The information cycle

Next week: Magazines

Within the following week, news magazines, such as Time, U.S. News and World Report, People, and New Yorker published their regular or special issues covering the event of the September 11 attacks. In magazine issues readers read short editorial articles, and longer stories describing vividly the devastating event. Photos from the scenes captured people, feelings and situations.

Browse the gallery of magazines published one week after the September 11 attacks. Click the gallery images to view & read articles from these magazines.

Information dissemination

The week that followed the event, the information continued flowing in written form. Magazine articles written by journalists, staff writers and contributors reflected on the tragedy and its consequences. The level of analysis was greater than newspaper articles. The articles included analysis on how the United States Congress reacted to the terrorist attacks, how the foreign policy of the United States would change due to this event, how the terrorist attacks may affect the stock market and the U.S. economy, how the lives of Americans changed. Stories of bravery and loss were also published as well as stories presenting the psychological effects of the attacks.

Magazine attributes

Reading articles online, can be trickier than when you are looking at a print version of a source. Computer screens impose us with the impression that all information sources are the same or that they offer the same kind of information.

Check the table that follows with the magazine attributes that will help you determine the type of source you are viewing.

Attributes	Hints
Name of source	Magazine names are broad like Time or People magazines or address particular interestes like Sports Illustrated. They may include words like week e.g. Newsweek, which implies that it offers current information. Major national and regional magazines may also use names of cities or countries like U.S News & World Report or New Yorker.
Author of information	Magazine articles may or may not list their authors' names. They are mostly written by journalists, freelance or staff writers, but may also include commentary by scholars or experts in a field.
Date of information	Magazines are published weekly, monthly or bimonthly. The date appears in the form of Day, Month, Year or Month, Year.
Length of information	Magazine articles are not very long ranging from a few paragraphs to a few pages.
Language used	Titles of magazine articles often use very short words to make an impact. In general, the language used is easy to read and simple to understand.
Subject focus	Magazine articles typically report news on a wide variety of topics or focus on a particular interest ranging from business and politics to technology, sports, food, travel, health, arts etc. Articles also begin to provide analysis and discuss the impact of an event on society, culture, the environment, the economy, public policy, etc.
Additional elements	Magazines make extensive use of photographs and illustrations and include advertisements. May also include special inserts or supplements.
Layout & arrangement	Magazines in print or on the web arrange articles in sections.
Purpose & audience	The purpose of magazine articles is to provide details, analysis and discussion of the impact an event, but not in-depth, presenting particular groups' perspectives. They intend to inform a general audience or groups with specific interests.
Database Icons	Library databases often provide icons which indicate the type of source like  or