Us Weekly Palin Cover Causes Scandal? Maybe Not... UPDATE

***UPDATED 9/5, 3 PM***

A well-placed source at Us Weekly tells Huffington Post that since Wednesday, there have actually been a little more than 1,000 cancellations. However, there have also been a little more than 1,000 bonus subscriptions from supporters of the magazine, without any efforts on the part of the magazine to gain subscribers from the controversy.

"In the end, it's a wash, but encouraging to see how involved the readership is in the election," the source says.

The Palin story also drove Usmagazine.com's third highest day of traffic in the site's history.

Previously, MSNBC Scoop gossip columnist Courtney Hazlett reported that Us was losing between 5,000-10,000 subscribers after the controversial "Babies, Lies, and Scandal" cover:

Three celebrity weeklies -- OK!, People and Us Weekly -- featured Sarah Palin on their cover, but one of those magazines is reportedly losing subscribers because of it.

Us Weekly, which unlike People and OK!, chose a rather caustic cover line ("Babies, Lies and Scandal") is said to have lost thousands of subscribers in just the first 24 hours following the printing of the issue.

"I'm hearing it's 5,000, maybe more," says one well-placed source in the industry. Another source claimed that as many as 10,000 readers have already cancelled their subscriptions. A spokesperson for Wenner Media, which publishes Us, says "it is completely false that we are losing 10,000 subscribers." As for the 5,000 estimate, the spokesperson only said "that is false, too," but wouldn't comment further.

Related: Palin Cover Story Writer's HuffPost Blog: "I'm Voting For McCain"
Related: Sarah Palin Gets Cover Of Us, OK! Magazines

Comments

[toochie50]

ALL WE NEED TO KNOW GUYS:

Electoral vote today
fivethirtyeight.com updated daily - best website for accurate polls/predictions - read all about how it's done:

9/8/08
OBAMA: 303.9
mc: 234.1

that's all we need to count on - 270 needed to win!

[Dichotomy]

It's sickening to see how she totes that baby around like a political prop, much like her running mate totes her around in the same way.

[mojojanglesjoe]

speak on dichotomy!!!

[LemonMeringue]

I guess I need to subscribe to Us to show them support for printing the truth. The rest of the MSM won't do it.

Yesterday I bought a copy of National Enquirer for the first time in my life, for the same reason.

[ShaunHammer]

The truth....LOL. I watched an interview with the editor of US weekly and he could not back up any of the claims and said that he was aware that they only printed half the story but did not have time to tell the other half...

For Example. US told about Sarah firing the trooper, but did not have time to mention that he zapped his 10 year old step son with a tazer TWICE and made death threats against Palin's father...does this "trooper" sound like someone you want protecting the public...I would have fired him too...

Im glad your reading US weekly for the TRUTH..very informed you will be ...

[ShaunHammer]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wJik26tDmE

[SlippingInTheDip]

So Sarah was knocked-up when she got married. Hmmmm...like mother, like daughter...

[LemonMeringue]

If Bristol is pregnant this is her second pregnancy, and it isn't 5 months.

She doesn't look 5 months pregnant.

[kissmygrits]

A republican co-worker told me the rumor is that she is not pregnant at all. That it's padding, Trig is hers, and she'll have a "miscarriage" soon to wrap things up. Of course, this is purely gossip and nothing more, and not particularly relevant...

[sklfcats]

slippinginthedip

Is your family perfect?
Are you yourself without sin?

Didn't think so..

[67yrolfe]

Hey sklfcats: I'm not running for vice president, which puts her a heartbeal away from the Presidency behind a 72 year old man who has battled cancer many times. Most importantly, I'm not a member of a church that has always preached in the fire and brimstone fashion against FORNICATION. Tell me when the church changed that belief? I must have missed the announcement! If one is going to practice the Evangelistic Pentecostal religion; they should have the common decency to live as such and stop trying to defend the indefensible; not to mention their insane beliefs against Catholics and Jews! I grew up in such a church, so you can't BS me.

[grailknight]

It's not about being perfect or without sin. It's about setting an example from a person with glaring faults, who if she comes to the highest office will do her utmost to micromanage the most intimate details of your life. Palin needs to set her own house in order before taking on a task that she's obviously not up to.

[grumpygranny66]

Interesting!!!!

[wayoutleft]

a cover that gains zero subscribers is not a wash. it is a big mistake. there is no increased revenue in net zero subscribers. if you can't gain subscribers with this woman on the cover, you have seriously goofed up your subscription strategy.

[totalliberal]

Huh? How much did you get for that stupid post?

[wayoutleft]

the object is not to keep the number of subscribers constant. it is to increase subscribers. is that helpful?

[ZimboChick]

Oh that Peggy Hill...

[MindyIsHot]

How much sexist nonsense can these guys post...

She shut them up once, she can shut up the liberals petty nonsense again and again.

Why? Most of these clowns are men and have no idea what it is to be a woman.

http://myrealitytelevision.com/2008/09/sarah-palin-shuts-up-the-liberals-sexist-attacks/

[negogato]

she is pro contraception - which is good. James Dobson calls contraception abortion/murder.
So there is a little bit of daylight between preventing unwanted pregnancies and murder.
Either Sarah Palin is a brave woman who stands up to James Dobson / or this is a vetting fumble which will cost the gop votes.

Here is the quote and the link:
Palin's statements date to her 2006 gubernatorial run. In July of that year, she completed a candidate questionnaire that asked, would she support funding for abstinence­-until-mar­riage programs instead of "explicit sex-education programs, school-based clinics and the distribution of contraceptives in schools?"

Palin wrote, "Yes, the explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support."

But in August of that year, Palin was asked during a KTOO radio debate if "explicit" programs include those that discuss condoms. Palin said no and called discussions of condoms "relatively benign."

"Explicit means explicit," she said. "No, I'm pro-contraception, and I think kids who may not hear about it at home should hear about it in other avenues. So I am not anti-contraception. But, yeah, abstinence is another alternative that should be discussed with kids. I don't have a problem with that. That doesn't scare me, so it's something I would support also.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-sexed6-2008sep06,0,3119305.story

[67yrolfe]

Hey MindyIsHot: I'm a woman and I've got sense enough to know Palin isn't where she is now without the help of the 'good ole boys' -- McCain, Rove and company who she WON'Thave the guts to "shut up". You trolls need to slink on over to Fox and post your petty nonsense there where people might believe you!

[gtalkspolitics]

WHAT'S WRONG WITH HER EYES? Hey anybody want a challenge look at all of the pictures of Sarah Palin over the last year, Please share one picture of her w/child, no one anywhere has been able to fine one. is it true the special needs child is really her daughter child is this why the McCain Camp was so willing to give the story regaring the 17 year old because they did not want the real truth to come out? That would mean Sarah palin is a lier !!!

[LemonMeringue]

Worse than a liar.

Sarah Palin uses her family as political tools.

What she's putting her daughter through is terrible. If the stories are true that she tried to get Bristol married before the nomination, then right after the convention and before the pregnancy was announced, and Bristol refused, Palin is a terrible mother. Shame on her.

I still don't believe Palin is Trig's mother either.

[janicegwashington]

POLITICAL PROSTITUTION!

[jah2008]

I didn't know that there are people who actually subscribe to such magazine. Who knew?

[dutchess2]

Is anyone here old enough to remember the RNC convention of 1992?

Pappy Bush was the candidate, he had served one term with his surprise and unknown and lackluster VP Dan Quayle..who was married to Marilyn..

Pat Buchannon was highly visible... rousing the troops to fight the culture wars, he and Quayle and his wife and others were religious right wingnuts that were just as critical, superior, sarcastic, mean,
nasty, junk yard dogish. Then, like now, there were no minority delegates to speak of, nothing for the people but worlds of 'tood....

Marilyn Quayle gave a speech much like Palin's speech... in fact, the phrases and the superior goodie two shoes attitude were identical.

[truthbrigade]

Sure do remember the poisonous speech by Pat Buchanan known as the 'culture war' speech where he said "There is a religious war going on in our country for the soul of America. It is a cultural war, as critical to the kind of nation we will one day be as was the Cold War itself." (Sounds familiar?) He's still spewing the same toxic fumes on a daily bases.

Marilyn Quayle was equally repulsive, but she was not as stupid as her husband (which says very little about her brain)

[PhiloVance]

Liberal (heh!) use of Kool Aid here. You guys hijack a Kool Aid Truck?

[MM216]

Yeah, we hijacked it from you Karl Rove groupies LOL

[nonconformist2]

Your insults are old, used up and boring. Heard a 1000 times. Come back when you have something new to offer.

[alieninvader]

Good for you. You learned how to copy/paste.

[BreezyinVA]

They lost a 1,000 that were probably regular readers. They gained a 1,000 that won't resubscribe once they realize they are reading celebrity news.

I listened to her speak in Colorado. She said ZERO.

[wish4change]

I love it when trashy magazines bite the hands that feed them. Being retired I don't feel I have much power anymore, except for my pocketbook and the voting booth. Most of my friends and family have most everything so I've given them gift subscriptions to People Mag for years .... not anymore - my pocketbook will be speaking (all 6 subscriptions will not be renewed).... People, Us & OK are all owned by the same company.

[Mercurial]

some people just can't handle the truth and prefer to live in la la land.

[ChescoMom]

Yes, surely you and you alone will bring them to their knees.

[springsm]

Well how snotty is this reply...actually you probably read that trash while getting your hair done or standing in the grocery line. tut tut It is trash, btw.

[wish4change]

No Sonny, I don't think that at all but people like me who do have the pocketbook will make it speak when we see fit. One thing that makes you and I different is that I never have to worry about whether or not I'll have a job tomorrow, .... and say you?

[LemonMeringue]

What a dumb comment.

Mockery is all your side has left. It's all we heard at the RNC.

[ManhattanRat]

What's wrong with an expose? Isn't that the point of journalism? To tell and expose the truth?
Just because you don't like it, doesn't make it not newsworthy. Frankly, I don't like to hear bad things about Obama, but if there's something out there, journalists better do their job and bring it to light.
I want to know everything I can about the candidate I plan to vote for. Choosing to remain ignorant, and complaining when negative information is revealed is what makes America look stupid. People who actual WANT to remain the dark! What freedoms do we value then? if not the freedom fo speech and the press?

[MIVOTE]

Well said, MR, however, the journalist seem to be selective about who and what they gain the truth about. Haven't seen them up in arms about having the McCain campaign snub their noses at them. Since they (the media) are our only means to gain truthful insight into the candidates, as their reach spans across the country, I expect to be fully informed. The media can keep the ancedotes about baby mama drama and mooseburgers.

[going2ireland]

You call those that provide words for those magazines as reporters or journalists? That is a joke.

[LemonMeringue]

It depends. If they uncover and print the truth and only the truth, they're journalists. The MSM doesn't have many real journalists left.