World news and discussion on TalkFuse.
Resurfaced photo revives criticism of Russell Brand’s New Statesman guest edit
A resurfaced photograph of Russell Brand at a 2013 New Statesman editorial meeting has renewed criticism of the magazine’s decision to invite him to guest-edit an issue. The image, which evokes Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, shows Brand with senior staff and Jemima Khan; the article uses it to argue that the magazine gave him a platform despite his public remarks about women.
Brand’s opening piece said he accepted the invitation because it came from “a beautiful woman”, and included further comments about female beauty. Writer Kate Maltby posted the photograph and said she had been warned against criticising his guest edit if she wanted commissions from the magazine. The article reports her account but provides no further detail about when or from whom the warning came.
In short
- A 2013 photo of Brand at the magazine has resurfaced.
- His guest edit and comments about women are under renewed scrutiny.
- Kate Maltby says she was discouraged from criticising the decision.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A guest edit can give a prominent cultural figure room to bring new readers to political ideas, and Brand’s 2013 issue framed itself around social change and consciousness. Those who supported the invitation might argue that provocative language and an unconventional editor were part of that appeal, while the reported comments and later criticism should be assessed in context rather than treated as proof that the magazine’s decision was indefensible.
The case against
The magazine’s invitation lent its credibility to a figure whose opening piece described the decision in terms of a “beautiful woman” and included remarks about women’s bodies, making the choice open to criticism on editorial and feminist grounds. Kate Maltby’s account that she felt discouraged from criticising the issue if she wanted commissions also raises a concern about whether professional access constrained scrutiny, and whether the Left applied its standards consistently to a charismatic ally.
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by Daily Mail as “Rapist with a Jesus complex… guest editing the New Statesman in portrait echoing The Last Supper”.