Letter to the Newsweek Editor:
I have been a Newsweek subscribed for over ten years and was EXTREMELY disappointed that you chose to lead the February 21st issue with what amounted little more than a flimsy editorial piece. Rather than presenting a cover story with real news value and information on the ongoing revolution, your choice offered only opinion supported by anonymous quotes, an oversimplified view of the Muslim Brotherhood, and an inflated sense of the United States' control over the forces unleashed in Egypt. This overreaching view of U.S. power is most illustrated in Ferguson's suggestion that the fortunes of the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization that won 20% of the seats in Egypt's Parliament in 2005 despite being outlawed and has existed in Egypt since 1928, were dependant on an American President. My point is not just that I and legitimate mid-east experts strongly disagree with the editorial, it is that by choosing sensationalism and commentary over good journalism, Newsweek is squandering its credibility and brand equity and leaving me to consider canceling my subscription.
Sincerely,
Michael Harrison, P.E.
