Remnick Discusses Obama Cover With Charlie Rose
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Amy Novak

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Last night, in a previously-scheduled interview with Charlie Rose originally meant to focus on David Remnick's 10-year anniversary as editor of The New Yorker, Remnick ended up first explaining the now widely-discussed cover of July 21 issue.

The cover, which depicts Senator Obama in a Muslim garb fist-bumping his Afro-wearing, AK-47-toting wife Michelle beneath a portrait of Osama bin-Laden while the American flag burns in the fireplace, was meant to be funny. But critics' biggest claim is that the average America just didn't get it. "I accept all different takes on the cover except one: that the American people just don't get it. I don't accept that. Let's have a little respect for the intelligence of the American people."

Writer Timothy Egan's Op-Ed piece in Wednesday's The New York Times titled, "They Get It" concurs. "Irony, it turns out, does cross the Hudson River."

Remnick went on to explain: "It's really no fun to have to explain satire and I'm not in the business of having to do it. We're The New Yorker, this is what we do. And we were certainly not trying to offend anyone with this cover; we thought that people would laugh at the ridiculousness of it."

In response to Rose's questioning about whether or not this was a stunt to get attention, draw readers Remnick replied, "There are far better ways to get attention. You can get that by standing naked in the Macy's window. That's not what this was about."

Remnick felt that fellow satirist Jon Stewart had the best critique of the media craze, which aired live on The Daily Show, "Here's what Obamas' camp's response to the cover should've been: 'Obama is not upset about a cartoon which depicts him as a Muslim extremist. You know why? Because the only people who get that upset about cartoons are Muslim Extremists, which Obama clearly is not!'". Stewart went on, "It's just an F___ing cartoon, people!" Remnick appreciates that sentiment.

Furthermore, Remnick pointed out that The New Yorker has published several articles that have been considered to be 'largely favorable" toward Obama, including the one in the the July 21 issue, which is a humanizing account of Obama's early days rising to the top in Chicago politics.

Watch the Remnick interview here Friday morning (July 18).

Read more about Remnick, including his thoughts on editing The New Yorker for 10 years, in the July 21 issue of min.

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