MIGHTY TINA

Your portrait of magazine dynamo Tina Brown (“Mighty Tina,” by Bill Thomas, Nov. 3) made her seem less admirable than obnoxious, probably because it is disturbing to see a traditionally behind-the-scenes post such as magazine editor turned into a preening pedestal by a narcissistic personality such as Brown.

Particularly chilling was her gloating over how Chico Mendes’ murder would give just the right “zip” to Vanity Fair’s story on the tropical rain forests. This hits at the core of what really bothers me about Vanity Fair. By constantly juxtaposing grave issues with celebrity fluff, the end result is the trivialization of everything it touches. The rain forests become about as relevant as Farrah’s new haircut.

JOANNE G. MURPHY

Los Angeles