What is the controversy around Time magazines person of the year issue?
Obama (and Bush) nominee Ben Bernanke, Time’s Person of the Year Time magazine passed up another chance to put Barack Obama on its cover today, opting instead for Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke as its Person of the Year. “He didn’t just reshape U.S. monetary policy,” the magazine said of Bernanke. “He led an effort to save the world economy.” Bernanke could use the good pub — some senators are fighting his re-nomination as Fed chair, protesting some of those policies. A scholar of the Great Depression of the 1930s, Bernanke also has a unique political distinction: Nominated to his post by both George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Obama, who won the 2008 Person of the Year award, made this year’s list of 25 People Who Mattered. Oval pal Michael Scherer writes that Obama “arrived at the White House wearing a mantle of change but quickly realized that his job description, at least immediately, would have more to do with damage control.” The four top runners-up for Person of the Year i
Bernanke is TIME’s 2009 Person of the Year Federal Reserve chair beat out Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Usain Bolt and others By Laura T. Coffey TODAYshow.com contributor updated 8:00 a.m. ET Dec. 16, 2009 Remember September 2008? The month when the entire U.S. financial system almost collapsed? Ever since that pivotal moment, one person has been in the crosshairs, making decision after decision that has impacted nearly every American alive today. That person is Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. Because of his monumental influence on the world’s most important economy, Bernanke has been named TIME magazine’s 2009 Person of the Year. TIME Managing Editor Richard Stengel called the Federal Reserve “the most powerful, least understood government force shaping our lives” as he revealed his magazine’s choice live on TODAY Wednesday morning. Story continues below ↓advertisement | your ad here “He was the great scholar of the Depression who saw an
Despite the magazine’s frequent statements to the contrary, the designation is often regarded as an honor, and spoken of as an award or prize, simply based on many previous selections of admirable people. However Time magazine points out those such as Adolf Hitler in 1938, and Joseph Stalin in 1939 and again in 1942, the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979, and Ben Bernanke in 2009 have also been granted the title. In 1998, professional wrestler Mick Foley led the online poll to be voted Time Man of the Year; however, he was removed as a candidate after Time felt he had not done enough to deserve the accolade. Furthermore, the magazine has often attracted criticism for being too biased towards American personalities in its choice of Person of the Year. Sources: http://en.wikipedia.
