Forbes on the cover of Forbes

Stephanie Clifford of the New York Times writes Monday about the uniqueness of Steve Forbes being on the cover of Forbes magazine.

Clifford writes, “The issue marks the first time in a long time that a Forbes has appeared on the magazine’s cover. Malcolm Forbes was featured on the cover after he died in 1990, and the founder B. C. Forbes was on the cover in 1952, for the publication’s 35th anniversary.

“‘Steve Forbes, our editor in chief, is internationally known for his economic expertise and analysis,’ said Monie Begley, a Forbes spokeswoman, in an e-mail message. ‘Who better to lead the discussion? The decision to put him on the cover was easy, and not his.’

“She said Mr. Forbes was ‘very cautious’ about his cover appearance, and declined to state who had the idea to put Mr. Forbes on the cover, saying that it had been a ‘group decision’ and that Mr. Forbes had not attended that editorial meeting. Ben Baker, a photographer who has taken portraits of Rudolph W. Giuliani, Barack Obama and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, took the photo.”

Read more here.