Media / Stephen Colbert Colbert Guest-Edits Newsweek Will stay in character as ultra-conservative host By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff Posted Jun 3, 2009 10:25 AM CDT Copied In this April 17, 2008 file photo, Stephen Colbert, host of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report," appears on the show's set at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, file) The redesigned Newsweek is trying to drum up some buzz. To that end, editor Jon Meacham brought in its first guest editor: Stephen Colbert. The comedian—in character as the host of The Colbert Report—was at the helm for the next issue and “had input into what the stories are going to be,” Colbert tells the New York Observer. He assured readers the content was treated seriously. At a recent lunch with Colbert, “I was just very impressed with the range of his knowledge and he had an almost encyclopedic feel for anything that came up,” Meacham said, adding that he knows some may take issue with the stunt. Colbert’s duties included helping design the cover, writing an editor’s note, and printing all his unpublished letters to the editor. The issue hits newsstands Monday. (More Stephen Colbert stories.) Report an error