By: Dariana Guzman
After TIME Magazine unveiled the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk, sitting behind the presidential resolute desk on the cover of its latest issue, the magazine maintained its reputation as keen observers of the world’s political state.
This is exactly what founding journalists Henry R. Luce and Briton Hadden aimed for when they created Time Inc. in 1922, publishing their first TIME Magazine issue in 1923. It was an opportunity to take a snapshot of weekly—now biweekly—events for consumers to digest.
But what particularly became an eye-catching feature of TIME came in the form of its covers, specifically its annual recognition of Person of the Year, previously known as Man of the Year until 1999, which has always been a topic of conversation in the magazine’s history.
The most prominent example would be in 1938, when TIME dubbed Adolf Hitler as Man of the Year.
As controversial of a political figure he and many others were, TIME published an article addressing the reasoning behind the selection of these individuals.
“The title goes to ‘The person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or ill, and embodied what was important about the year, for better or for worse,’” as former Managing Editor Walter Isaacson wrote in the 1998 issue. “That means the person is not necessarily a hero.”
The purpose of TIME, as with all journalistic ventures, is to inform the public of events that are going around the world. Although they don't simply cover politics, but also business and other global events, it aims to share insight on how any and all factors can ultimately affect whomever is reading the media outlet or simply keep them in the loop.
While the topic of politics has become almost inescapable, especially now with Donald Trump back in office continuously signing executive orders and Congress confirming department positions, TIME makes an effort to keep up and cover everything that’s occurring in the White House, such as the confirmation of Kash Patel for the position of FBI Director.
Now, eyes have turned towards world leaders and their every move, and TIME makes it known that it aims “to provide trusted guidance about the ideas and people who shape and improve the world” for the best interest of its readers.
The magazine is an echo of the political influences that people encounter in their everyday lives, and through the use of such thought-provoking covers, they reel in more readers as they encourage others to pick up their magazines with the purpose of being a part of the political culture by further consuming media.
TIME Magazine is one of many examples of how their continuous efforts shaped the media we consume throughout the years while establishing credibility and successfully influencing how we perceive and learn about the world around us.
Fortunately, we can see this take into effect through their previous issues in their archives, which you can access here.
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