Newsweek Defends 'Sexist' Cover Photo of Sarah Palin

After a number of conservative bloggers -- and Sarah Palin herself -- called Newsweek's cover photo of Palin in running shorts "sexist," the magazine responded that it applied the same standards to photos of male and female politicians, and that the art and photo editors who made the decision were women.

"We chose the most interesting image available to us to illustrate the theme of the cover, which is what we always try to do," editor Jon Meacham told the Huffington Post. "We apply the same test to photographs of any public figure, male or female: Does the image convey what we are saying? That is a gender-neutral standard."

The "controversial" photo had been previously published alongside an interview with Palin in Runner's World, where she had no objection to it. But once the image appeared on Newsweek's cover, Palin attacked it on her Facebook page.

"The choice of photo for the cover of this week's Newsweek is unfortunate," she wrote. "When it comes to Sarah Palin, this 'news' magazine has relished focusing on the irrelevant rather than the relevant. The Runner's World magazine one-page profile for which this photo was taken was all about health and fitness -- a subject to which I am devoted and which is critically important to this nation. The out-of-context Newsweek approach is sexist and oh-so-expected by now. If anyone can learn anything from it: it shows why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, gender, or color of skin. The media will do anything to draw attention -- even if out of context."