AKIPRESS.COM - TIME's annual list of the 100 Most Influential People explores the intersection of accomplishment and renown.
Global leaders like President Trump and China’s Xi Jinping are in the company of athletes, entertainers and even an architect.
The magazine is publishing five different covers graced by people from the list: Melinda Gates, Jeff Bezos, Viola Davis, Riz Ahmed and John Legend.
Nancy Gibbs, editor-in-chief of Time magazine, told CBS some of those featured on this year’s list and how it comes together.
Gibbs explained that the selection process is a year-long conversation. Those considered and ultimately chosen are “not just people who are powerful in traditional senses but people who are fascinating, who are moving the needle in whatever different field. For good or bad.”
Often as interesting as those on the list are the people who write about them for the magazine. This year, Henry Kissinger wrote about Jared Kushner and Elton John wrote about James Corden.
Kissinger’s words about Kushner ended with, “All this should help him make a success of his daunting role flying close to the sun.”
Kushner is joined on the list by four others from the Trump administration, including Ivanka Trump.
“Any time you have a new administration, you know, we’re watching these people very closely. But in this case, they came in, in most cases, with so little experience in government and such a promise through the campaign they were going to blow it up anyway, that we knew things were not going to be the same in the West Wing as they had been before,” Gibbs said.
Directors Ava DuVernay, Barry Jenkins and Jordan Peele are also on the list this year. Gibbs said they, and others, were chosen because “they are leaving their mark on their medium by being multi-talented in ways that are just extraordinary,” Gibbs said.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis is the only religious leader to appear on the list this year.
“He continues to make his voice heard far beyond the pulpit that he would normally command,” Gibbs said.