When Sarah Palin Isn't Disparaging Newsweek, She's Writing For It
Sarah Palin has overlooked her various beefs with Newsweek to write an essay for the magazine. In "My Life With Trig," which is available online now and will appear in tomorrow's print edition, Palin addresses the rewards and challenges of raising a child with Down's syndrome. It's a piece pinned to last week's news that Rick Santorum had canceled campaign appearances in Florida to attend to the needs of his daughter Bella, who was hospitalized with complications relating to Trisomy 18, a serious genetic condition.
RELATED: Tide Theft Was Made for TV News; Robert Altman on Football in 1951
Palin writes:
When I discovered early in my pregnancy that my baby would be born with an extra chromosome, the diagnosis of Down syndrome frightened me so much that I dared not discuss my pregnancy for many months. All I could seem to muster was a calling out to God to prepare my heart for what was ahead. My prayers were answered beyond my shallow understanding of what true joy could be. Yes, raising a child with special needs is a unique challenge, and there’s still fear about my son Trig’s future because of health and social challenges; and certainly some days are much more difficult than if I had a “normal” child.
As noted by The Huffington Post's Michael Calderone, the essay comes just weeks after Palin openly called out Newsweek for its Andrew Sullivan-penned cover story, "Why Are Obama's Critics So Dumb?" Referring to numerous columns in which the former editor of The New Republic expressed doubt that Palin is truly Trig's mother, an avenue of inquiry Sullivan began while his Daily Dish blog was hosted at The Atlantic, Palin tweeted:
@Newsweek: know what's truly "dumb?" Giving a cover story to the TrigTruther conspiracy kook writer who thinks I didn't give birth to my son
For Palin, it's been a love-hate relationship with the publication, which has repeatedly featured her on their cover -- but not always with her concent. Last summer, Palin submitted to a cover story, "I Can Win," that teased a presidential run that never materialized. But in 2010, before Tina Brown's controversial tenure as editor-in-chief had begun, Palin attacked the magazine's cover photo choice. She called the picture, which was originally shot for a piece in Runner's World and featured the former Alaska governor in a form-fitting shorts and top, "unfortunate," "out-of-context," and "sexist."
