Palin: Newsweek Cover Photo Is 'Sexist' And 'Out Of Context'

Sarah Palin took aim at Newsweek on her Facebook page today, criticizing the magazine for using a "sexist" picture of her for its cover story this week.

The cover features a picture of Palin in a running outfit, taken from her August photo shoot with Runner's World magazine. Newsweek's headline is "How Do You Solve A Problem Like Sarah?"

Palin calls the choice of the picture "unfortunate," and decries "the out-of-context Newsweek approach" that is "sexist and oh-so-expected by now. If anyone can learn anything from it: it shows why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, gender, or color of skin. The media will do anything to draw attention - even if out of context."

For its part, Runner's World claims no prior knowledge of Newsweek's use of the photo, updating the August Palin slideshow with an editor's note:

On the cover of this week's issue of Newsweek is a photo that was shot for the August 2009 issue of Runner's World, in which Sarah Palin was featured on the monthly 'I'm a Runner' back page. Runner's World did not provide Newsweek with the image. Instead, it was provided to Newsweek by the photographer's agent, without Runner's World's knowledge or permission.

Late Update: Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), chairman of the Congressional Media Fairness Caucus, echoes Palin in a House floor speech by awarding Newsweek the "Lap Dog Award" for media bias. He cites previous Newsweek covers that portrayed Democrats Barack Obama, Al Gore, and Joe Biden in a more positive light than Palin's cover. Smith concludes: "If you just want the liberal slant, read Newsweek. If you want the facts and news, you might want to look elsewhere."

Watch the full speech here.