Cotton wool publishing

There's a puzzling picture roll on MSNBC's Newsweek site, where the news magazine's current regional covers are on display. The Afghanistan carnage is the focus of the magazine in Europe, Asia and Latin America, whereas the USA gets the biog of celeb photographer Annie Leibovitz.
I don't know whether international events are covered as comprehensively in the US edition (I find the European version a reasonably good read), but the curious choice of cover makes me wonder whether the editorial desk considers that Americans aren't as interested in the Afghanistan carnage, or whether they must simply be shielded from unpleasant subjects.
I also wonder how media manipulation is perceived in the US, especially in the week where Bill Clinton's incredible Fox interview hit the news over here.
Maybe I'm just reading too much into this.

Tags: Media; Politics