Newsweek history

Four years later, in 1937, the publication merged with Raymond Moley's Today magazine and, with Vincent Astor as its president, changed its name to Newsweek.

After its purchase in 1961 by Washington Post publisher Philip L. Graham, Newsweek adopted a politically liberal viewpoint and expanded its coverage of popular culture, attracting readers with articles written in a narrative style.

In early 1973 Will became the Washington editor for the conservative biweekly National Review—having previously published material there—and later that year began writing for The Washington Post as well.

He then joined the incipient conservative writers’ group formed by the Post, which in 1974 began syndicating his columns nationwide.

In 1981, an account the magazine published of "Jimmy," an eight-year-old heroin addict in Washington, D.C. won a Pulitzer Prize for its reporter, Janet Cooke, who was forced to return the award when she admitted she had embellished details in the story.

In 1993, Newsweek produced a CD-ROM sold quarterly by subscription and at retail outlets—the first such electronic publishing venture by a major magazine.

The magazine was praised by observers for the depth of its reportage and for its journalistic restraint during the investigation of President Bill Clinton by Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr in 1998.

Its circulation in 1999 was reported as 4.4 million worldwide and 3.27 million in the United States.

In 2002, Newsweek launched Newsweek Select, distributed in Hong Kong and in mainland China.

It was sold to IAC/InterActive in 2010, which had added it to the Daily Beast news website.

In early 2011 Newsweek formally merged with The Daily Beast, a news-and-commentary Web site founded by Tina Brown.

With the December 31, 2012, issue, however, the magazine ended its print publication as it moved to an all-digital format.

In 2013 Newsweek was sold to IBT Media, and its partnership with The Daily Beast ended.

In March 2014 the print edition of Newsweek returned; to lessen its dependence on ad revenue, the cost of the magazine was increased.

In 2016 he announced that he had left the Republican Party because of his dissatisfaction with GOP support for the divisive Donald Trump, the party’s presumptive nominee for president.