Atlantic Denies Going Tabloid

Loyal Atlantic subscribers are in for a shock: Britney Spears graces the April cover. Though the magazine has showcased Marilyn Monroe and Humphrey Bogart, the prime real estate granted to the pop-tart has some questioning the effect dropping advertising and newsstand sales are having on the venerable journal's direction—and how such changes affect other magazines on the remake.

Will readers and advertisers stay true, Advertising Age wonders, to the Atlantic and magazines like Reader's Digest, which recently introduced a new design? "If this is the new direction, they may as well just call themselves one of Rupert Murdoch's tabloids," says one reader. The Atlantic’s editor insists the look at the industry built upon Spears is in line with the magazine’s coverage of cultural issues. (More advertising stories.)