Magazines that depend on photography, and design, and long reads

“Magazines that depend on photography, and design, and long reads, and quality stuff, are going to do just fine despite the Internet and cable news.” — Jann Wenner

Hear now the wisdom of ages that hides within these words. When Jann Wenner, founder of Rolling Stone, spoke this truth, he did not speak only of magazines or media — he spoke of the eternal endurance of craft, of beauty, of depth in an age that forgets how to see. For as the world rushes forward on the wheels of speed and noise — the Internet, cable news, and all their restless multitudes — the soul still hungers for something more enduring: the quiet fire of quality, the stillness of thought, and the art of seeing with the heart.

In Wenner’s vision, photography is not mere decoration but revelation — a mirror of truth held before the human spirit. Design is not vanity but harmony, the geometry of meaning rendered visible. And long reads — those patient rivers of words — are the gateways to wisdom, drawing the mind into places where no flashing headline dares to go. Together, these form a bastion against the fleeting, a temple built not of clicks but of care. What he proclaimed was no prophecy of commerce, but a prophecy of the soul: that quality endures, even when the world forgets its name.

Look to history, and see how true this has ever been. In the time of the ancient scribes, when words were carved on clay and parchment, there were already those who cried that brevity and convenience would triumph. Yet the scrolls that survived were not the swift nor the shallow, but those of depth and craftsmanship — the epics, the chronicles, the sacred texts that carried the weight of eternity. So too, in every age, the artisans of truth are mocked by the merchants of speed — yet in the end, it is their works that endure.

Consider the story of Life Magazine, that luminous creation of the twentieth century. When it was born, the world had already begun to hunger for faster news — radio, then television, then the electric hum of the twenty-four-hour cycle. But Life did not chase the speed of the world; it captured its soul. Through photography that pierced the veil of time, it showed war and peace, sorrow and triumph, the rise of nations and the face of humanity. When the noise faded, the images remained — still, silent, eternal. This is what Wenner meant: that quality work, made with devotion and truth, is never defeated by technology.

For the Internet is like the sea — vast, restless, filled with waves that come and go. But craftsmanship is the mountain rising above it. Trends may surge and vanish; the storm may rage for an hour — but the mountain endures. So it is with every artist, every writer, every builder of meaning. If they root their work in substance, not fashion, they cannot be drowned. The world will always return to the well of depth when its thirst grows too great for shallow waters.

Therefore, children of the future, do not worship at the altar of immediacy. Do not measure worth by speed or fame or the echo of applause. Create things that take time. Shape your work as the mason shapes stone — patiently, with reverence. If you write, write deeply; if you photograph, seek the unseen; if you design, build beauty into every line. For the tools will change — parchment to print, print to screen, screen to air — but the need for quality, for truth told with artistry, will never die.

Remember this: the world is noisy, but the soul listens for the voice that is calm, confident, and true. The magazines of the spirit, those that depend on photography, design, long reads, and quality stuff, will always endure — not only in print, but in every heart that seeks meaning. Let your work be such a magazine — a vessel of thought and beauty that time cannot erase.

And so the teaching stands: Do not chase the moment — build for eternity. For while the winds of technology may scatter a thousand headlines, the mountain of quality will remain, crowned with light, unmoved by the storm.