Newsweek, weekly newsmagazine based in New York, New York. It originated as a print publication in 1933 but briefly switched to an all-digital format in 2013–14.
Newsweek was founded by Thomas J.C. Martyn, a former foreign-news editor of Time, as News-Week. It borrowed the general format of Time (founded 1923), as did Raymond Moley’s Today magazine, with which News-Week merged in 1937, removing the hyphen from its name. The early Newsweek offered a survey of the week’s news with signed columns of analysis. Over time it became classed as one of the “big three” (with Time and U.S. News & World Report [founded 1933]) of American newsweeklies. After its purchase in 1961 by Washington Post publisher Philip L. Graham, Newsweek adopted a politically liberal viewpoint and expanded its coverage of popular culture, attracting readers with articles written in a narrative style. In 2010 the magazine was sold to American businessman Sidney Harman.
By the 21st century, Newsweek, like its rival Time, had retreated somewhat from hard news, infusing its issues with more celebrity and consumer-oriented coverage. Still, Newsweek maintained a strong reputation for accurate, brisk, and vivid reporting of news events. At its peak the magazine reached an international circulation of more than four million. It also published four English-language international editions and several local-language editions, including Japanese, Korean, and Spanish.
In early 2011 Newsweek formally merged with The Daily Beast, a news-and-commentary Web site founded by Tina Brown. The newly created joint venture was called The Newsweek/Daily Beast Company, and Brown became its editor in chief. The magazine continued to be published under the title Newsweek. With the December 31, 2012, issue, however, the magazine ended its print publication as it moved to an all-digital format. In 2013 Newsweek was sold to IBT Media, and its partnership with The Daily Beast ended. In March 2014 the print edition of Newsweek returned; to lessen its dependence on ad revenue, the cost of the magazine was increased.