Close Stay up-to-date with
Observer.com Newsletters
Sign up for Observer Newsletters!
RSS Feed
The New York Observer

Esquire Blogs Itself So You Don't Have To

View Story On One Page View Story On One Page Print This Story Print This Story Share This Story Share This Story
October 7, 2008 | 1:37 p.m
Cutting Out the Middle Man<br /> (via esquire.com)
Cutting Out the Middle Man
via esquire.com

As if the blog world weren't bleak enough with layoffs and a few well-compensated sites hoarding traffic and precious memes, now mainstream media outlets are chipping away at bloggers' quotas by doing their posts for them.

Esquire's Web site has a feature about the making of its current cover, which features Halle Berry posed like Bill Clinton from the magazine's December 2000 issue.

First, Esquire juxtaposes the two Platon-shot covers so readers can see how similar they are, which everyone knows is a staple of bloggers the world over. (Media Mob takes this personally.)

Then the magazine offers the sort of scurrilous "Tale of the Tape" side-by-side comparison that bloggers love to rattle off, as in:

Bill Clinton: In 2005 was awarded the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Award for Humanitarian Contributions for his work to promote AIDS treatment and prevention.
Halle Berry:In 2005 was awarded a Golden Raspberry Award, "saluting the worst Hollywood has to offer," for her role in Catwoman.

These are easy, quota-filling posts that belong to bloggers, not professional magazine writers and editors. Sure, these things might've once existed in magazines' fronts-of-book back in the day, but they belong to bloggers now. Bloggers need them.

What's next, Esquire? A blog entirely made up of YouTube videos and lists? Too late.

Post a Comment The Discussion