers are mostly "derivative works of opinion pieces from journalists," but most are "original and thoughtful." Some thought that Newsweek would say and do anything to cause damage to the administration, while some felt that Newsweek's story was accurate, but the publication caved to pressures from the White House. Still others felt that it didn't matter if the details of the incident were true or not--the barrage of alleged abuse at Guantanamo makes the story believable.

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The looming question left hanging over everyone's head is what effect, if any, will this story have on Newsweek's journalistic credibility, and its power to attract advertisers? Many, both on Madison Avenue and in the media world, will continue to monitor this story closely.

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