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- FROM THE MANAGING EDITOR, Page 4
-
-
- Time has been such an icon in American life since its
- founding in 1923 that the magazine's cover frequently finds its
- way into other media. In the 1950 film A Woman of Distinction,
- for example, actress Rosalind Russell appears on a make-believe
- Time cover. More recently, Jack Nicholson and Kim Basinger could
- be seen in Batman perusing a Time cover.
-
- Under copyright law, we own the rights to our covers. It
- is possible for those who do not own copyrighted materials to
- make "fair use" of them, but generally those who employ Time
- covers must first obtain our permission. As a rule, we do not
- allow our covers to be used to advertise or endorse products or
- services. We also do not grant permission to political campaigns
- to use the cover of Time to support the position or candidacy
- of any individual.
-
- Thus when the Bush-Quayle campaign used a Time cover last
- week as the centerpiece of a commercial attacking Bill Clinton,
- we asked Robert Teeter, chairman of Bush-Quayle '92, to
- withdraw it. "The implicit suggestion of the commercial that
- Time endorses its contents is extremely damaging to Time's
- reputation," we wrote. The cover in question, which appeared on
- our April 20 issue, was an examination of the problems Clinton
- was having during the primaries with voters who did not trust
- him -- but it did not endorse President Bush, nor did it
- conclude that Governor Clinton was untrustworthy. In fact, we
- have at various times been critical of all three candidates, and
- over the past two years we have produced a number of cover
- images that any political campaign could exploit to discredit
- the others. When the Bush-Quayle campaign refused to withdraw
- the commercial, we filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the
- District of Columbia. The case will be heard this week.
-
- Time's mission is to serve its readers by delivering
- incisive analysis of national and international issues, even if
- that means being tough on those who hold or seek political
- office. But Time is neither ideological nor partisan, and it
- does not endorse candidates for office. We intend to keep it
- that way.
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- Henry Muller
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