Newsweek’s decision to run a picture from Sarah Palin’s ill-advised Runner’s World photo shoot on its cover is being condemned as sexist by everyone from Palin herself to Media Matters, and rightfully so.* Some conservatives have also condemned the cover as demonstrating Newsweek’s liberal bias, which may also be true.

However, I think the most convincing explanation of the cover decision is not sexism or liberal bias, but economics. Newsweek is losing money and struggling to remain relevant in a 24/7 media culture. Running provocative covers is one of the few remaining ways that the magazine can create buzz, which should boost single-copy sales among marginal readers and increase readership (and consumption of advertising) among subscribers.

* Even more offensive is the the magazine’s decision to include a picture of a doll portraying Palin as a slutty schoolgirl inside the magazine.