Political Cover
Before even getting into my current issue of Technology Review, I am gravely disappointed to see an unmistakable signal of political favoritism. The cover of the September/­October issue featuring Senator Barack Obama, the article on his campaign's Web strategy, and the profile of his economic advisor Austan ­Goolsbee combine to form a clear message: Technology Review is a liberal rag. I read further and now see that Obama is at "the brink of the presidency" and that he's "a new kind of presidential candidate." Posing as innocuous subheaders, these sound bites are consistent with Obama's campaign rhetoric. Such favoritism has no place in your magazine: it is inconsistent with your mission.
Ben Pember
Spartanburg, SC

Editor in chief Jason Pontin responds:
With great respect, Technology Review is neither liberal nor a rag. We are not political partisans. As for the stories to which you object, they were legitimate subjects for us: Senator Obama's campaign made novel use of emerging social technologies, and Austan ­Goolsbee is a technology-­inspired, MIT-trained econo­mist who made his name thinking about the Internet. Finally, whatever else the senator may be as I write these words in October, he is certainly at the brink of the presidency (he is, after all, the Democratic nominee), and he certainly is, for reasons such as his race, a new kind of candidate.