Reflecting on almost 50 years as an editor at the Economist, Barbara Smith, in a valedictory column of 2003, offered a revealing anecdote. “How do you write like the Economist?”, a new recruit asked a senior editor when composing their first leader for the title. Simple, came the response. “Pretend you are God.”
Since its founding in 1843 the Economist has radiated an aura of omniscience. A weekly magazine that calls itself a paper, its most distinctive feature is that its articles are unsigned. Editors and writers work anonymously in London and in 21 bureaux across the world, despatching summaries and special reports on global affairs in tones that are as imperious as they are complacent. World leaders and business executives pay tribute at its offices and each year Britain’s chancellor of the exchequer invites the editors to Downing Street to discuss the Budget. In 2016, Barack Obama became the first US president to write a signed editorial for it.
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