Publetter

	Publetter	March 30, 1998 VOL. 151 NO. 12
To Our Readers By Don Morrison /Editor, Time Asia n Beijing last week, Zhu Rongji opened his first televised press conference as China's Premier by recognizing Time bureau chief Jaime A. FlorCruz. "Yesterday I saw your recent issue of Time magazine and found my picture on the cover, and found it better looking than the one used by Newsweek," Zhu said. "But I have no intention whatsoever to blame Newsweek, because actually I am not good-looking at all." Zhu's quip brought laughter from the 500 journalists in the hall and from TV audiences around the world. We're certainly flattered by Zhu's attention. But then, Time's journalists are accustomed to close proximity to the high and the mighty. In recent years, nearly every major head of state and government in Asia has granted us an interview or other extraordinary access. That's not because these leaders find our cover portraits flattering (sorry about last week, President Suharto). More likely, they respect the magazine's reputation for fairness and its enormous influence among the region's opinion shapers. Access to the corridors of power is a tradition at Time. One of the magazine's innovations, from its first issue in 1923, was to put a human face on the news by focusing on personalities. And one of the best ways we know to give readers a sense of what an influential individual is like is to spend time with him or her ourselves. This week's cover story includes an interview with Thailand's Chuan Leekpai in which the Prime Minister discusses his plans for reviving the economy. Chuan also invited correspondent Tim Larimer and photographer Peter Charlesworth to his modest Bangkok home, which he rarely lets outsiders see. Only a few weeks earlier, South Korea's new President, Kim Dae Jung, sat down with a group of us in Seoul to talk about his plans for getting the country back on track. And a few weeks before that, Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga revealed in a Time interview the previously secret details of her peace negotiations with guerrilla leaders. Of course, leaders often try to use such interviews for their own purposes: to answer critics, float trial balloons, send messages to other leaders. We usually let them-knowing that our accompanying story will provide the needed perspective. Also, we think it's only fair to let a leader have his say now and then. When Zhu Rongji's boss, President Jiang Zemin, met with a group of us last October just before his historic visit to the U.S., we were on the lookout for some subtle message to Bill Clinton. Instead, we were surprised by Jiang's disclosure that as a student he'd learned about current events by reading Time. Hmmm ... I think these guys are trying to flatter us.
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By Don Morrison /Editor, Time Asia

n Beijing last week, Zhu Rongji opened his first televised press conference as China's Premier by recognizing Time bureau chief Jaime A. FlorCruz. "Yesterday I saw your recent issue of Time magazine and found my picture on the cover, and found it better looking than the one used by Newsweek," Zhu said. "But I have no intention whatsoever to blame Newsweek, because actually I am not good-looking at all." Zhu's quip brought laughter from the 500 journalists in the hall and from TV audiences around the world.

We're certainly flattered by Zhu's attention. But then, Time's journalists are accustomed to close proximity to the high and the mighty. In recent years, nearly every major head of state and government in Asia has granted us an interview or other extraordinary access. That's not because these leaders find our cover portraits flattering (sorry about last week, President Suharto). More likely, they respect the magazine's reputation for fairness and its enormous influence among the region's opinion shapers.

Access to the corridors of power is a tradition at Time. One of the magazine's innovations, from its first issue in 1923, was to put a human face on the news by focusing on personalities. And one of the best ways we know to give readers a sense of what an influential individual is like is to spend time with him or her ourselves. This week's cover story includes an interview with Thailand's Chuan Leekpai in which the Prime Minister discusses his plans for reviving the economy. Chuan also invited correspondent Tim Larimer and photographer Peter Charlesworth to his modest Bangkok home, which he rarely lets outsiders see. Only a few weeks earlier, South Korea's new President, Kim Dae Jung, sat down with a group of us in Seoul to talk about his plans for getting the country back on track. And a few weeks before that, Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga revealed in a Time interview the previously secret details of her peace negotiations with guerrilla leaders.

Of course, leaders often try to use such interviews for their own purposes: to answer critics, float trial balloons, send messages to other leaders. We usually let them-knowing that our accompanying story will provide the needed perspective. Also, we think it's only fair to let a leader have his say now and then. When Zhu Rongji's boss, President Jiang Zemin, met with a group of us last October just before his historic visit to the U.S., we were on the lookout for some subtle message to Bill Clinton. Instead, we were surprised by Jiang's disclosure that as a student he'd learned about current events by reading Time. Hmmm ... I think these guys are trying to flatter us.