AltWeeklies Wire
Lawyers, Asian Carp and Money in Illinoisnew
Nothing was normal about this fishing expedition. The water, not a natural pond or stream. The temperature, well below freezing. We weren't allowed on the fishing boats, our guides told us, because it wasn't safe today.
Chicago Reader |
Ryan Chew |
03-29-2010 |
Environment
What Sort of Woman Reads 'Playboy'? Meet Peggy Wilkinsnew
Teen detective Nancy Drew, of all people, led Peggy Wilkins to Playboy. It was July 1978 in Michigan, and 13-year-old Peggy was a huge fan of the TV series. That summer the actress who played Nancy, Pamela Sue Martin, appeared on the cover of Playboy.
Chicago Reader |
Katie Buitrago |
02-08-2010 |
The War on Women
Does 'Mother Jones' Know Best?new
Foundation funding and collaboration, touted as the way forward for news, have their own pitfalls.
Chicago Reader |
Michael Miner |
11-30-2009 |
Media
Is it Too Easy to Clobber a Cabbie in Chicago?new
Walid Ziada's fellow cabbies say his attackers are getting off lightly -- despite a new Illinois law intended to protect taxi drivers.
Chicago Reader |
Kari Lydersen |
10-19-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Did an Army-Issue Antimalarial Drug Drive a Solider to Suicide?new
Criticism of the military's use of Lariam has continued to build since John Torres' death. "If it predisposes you to paranoia, anger, psychosis, is it appropriate to expose a company of people with automatic weapons?" army doctor Remington Nevin wonders.
Chicago Reader |
Kari Lydersen |
09-28-2009 |
War
Could Less Star Power and More Depth Save the Chicago Sun-Times?new
Journalists who don't get their pictures in the paper alongside their stories tend to both envy and suspect the ones who do, believing those pictures fatten their paychecks, win them better tables in restaurants, and turn them into commodities.
Chicago Reader |
Michael Miner |
09-21-2009 |
Media
European Report Shatters the Myth of the Olympics' Economic Benefitsnew
While boosters predict that hosting the 2016 Olympics would bring Illinois $22.5 billion, a crucial report from the European Tour Operators Association came to the conclusion that "there appears to be little evidence of any benefit to tourism of hosting an Olympic Games, and considerable evidence of damage."
Chicago Reader |
Deanna Isaacs |
09-21-2009 |
Economy
The News Wars Are Comingnew
If it's fight or die on the new media landscape, does anyone think traditional media won't fight? The classic portents of serious battle are converging.
Chicago Reader |
Michael Miner |
08-17-2009 |
Media
The Peculiar Challenges of Archiving Newspapers in the Information Agenew
Newspapers are practicing a journalism that will probably turn out to be as different from tomorrow's as it is from yesterday's. Transitional periods are fascinating as they happen and damned hard later to reconstruct. How complete will the record be of this one?
Chicago Reader |
Michael Miner |
07-07-2009 |
Media
Here Comes the Judge: The Web's Anything-Goes Era Can't Last Forevernew
In short, pretty much anything goes on the internet. But many signs suggest the courts aren't happy with this state of affairs, and web hosts don't expect it to last.
Chicago Reader |
Michael Miner |
06-15-2009 |
Media
Chicago May Have Leased out Its Parking Meters for a Fraction of Their Worthnew
The Daley administration hid its process for privatizing Chicago's parking meters from the public and the City Council. Now, three months into the deal, new evidence suggests the taxpayers were hosed out of billions of dollars.
Chicago Reader |
Ben Joravsky and Mick Dumke |
05-18-2009 |
Policy Issues
Does 'The Sun' Have Anything to Teach the Miserable Newspaper?new
Sy Safransky, The Sun's founder, editor, and publisher, doesn’t worry about advertising falling off because the Sun carries none. The readers, almost all of them subscribers, pay the freight.
Chicago Reader |
Michael Miner |
04-13-2009 |
Media
The Story of Chicago's Parking Meter Lease Dealnew
How Mayor Daley and his crew hid their process from the public, ignored their own rules, railroaded the City Council, and screwed the taxpayers on the parking meter lease deal.
Chicago Reader |
Ben Joravsky and Mick Dumke |
04-10-2009 |
Policy Issues
When Chicago's Slush Fund Dries Upnew
The TIF kitty is still growing, per the county clerk's annual report -- but it may not be growing fast enough to cover the bets Chicago has made against it.
Chicago Reader |
Ben Joravsky |
11-10-2008 |
Policy Issues
Voters Think the Media Favors Obama -- Do Endorsements Prove Them Right?new
Obama has rolled up the press like jitterbuggers rolling up a rec room rug. Not only have the dailies that always endorse the Democrat endorsed another, but reliably Republican papers have taken an existential leap into contrariness.
Chicago Reader |
Michael Miner |
11-03-2008 |
Media
