Quick, someone notify Glenn Beck. 'How Christian Were the Founders?' has been the most emailed article on the NYT.com since Saturday morning. Far from being the title of a Tea Party pamphlet, the Times Magazine's long cover story looks into the rewriting of the American social sciences curriculum courtesy of some (rather extreme) members of the Texas State Board of Education, and/or the rewriting of history, depending. (more...)

T: The New York Times Style Magazine staffers Horacio Silva and Andy Port caused quite a social media stir with their Golden Globes coverage. Silva, who tweeted real-time coverage via T's Twitter account @TheMoment, bashed Dexter star Michael C. Hall's dark-colored beanie. The tweet: "Is Michael C. Hall playing Bob Marley in an upcoming movie? Don’t get the hat or what he is hiding under it. HS” Unfortunately, unbeknownst to to Silva, Hall wore to cover hair loss as a result of a recent treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Gawker, Perez Hilton and WWD quickly jumped on Silva's back, but to be fair, he quickly apologized when he realized the snafu: “It was a question I posed entirely without malice...I know from the effect it had on my family, how devastating cancer can be and it’s not something that I take lightly. I apologize for any hurt that I may have caused.” NY Times staffer Andy Port, however, straight up called people fat.  In a slanderous post on T's The Moment blog, she opened with "Maybe it’s just me, but I could have sworn that some of the ladies who showed up at the Golden Globes on Sunday had put on a little weight." No names were named, but pictures of Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson and Courtney Cox accompanied the post. "You could definitely see the difference if you concentrated solely on the upper arms," quipped Port. What is this: the New York Times or high school? Maybe Ms. Port should check out Glamour's plus-sized models to realize that "womanly" is in.

Wow. Twitter is all lit up this morning over Peter Baker's upcoming NYT Magazine article 'Inside Obama's War on Terrorism.' And for good reason: it is a bit of a game changer in a couple of respects. Mediawise, it's interesting to note that the piece has gone live online almost two weeks before readers will see the print version. That's right. The story was apparently penned for the January 12 edition of the Magazine but was crashed over the holiday and rushed online this morning. Once you read it it's easy to understand why. This is the sort of piece that will likely have a measurable affect on Obama's image as a president able to deal with the terrorism issues of the day. Having it go live on his first day back in Washington is a huge coup for everyone involved. (more...)

Earlier this summer, the New York Times Magazine got smaller — a little off the top, a little off the side. Well, this weekend the magazine showed that a slim summer doesn't necessarily preclude a beefed-up fall and winter. (more...)

In this week's New York Times Magazine's online preview, writer Benoit Denizet-Lewis explores the world of gay youth in a story boldly titled "Coming Out in Middle School." The result is a poignant tribute to brave teenagers across the United States and their supportive families and educators -- the article represents firm, confident steps in the right direction. But centering such a controversial piece around the painfully candid words and experiences of minors veers dangerously close to exploitation, and despite being such an engaging read, leads me to wonder if it's not, in fact, wrong. After all, the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics states: "Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage. Use special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources or subjects."

Denizet-Lewis writes:

(more...)

In a recent interview with Beet.TV, Josh Tyrangiel, Time.com's Managing Editor, was adamant that long-form journalism does not work online. "It's just too long," he said bluntly. As a result, 95% of Time.com stories are original to the web, according to the editor. For online writers, the challenge is being both "smart and stylish" and getting to the point, he said. Tyrangiel knows shorter stories work better because he has the data to prove it. But what if Time.com's assuredness not only leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy, but is a convoluted attempt at selling more magazines? (more...)