The media's lousy these days with cautionary copy about the rise of methamphetamine and its attendant "tweaker" culture. But when Westword staff writer David Holthouse spent four days with a group of upwardly mobile Denver meth freaks on a high-end speed binge, he came back with a story like no other. Beginning at an upscale Colorado party pad and eventually leading all the way to the Las Vegas Strip and back, Holthouse's tale puts the lie to the myth of meth as a white-trash drug. A companion piece by Westword staffer Alan Prendergast details the staggering costs and freakish health risks that methheads impose on local communities.
A new study conducted by the Center for Survey and Research Analysis at the University of Connecticut found that voters who use the Internet -- regardless of party affiliation -- are highly engaged with politics online.
Last week, Howard Dean of Vermont, a onetime dark-horse presidential candidate who is suddenly -- to political insiders almost inexplicably -- leading the pack of Democratic candidates, undertook a 10-city, three-day flyaround of America. The "Sleepless Summer Tour," it was called -- in conscious rebuke of President George W. Bush's alleged inaction in the face of America's problems. Three AAN papers went along for the ride. The Memphis Flyer's Jackson Baker found in Dean a 21st century remake of "Give 'Em Hell" Harry Truman.
Similar to the way it sells network radio, Clear Channel has organized its 71 stations in California into eight statewide advertising networks. Each of the networks groups its stations by demographics, such as the Female Voter Network (23 stations), the 50-Plus Mature Adult Network (26), News/Talk (12) and the Coastal Network (37). Candidates can also purchase individual stations.
Advertising news and legal issues to be covered
With half of all Americans pulling on joysticks and the game industry topping both music and film in total receipts, video games might seem ripe for regular review by AAN papers. But an informal survey conducted by AAN News reveals fewer than a dozen regular columns focused on video games, and more editors and publishers with reasons not to attempt it. "Games have yet to seep into the cultural consciousness and become part of the daily language as movies have," says Village Voice "Joystick" columnist Nick Catucci. "But that's changing."
National Rifle Association member and right-wing firebrand Bob Barr was hired recently to write a regular column for the Creative Loafing chain's flagship paper in Atlanta. Editor Ken Edelstein hopes that publishing Barr will broaden readers' perspectives -- and spice up the paper. "Alternative newspapers tend to be a bit predictable, and having a guest columnist who adds another dimension is a good thing," he tells AAN News.
While everyone talks about fundraising over the Web, this year’s presidential candidates hope to use the Internet for much more. As the 2004 election war dance begins, David S. Bernstein of The Boston Phoenix looks at the latest cyber-weapons in the political arsenal -- everything from MeetUps to e-mail address capturing to quasi-official blogs. And Camille Dodero grades the Democratic candidates' Web sites, including "what makes you gag."
Preliminary data from a report Pew is to release this fall shows pattern in which the older tech elite, ages 42 to 62, are fond of technologies yet fall back on more traditional ways and means of doing things.
