The Economist
The European debt crisis remained at the center of global politics for much of 2013, and The Economist has been chronicling the maelstrom in a way few publications have. While the media landscape is saturated with upstart online properties, the UK weekly positively exudes its 100-plus year history, continuing its pledge to adhere to the "extreme center" of global politics. Yet the storied English weekly hasn't been afraid to throw a few sharp elbows at world leaders, either. After a cover story describing France as a "time-bomb at the heart of Europe," the French government saw fit to publicly swat down the implication that the country's economic reforms were not aggressive enough. Taiwan endured its own mini-media frenzy after the magazine's characterization of President Ma Ying-jeou as a former heart-throb turned "bumbler." It provoked a rare moment of political unity in the country, as opposition parties bandied together to trash The Economist. Perhaps not surprising, 2012 was a "record breaking" year for the Economist's web traffic, said global publisher Nick Blunden.
