SOURCE: "The Talk of 'The New Yorker'," in New York Magazine, Vol. XVIII, No. 12, March 25, 1985, pp. 14, 16, 18.

An American journalist, Diamond has worked as an editor for several prominent American publications, including New York magazine and Esquire. He has also written several book-length studies of American television and Jimmy Carter: A Character Portrait (1980). In the following essay, he reflects on the editorial character of the New Yorker under William Shawn and speculates on the changes pending in the magazine's policy following its purchase by Advance Publications.

The men and women of The New Yorker have long existed on a plane apart from workers at other magazines. The intellectual standing of their magazine, the generous pay, the university-like tenure, the absence of deadlines for many staffers, the respect accorded their work (it's always "the artists" at the magazine, never "the cartoonists"), and above all, the magnanimous, moral, nurturing figure of...