InDigestible: The decline of a great magazine

National Review, Feb 11, 2002 by John J. Miller

Very little is special about the current issue, both in the sense that so much of its content is instantly forgettable and in the sense that it's not much different from other recent issues. The last time a celebrity didn't appear on the cover of the Digest, a magazine that once honored ordinary Americans in almost everything it did, was March 2001.

Since then, the cover has been a parade ground for beautiful people, including Muhammad Ali, Tom Hanks, and Princess Diana. The Digest's distinct voice is falling silent; the once-mighty magazine is becoming indistinguishable from the swarm of other publications that genuflect to the stars of Hollywood, offer new diet recipes for women, and produce nothing of enduring value or interest.