On TIME magazine's website you can see the covers that the magazine prints in its various editions around the world. This is what April 2 offers:
Note that the edition on the left -- the one for U.S. audiences -- talks about the whether to teach the bible in public school. The rest of the world -- Europe, Asia and the South Pacific -- gets to read about the growing influence of Islamic militants in Pakistan.
Quite clearly, the editors of TIME figure U.S. readers aren't interested enough in world affairs to buy their magazine if it does the Talibanistan cover. So it delves back into the bible-in-schools debate. This is clearly a story, but the cover story ranking above an important issue related to the war on terror?
This wouldn't have caught my attention if not for a "To Our Readers" column by TIME's managing editor in the last issue, when the magazine unveiled its redesign:
TIME's job is to outline the choices ahead and help you make those decisions. We do that every week in print and every day on TIME.com by not just reporting the news but putting it in context and perspective. We offer clarity in a confusing world, explaining not only what happened but why it matters. To do that, we tap into our network of correspondents in the U.S. and elsewhere--we have more than 30 correspondents in foreign bureaus, as well as four international editions whose stories are all available on TIME.com
"Clarity in a confusing world?" I guess that only counts if you live outside the U.S.
