Who’s Up, Who’s Down: This Week in Power Grid Upsets

Despite The Nation‘s tiny print circulation, Katrina vanden Heuvel had a decent run both as a Magazine Editor and as a columnist, jumping 8 spots in the first and 49 spots in the second. She’s been a stellar, ever-present commentator this past week, staying away from media circus distractions like Joe Wilson and focusing on policy. And bloggers and outlets like the New York Times and NPR have recognized her for it.

Reader’s Digest editor Peggy Northrop unexpectedly shot up from #18 to #8 among Magazine Editors, surpassing even The New Yorker‘s David Remnick (#10). Huh? Well, the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of Reader’s Digest has continued to send shock waves through the magazine world this past week as its owners and managers figure out what exactly they’re going to do. And Northrop has been a major player in that process, so she’s been in the news a lot, even if non-media junkies might not necessarily remember her name.

Fareed Zakaria‘s climb from #17 to #9 among Print/Online columnists goes to show that it’s possible to build ‘buzz’ by — gasp! — talking substance. Between his thoughts on Yale’s censorship of the Danish anti-Mohammed cartoons and his entreaty that the US not walk away from Afghanistan, Zakaria has been an intellectual force to reckon with.

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