Covering Culture: Fact vs. Personality

This fall, two very different publications; National Geographic Magazine and 7x7 San Francisco, covered the popular topics of local, organic farming and the “Slow Food Movement.” The September 2008 cover of National Geographic (NG), a society membership publication known for features on science discovery and global culture, showed the deeply embedded, tiny roots of a 12-year-old soy bean plant alongside the coverline, “Where Food Begins.” 7x7 Magazine, which covers regional culture in the seven square miles of San Francisco, showed carrots, summer squash, and yellow wax beans pulled from the soil and resting on a weathered piece of plywood for the August 2008 cover.

Both evoke the mood of earthiness and simplicity, but a reader can judge the magazine by the subtle differences on each cover. The bean sprout reminds onlookers of biology class, an image consistent with NG’s reporting approach and focus on science. 7x7’s arrangement of vegetables and large letters: “Eat + Drink” add a human connection and give the impression of cooking and dining.

Starting with a four-page feature entitled “The New Crop,” 7x7 covers Slow Food with a locally grown produce guide (with close-up photos of fruits and veggies) and an event list to the Slow Food Nation Labor Day celebration. The August issue includes a wide range of cultural content and even has an alternate cover photo of a pulled-pork sandwich from the Richmond District. Publisher Tom Hartle says, “We are in the midst of re-imagining what 7x7 can be.”

On the other hand, NG, with its audience and style nailed down, delivers a cover story on soil conservation throughout the world and back-of-the-book blips on organic lawn care, and 1950s soil erosion. Related to NG’s soil theme, coverage of organic farming and the Slow Food Movement begins (and ends) with a feature inside the Eco-Living Food section. Like 7x7, the feature is four pages long and portrays organic farming in a positive light.

Staying traditional, NG defines “eating green,” and describes the carbon footprint of a meal using quotes from researchers at schools like Cornell, University of Michigan, and NYU. Only two out of five photos in the simple layout show actual farmers; focus is on location, process, and products.

The article jumps right into Italy, where the Slow Food Movement began. NG quotes the Slow Food Italy president and marks out special meal regions on a map of Italy. The article switches from an image of Italian farmers testing a giant vat of parmesan cheese to the growing demand for organic food in Munich markets.

NG’s coverage slightly softens with profiles of a Scottish farmer who influenced markets in the town of Fife, and an Icelandic baker who uses underground geothermal heat to bake bread. However, images are hardly personal; the Fife farmer stands in the background of his greenhouse, and the only Icelandic image is one of sliced bread.

In 7x7’s “The New Crop,” author Sara Deseran focuses on four organic California farmers with photos revealing their faces and personalities. Deseran even personalizes each with a human interest story, and a cute, pun caption: “The City Slicker” is San Franciscan Jason Mark, an urban farmer who also helps teenagers from a local public housing community learn about cultivation, and “The Beverly Hillbilly” is David Retsky, who left Los Angeles urban life behind to farm in Petaluma.

Though both issues cover Slow Food, 7x7 reads like a narrative, explaining how farmers got interested and how they feel about it, and NG reads like a report, focusing on the world’s key organic farms. One reveals a personal profile of culture, while the other delivers historical roots, scientific facts, and hard data.