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Robin Pinney
Writing 2
12 October 2015

Magazines: What Makes the Money

Magazine articles are produced every single day - hundreds and hundreds of writers
put forth information on politics, economics, society, sports, fashion, travel, and any
lifestyle topic that is of interest to the public. Magazine articles - whether they are online
or in print, or perhaps if they are supposed to be educational, gossip, trending, or
political, all strive for the same thing: to be successful. This outlines the conventions of
magazine articles - their need for readers. In order for magazines to become popular, in
todays world, they have to be cutting edge - cutting edge on whatever topic they choose
to write about. Cutting edge economics, cutting edge politics, cutting edge fashion, or
even cutting edge politics all draws attention to the reader. What makes these articles
stand out in particular is the photos they use to dictate the ton for each individual website
and what generate the type of audience that would enjoy their article and come back for
more. All three online magazine articles shown below, made exceptions to their usual
purposes to cover an interesting story, but also separate themselves by their articles
change from casual to formal tones, real life references, and social generalizations.

The example texts chosen explain how the genre of magazine articles reaches out
to audiences whom are interested in John. F. Kennedy and the affairs that make him even
more famous than his presidency did. In National Geographic, Forbes, and The New York
Times, their writers use rhetorical tools to engage their specific readers and enlighten

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them on the social life of JFK, in different lights. When researching for examples and
how to properly explain the conventions that magazine articles usually use, it was
interesting to see that while these magazine articles arent necessarily gossip magazines;
instead they are covering a topic that is a little more on the social side, rather than the
political side. While scandal is a popular theme amongst past presidents, and politics
itself, it is interesting to see how such high regarded magazines are covering such a
significant scandal. When reading the about sections for each magazine, it is found that
they cover topics in geography, archaeology and natural science (About the National
Geographic Society), finance, industry, investing, and marketing (Forbes), and news,
opinion, and features (Wikipedia) which for the most part, dont really leave open space
for pieces on presidential romances - but that is the interesting part about American
culture. In the US, there is just as much importance put on political news as there is on
social news. When in line at the supermarket, you see gossip magazines with covers
advertising the latest news on the social elite and who wore what where and not
economic, political, or international strife - which in reality is what is clouding America,
not what the latest form of plastic surgery is. Which, I suppose, if that is what the public
is focused on, might be the issue in itself for these more serious magazines. If the
general public is focused on material and social aspects of life, then an article on John F.
Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe might just be what they need to reel in the numbers.
In the first article found on National Geographic, the title is Killing Kennedy and
there is a picture of Marilyn Monroe standing next to President Kennedy, whose face is
covered by a shadow. These two details make the article appear to be mysterious, which
is something that people are more likely to engage in. Melissa Bourbon Ramirez says a

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safe thrill, kind of like roller coasters when youre a kid. Theyre a safe adventure
(Ramirez) is why most people like reading and engaging in mysterious topics. Its a way
to feel close to danger but not actually be apart of it. The usage of the words sex in the
subtitle The Sex Life of JFK is also a way the writer lessons the formality of the article,
making it have more of a gossip like feel compared to how most National Geographic
articles are intended to be. The fact that National Geographic decided to include an
article about JFK and his affair, even though it went against geography, archeology, and
natural science (About the National Geographic Society), doesnt mean it isnt a
magazine article - just because it isnt typical, doesnt mean it cannot be found in
National Geographic, because, for lack of a better reason, it is. This transition in content
and rhetorical use of informality enabled the readers to catch onto a topic that almost
every human being has in common - sex; this article, is intended to draw in more
youthful readers because of its use of mystery and scandal, as opposed to the other two
articles, which are more directed at adults and an older audience with their lack of
raunchy details.
In comparison to the Forbes magazine article, the finance, industry, investing, and
marketing (Forbes) text also goes out of its comfort topic zones and breaches into
political scandal with the topic of JFK. However, this article references the deceased
presidents life-long friends, including first hand quotes about what Kennedys life was
like and how he came to be known as such a spontaneous man in regards to his love life.
The picture used on the Forbes site is moments before Kennedy was shot, sitting in his
car with Jackie Kennedy. The text itself revolves around his final days as JFK seemed
unusually conscious that his time on earth was fleeting (Sabato) looks very closely at the

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reasoning as to why JFK even had an affair. Instead of pointing fingers and drawing a
scandal from his life, this article used emotional reasoning as a way to defend him and
make him seem more of an average human being. The quote Friend and foe alike agree
that John Kennedy seized every moment, embraced every challenge, and lived life to its
absolute fullest. This restless ambition sometimes produced great blessings for the
nation (Sabato) fully defends Kennedy and goes onto talk about his work in the Oval
Office and how his passion for life is what made him such a great president when it came
to his foreign policies. This type of talk is what makes this article more apparent to older
generations who actually have knowledge about politics and for that matter, the type of
people who would read Forbes magazine. It gives into the media, even talking about his
affair, but also keeps it politically active by referencing his work during his term, which
is very refreshing when in comparison to the other magazine online articles, who only
focus on his adultery.
The last article, found in The New York Times goes in an opposite direction of the
other two texts, and engages an audience entirely different. This article goes into depth of
one of Kennedys alleged mistresses Mimi Alford who was a simple, average young
girl who happened to have an internship in the White House during Kennedys term. This
article talks about Mimis early life and the type of innocent girl she was. She was lucky
enough to have an affair with the President of the United States, and even later on in life,
a husband and family to call her own. Details like She recalls a proper, preppy
upbringing on a New Jersey farm, in the kind of farmhouse that had seven fireplaces and
a ballroom. She describes life as a debutante nicknamed the Monkey (Maslin) talks
about a time period only few people would recall - a very elderly generation. A

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generation with reference to one gender: women. The description about her lifestyle, such
as what goes into the secret details about her affair, are words that women would be
drawn into, because of their romantic tone. As found in Psychology Today, The reader
can live vicariously through the heroine and fall in love with the hero, but without any of
the consequenceShe gets the thrill, the rush, of falling in love, all for a few dollars.
The writer also goes into saying truly vile episodes in which the president humiliated
Mimi by telling her to service other men sexually (Maslin) which serves the purpose of
shaming the deceased president and also falls into the female audience where it is
common for women to feel power and feminist when united over the common factor of
hatred towards disrespectful men - which is a matter far from the objectiveness the New
York Times usually has. For a newspaper, though it is now found online, which is
supposed to do just that, give the news, an article about a mistress and her life pleasing
John F. Kennedy is remarkably off track for its original purpose, but it engages readers
who, historically, aren't famous for being fans of newspapers. In typical gender roles,
throughout the media and stereotypical analysis, men have always read newspapers, and
women have read magazines or novels, and though women all over the world naturally
challenge that statement. As told by Shannon Rupp, the majority of women dont give a
damn about what the sort of straight, white, wealthy middle-aged men who run corporate
papers have deemed newsworthy. As this article spices up a regular newspaper and gives
women a chance to enjoy a piece of work we can note that this is a stereotypical
observance found throughout American pop culture and not a personal belief.
Articles, whether found in print, in magazines, or online in formatted newspapers,
have a way of reaching millions of people every day. In this hyper speed communication,

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it is vital for these writers to put forth as much information as possible, hoping to engage
a readers eye and keep their attention. It is natural, for that reason, for highly ranked,
serious magazines to engage in foul play and put forth texts about pop culture, political
scandal, and social issues. This was the case with National Geographic, Forbes
magazine, and the New York Times, in which they went off their original tracks of
geographic, archeological, marketing, finance, investing, news, and opinions,
respectively, and take their digs at President John F. Kennedys romantic affairs. The way
that they use language and rhetoric devices, whether that be tone or images supplied
alongside the articles, provide each article to reach a different audience and have different
effects. Ultimately, they are still categorized as the same genre because of their placement
in famous compilations and their ability to reach millions of people in such a timely,
productive, technological way.

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Works Cited
"About the National Geographic Society." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct.
2015.
"Article (." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2015.
Fisher, Maryanna, Ph.D. "How Much Do Romance Novels Reflect Women's Desires?"
Psychology Today. N.p., 16 July 2010. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.
Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2015.
Kiger, Patrick J. "The Sex Life of JFK." National Geographic Channel. N.p., 23 Oct.
2013. Web. 29 Sept. 2015.
Maslin, Janet. "Sure, Mr. President, If You Really Want Me To." The New York Times.
The New York Times, 08 Feb. 2012. Web. 29 Sept. 2015.
Ramirez, Melissa Bourbon. "Why Do We Enjoy Mysteries So Much?" MisaRamirez.
N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.
Rupp, Shannon. "Why Are Women Deserting Newspapers?" Salon. N.p., 21 July 2013.
Web. 12 Oct. 2015.
Sabato, Larry. "John F. Kennedy's Final Days Reveal A Man Who Craved Excitement."
Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 16 Oct. 2013. Web. 29 Sept. 2015.
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2015.