Lance Armstrong during this year's Tour de France has been hosting a podcast and writing an accompanying blog for Outside magazine, a "giant step back into the public eye" for him, according to Juliet Macur of the N.Y. TIMES. But while Armstrong can "make for interesting listening, not everyone is celebrating his return." Commenters on Outside’s Facebook page are "overwhelmingly anti-Armstrong, saying they are disappointed that the magazine gave Armstrong a platform." Still, many "gave the podcast post a Facebook thumbs-up." Outside VP and editor Christopher Keyes said that he and his fellow editors "expected their choice to be controversial." But he said that Outside "partnered with Armstrong anyway after hearing his weekly podcast, 'The Forward.'" Keyes said that Outside is "not paying Armstrong for his blogging." Macur notes Armstrong's podcast, called "Stages," made its debut this month on the U.S. iTunes charts at No. 10. Keyes said that Armstrong’s blog had been "good enough and that he would consider inviting him back for next year’s Tour" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/19).
