Outside mag's fake Lance cover

Outside magazine put a fake t-shirt on Lance Armstrong on the new cover that says "38, BFD." I don't care if there's a tiny asterisk saying it's not his real shirt, it's a severe ethical lapse. Why couldn't they just ask him to wear the shirt? Were the editors afraid he wouldn't do it? Or is it a mutually-staged stunt?

Try not to give Outside any additional web traffic for this. (Obviously, that's what they want.) Better to view the photo on another source. Here's one:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/16/lance-armstrong-outside-m_n_614647.html

 

Playboy does this all the time.

 

Make the cover bimbo wear a shirt?

 

They put actresses/models on their cover wearing a shirt with the rabbit on it. I think Jessica Alba/Paris Hilton/Rosanna Arquette are among those who have complained.

 

Magazine cover ethics? As if.

 

The bigger problem is when a mag uses a "stock" photo then makes it appear that the person featured actually cooperated with the story, or posed specifically for that cover. It's as weak as Newsweek running the Palin Running World photo.

 

Darkening up OJ's mug shot.

 

Darkening OJ's mug shot on the cover of a legitimate news magazine is unethical.
Doctoring photos in any way on a the cover of a feature magazine, who cares.

 

I'd much rather give Outside my click than those content-stealing assholes at HuffPost.

 

Remember, Outside has done serious/award-winning journalistm in the past, including stories that eventually became "Into Thin Air," and "A Perfect Storm."

Why care? In a word, credibility -- of the profession and, on a smaller scale, of anyone who has ever written (or will write) for that magazine. Credibility is really the only thing a journalist has to offer. Erode that, and you've got bupkes.

 

This.

 

I've subscribed to Outside for about 15 years now. So I can safely say the Outside that used to publish Krakauer and Junger is dead, replaced by this version that strives to be GQ for the hiking/cycling/kayaking set.

Armstrong has been on the cover eight times now in about five years. Anderson freakin' Cooper has been on the cover twice in less than 18 months.

They shouldn't have done it. But given some other decisions over the years, it's not a shock. Sadly.