There's really no way to summarize or describe this section; it simply offers lots of tools that may lead reporters and editors to useful tips or information. Casual browsers may get the most out of this page.  Many sites also come and go more quickly than one can keep abreast of them.

Contents of this page:

• REPORTER'S ONLINE SERVICES
• ALTERNATIVE PUBLICATIONS (e-zines and online publications)
• SPECIALTY SITES

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Acc-u-data:

• A for-profit searching organization that claims access to 41 public record databases that they will search for a fee. The company operates out of Orange City, Fla.

Ad Council:

• This agency is meant to perform a public service through advertising.
• The organization has given us Rosie the Riveter and Smokey the Bear, among others. Whether one considers such characters public servants or not is up for grabs.

A Journalist's Guide to the Internet:

• Based on Prof. Christopher Callahan's book (1998, Allyn & Bacon), this is a comprehensive guide for journalists on where to search for resources
• Callahan is Assistant Dean of the College of Journalism at the U. of Maryland in College Park, Md.

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Agence-France Presse:

• I'm always a little amazed that so few journalism students and professional journalists are familiar with this premium news service.
• For sports fans, especially those interested in soccer and rugby, AFP recently began a free (for the time being) sports service. Check it at:

AJR/Newslink:

• One of the most comprehensive sources of information in, on or about newspapers and other media. The American Journalism Review is part of this page.
• AJR Joblink is claiming to bring together job-searchers and employers among the 500,000 visitors it attracts each month. Tends to attract smaller publications.

Albion Monitor:

• An online newspaper that aims to "bring you news and commentary you don't get anywhere else." This enterprise comes out of Sonoma County, Calif.

American Press Institute (API)

• One of the premier providers of seminars and courses for editors and reporters. API is now offering online courses.
• A neat listing of resources compiled by Mindy McAdams resides here.
• Don't be lured into the URL of api.org; that's the American Petroleum Institute. Of course, there's some interesting news there, too.

American Society of Newspaper Editors:

• One of the finest professional organizations for editors, this site provides many links to journalism resources and newspapers online.
• They post selections from The American Editor here, although time and staffing keep the posts behind the print version. No matter, it remains one of journalism's most provocative magazines.

APBNews.com (formerly APBOnline):

• A collection of police and crime news in the form of a wire service.

APME (Associated Press Managing Editors):

• The fastest place to get to the "industry news" of the Associated Press.
• Also contains a PDF format version of APME's magazine.

Assignment Editor:

This site calls itself the "newsroom home page" and claims to provide great tips for reporters and TV producers looking for story ideas.

Its index is worth a look, but deep access is going to cost a subscriber about $120 annually.

Canadian Association of Journalists:

• Heavily influenced by Ottawa's Carleton University, this site boasts a fine magazine and a good set of journalist's links.

Center for Public Integrity:

• A Washington-based investigative organization that provides some high-powered exposes of the government and other organizations.
• An example would be its alarming report called, "The Buying of Congress."

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Chicago Headline Club:

• One of the more active chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists.
• A good site for keeping track of news of journalism in the upper Midwest.

Chicago Journalist:

• The professional online journal of the Chicago Headline Club. Online CJ is condensed version of print magazine that goes to members.
• This is one of the most active chapters of the national Society of Professional Journalists.

Chronicle of Philanthropy:

• Keep up with non-profit operations in the nation.
• This is sister publication of the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Columbia Journalism Review:

• A valuable source. They've introduced a resource section called Cybersources, and a section on the history of journalism called War Stories.
• This link will also lead to the listing of Pulitzer Prize winners, which is maintained by the University's new media lab run by Prof. John Pavlik.

CommerceNet:

• Does research on the use of the Internet. Valuable resource for those trying to defend online journalism.

Committee of Concerned Journalists:

• A group spearheading the Project for Excellence in Journalism that hopes to raise professional standards that many feel have slipped in recent years.

Committee to Protect Journalists:

• It may seem farfetched to be worrying about attacks on journalists, but if one reads CPJ's monthly reports, which are included at this site, it becomes clear that reporting can be hazardous to one's health and one's life.
• Each March, CPJ updates its annual report on violence against journalists.

Conservative News Service:

• This site's crew in Washington, D.C., takes pride in likening themselves to PBS without federal support.
• Claiming to provide the right news right now -- a bad pun, I might add -- this young organization seems to place emphasis on its political position.
• I hate being a naysayer, but this appears to be another home for the tiring tirades against the "liberal news media."

Contentious:

• Anyone who writes for a Web publication should check this site, which is designed for those who provide content for Web sites. Calls itself a monthly Web-zine.

Daily News of Zippo News Service (now NewsGuy.com):

• Something of an off-beat online news service that goes out and captures everything on the Web for its subscribers. With this service, Net users may avoid a separate Usenet application.
• This site has greatly improved and may be one of the best ways to filter newsgroups.

DrKoop.com:

• Researchers in the health field will find this site, spearheaded by former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett "Chick" Koop, a worthwhile visit.
• Its news archive, dependent on Reuters, is a good place to begin checking health news.

Earth Times:

• A site for environmentalists. Its organizers expect to update it daily, and my last checks indicate they are doing so. NetGuide magazine began 1997 by giving it a bookmark plug. I don't claim any expertise in environmental journalism, but this looks like a place I'd hang around if I were developing that interest.
• This site has a remarkable resemblance to the New York Times' site, and for good reason. The people behind Earth Times appear to have some deep past connections with the NYT.

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Editorial Eye:

• Claims a slightly different view of the news. Actually a fine reference site that offers an alphabetical index of reviews and articles from its newsletter. For example, in the A's, one finds both AltaVista and the AP Style Book reviewed.
• This is also a great site for jobs for writers, but their net goes wider than journalism.

Part of the Lycos network, this is an international, daily wire service posting news about the environment.

Basically, it is the special section of the Lycos News portal.  A good place to get stories about the global environment.

FACSNET: ****A must site for serious journalists

• Sponsored by the Foundation for American Communications, joined by The Detroit News and the San Diego Computer Center, this site offers help to journalists using the Internet. It tries, in its way, to police the data that's available and is organized around beats. Well worth a visit. This is one organization and Web site that's trying hard to avoid commercialization of journalism on the Internet.
• As FACSNET grows, it's becoming one of the most valuable sites for working journalists. Most recently, it has gotten cooperation from the Law School at Cornell University to provide summaries of current Supreme Court cases. This may be the best spot on the Internet for journalists looking for a quick read of the high court.
• Another great feature of FACSNET's site is an "enhanced" version of the AP morning news wire, with key e-mail and Internet contacts related to the breaking news stories.

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FAIR: Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting:

• Every journalist should take a monthly if not weekly visit to FAIR to get a handle on bias in the news media. There's a fascinating report on how disc jockey Rush Limbaugh gets his facts wrong in his political commentary.
• There's also access to one of FAIR's booklets entitled, "How to detect bias in the media."

Front Porch Forum:

• The Seattle Times, the Poynter Institute and three Seattle broadcasting stations have cooperated to offer this experiment in "civic journalism."
• Basically, FPF provides an opportunity for citizens to discuss issues with organizations.
• A good place to understand "civic" or "public" journalism, but the jury is still out on its future.

Glossary of Mathematical Mistakes:

• Anyone who has ever goofed in adding up a bill or balancing a checkbook or tried to divide a pie into nine equal pieces is bound to love the content of this fascinating site.

Guestfinder:

• Maintained by a former journalist, this site may be more attuned to broadcast journalism.
• It lists authors, experts, spokespersons, entertainers and others who are available for media interviews. Some story ideas may emerge from browsing here.

D3 Hoops:   .

• All you'd like to know about Division III basketball, both men's and women's.
  

Institute for Alternative Journalism:

• When one reads what the IAJ seeks to accomplish, it sounds an awful lot like the ideals that drew many into journalism in the first place.
• Basically, this organization thinks democracy in America is being destroyed by agenda-building corporate media groups and the conservative right wing.

Institute for Public Accuracy:

• This Washington, D.C.-based organization's stated purpose is to counter the assertions and research of large think tanks by bringing other perspectives to the attention of the news media.

International Trademark Association:

• This organization maintains this "trademark checklist" specifically for the media.
• A handy guide and reference for reporters and editors.

Internet Movie Database:

• Need information about a movie? Go here. Watch out, though, one can easily get hooked and spend more time than intended browsing this site.

Internet News Bureau:

• Everything about press releases is available here.
• This is basically an e-mailing service for anyone who wants to put the word out about his or her organization, product or what-have-you. Spare me!

Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE):

• May be the best site for reporters who want to delve into online research and reporting.
• A good list of key sites for reporters here, a link that may be the best way to discover key organizations of journalists.
• Anyone wanting to see how far computers have come in journalism in the past decade should simply compare the first (1983) and fourth (2002) editions of IRE's book, The Reporter's Handbook.  This is a key text, especially for journalism students, and the latest edition provides scores of Web references.

JForum:  After 16 years of operation, this site closed in May, 2001.  Check the note at the URL.

• A resource site of the Online Press Club, the journalism chatroom of Compuserve.

Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication:

• A scholarly journal devoted to research in journalism. Published by the Annenberg School of Communication at the U. of Southern California, this appears to be top-notch scholarship at its best with a distinctive bent toward electronic journalism.
• The September 1998 number is devoted entirely to "Online Journalism." By the way, there appears to be no charge to subscribe to this highbrow journal.

"Journalism and the Internet" (City U. of London, England):

• This site provides results from a British Library sponsored study of the impact of the Internet of the behavior of journalists seeking information.
• The site is maintained by the Information science department of the City University of London.
• Each year, City University sponsors a conference called NetMedia that examines the interface of reporting and the Internet.

Journalism and Writer's Resources (AFF):

• AFF (American Family Foundation) studies psychological manipulation and cultic practices (sounds like a cult deprogramming service).
• Its index for journalists is much wider ranging. A good set of tools here.

Journalism History:

• This is the site of the academic journal related to the history of journalism.  Unfortunately, the compilation is of references to the print version.
• The University of Nevada at Las Vegas sponsors this site, and their school of journalism is worth a look. This is one of the swiftest growing regions in the country.

Journalist's Compass:

• An online guide to computer-assisted research with many references to online resources for journalists.
• Maintained by Temple University's Edward J. Trayes.

• Site claims to expose junk science, or, as it defines such junk: "bad science used to further a special agenda."

Key Resources for Journalists and Researchers:

• The title explains itself. Contains lots of hints for the city desk.
• A family-run operation with a great ticket of story ideas for reporters.

Media Culture Review:

• An online look at media, technology and culture. A publication of the San Francisco-based Institute for Alternative Journalism (see above). Changes monthly.
• One issue is devoted to children on the Internet, with the over-riding question: "Where is the new media taking us?"

MediaGossip:  *****Site now more of a search engine than a gossip machine.

• Used to be one way of keeping abreast of the fast-paced changes in the media world. Heavy on television. (Which should come as no surprise.)
• One can still track valuable sites here, but it's hardly gossippy anymore.

Media History:

• Designed like a magazine and supposedly a resource for the history of newspapers and other media. Deserves more attention than it gets.

Media Matrix:

• Tracks Web usage with a battery of persons who have their machines monitored to allow recording of their Web-surfing activities.

Media Research Center:

• Claims to be bringing balance to the liberal media. Seems rather to serve as a platform and propaganda arm for conservative media voices.

Mining Company (Now "About:  The Human Internet"):

• A collaborative effort at providing entree to topical Web pages with multiple links that have been evaluated. So far, it covers things from abuse to zines.
• Individual Web site operators can sign up to become guides who maintain a topical site for a commission from the parent organization.

Morrock News Service:

• An online daily newspaper formerly known as The Daily News Current, this appears to be a one-man-operation-with-friends attempting to carve a niche in the online news world.
• Contains an interesting collection of quotations about journalism.

National Association of Science Writers:

• Site is basically a brochure for interested writers who'd like to join the association.

National Catholic Reporter:

• This weekly independent publication provides the best single source of world and national news that is about or that affects the Roman Catholic Church in America.
• The NCR is published in Kansas City, Mo., and operates small bureaus in Washington, D.C., and in Los Angeles as well as having regular correspondents in places such as Tucson, Ariz., and Tenafly, N.J.

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National Fraud Information Center:

• This site appears designed more for concerned citizens than specifically for journalists, but it also appears to be a good place to hang around for tips and story leads.

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National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting (NICAR):

• This is the place for people who want to be on the cutting edge of computer-assisted journalism.
• Browsers probably need to be up on their use of spreadsheet software before tackling this page's offerings.
• Has good references and some exercises for wannabe experts in CAR. Is a program sponsored by IRE (see above).

National Lobbyist Directory:

• A valuable tool in a journalist's box, especially at election time.

National Press Club:

• The most prestigious press club in America maintains this site, and it's improving all the time.
• The NPC posts its weekly newsletter to this site, but one may need membership to access it. No membership needed to access the daily calendar of events in the Washington building.
• Among the many links available here are Reuters news briefs.

National Press Foundation:

• Site provides, in addition to a cartoon gallery, a host of information for working journalists, especially those pursuing a hot issue in the news.
• Not exactly an academic institution, but one that provides lots of guidance and teaching.

National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences:

• Tries to follow news of science that makes it into the daily headlines.

National Society of Newspaper Columnists:

• Recently revamped, but a long time between updates, this site gives access to several lesser known columnists in the newspaper world, including yours truly, who is a member and whose columns, under the rubrics of Pacific Sunday Meanderings and Online Meanderings can be read online.
• Columnists will find lots of understanding comfort on these pages, and columnist Charles Memminger of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin is attempting to begin a "shareware" syndicate with members' columns, but so far has been frustrated by the logistics and costs of the venture.
• Some interesting discussion of issues found at this site, but one has to prowl for it.

Newhouse Net List #1:

• A compilation of online news lists for journalists with instruction on how to subscribe and details of what each list offers.
• If one is an e-mail junkie, this is the sight to visit.

Newspage:

• Touts itself as the place for insider information.
• Some call it a replacement for News Mait's "intelligence report"; that is, a place where ex-editors and reporters (or current employees) get to tattle anonymously on their employers, but it has yet to attain News Mait's legendary status.

Newspaper Association of America:

• A good source for reporters even though the target audience is editors, managers, and production or circulation executives.
• The NAA's magazine, Presstime, is online with lots of valuable information at this site. NAA also chooses the best newspaper Web sites for each year.

Newspaper Guild:

• The site of the strongest newspaper union.
• Unions have not been strong in the past decade and many corporate owners have tried to break them resulting in many prolonged strikes. Good examples of such conflict exist in Pittsburgh and in Detroit.

Newswise:

• Good site for journalist's tools, especially for science and business beat reporters.
• Also contains nice listing of deadlines for journalism awards and prizes.

Nieman Fellowships:

• This belongs with our academic sites.
• Home of the most prestigious fellowship for journalists.
• A good site for high powered discussion of issues within journalism, especially in the "Nieman Reports" quarterly.

Nobel Prize Archives:

• A collection of information on the prizes, the winners and lots of links to follow.
• And, as advised at this site, don't fail to check out Harvard University's Ig Nobel Prize Awards.

NUA.Net (Survey of Internet Users):

• Trying to keep up with the expanding Net.

Online News Association:

• This new organization aims to be a bridge between traditional print newspaper values and journalistic values online.
• Well planned, and I suspect its membership will blossom quickly; in fact, I suspect we will one day be marking 1999 as the year that online journalism established itself as legitimate.

Orato: The global soapbox:

• A call for journalists, photographers and videographers to tell their stories in their own words, first-person style.
• Some might call this a place for digital new journalism. Most would raise red flags at this site. Many say the Internet allows anyone to be a journalist; Orato may prove such a claim to be so.

Organization of Newspaper Ombudsmen:

• Title tells it all. A small group of influential journalists who ostensibly represent the readers of their respective publications and speak against or in defense of the newspaper without fear of reprisal from the publisher. At least, that how it 'spose to work.

Ottaway News Extra (ONE):

• A kind of news-room-on-the-Web provided by the Ottaway newspaper group and maintained by the Middleton (NY) Times Herald-Record.
• Lots of interesting stuff for desk editors here.

PACfinder:

• Home of the Almanac of Federal PACs. Unfortunately, one must either purchase the almanac or pay a user fee to work with it online.

Pacific News Service:

• Anyone with an interest in the developing world on the other side of Japan and among the thousands of islands in the largest ocean on earth will find this site of interest.

Philadelphia Writers Organization:

• A group for freelance writers with lots of tools and links of value to journalists.

Project Gutenberg:

• Quite simply an attempt to put every book that is in the public domain online and watch the copies multiply.

Power Reporting:

An investigative reporter and computer-assisted reporting consultant for the Boston Globe, Bill Dedman maintains this site that links to just about every tool a reporter or editor could want.

Powerful site as Dedman does professionally what WebSites for Journalists attempts in a more casual manner.

PWAC (Periodical Writers Association of Canada):

• This site has a fine list of resources, several not familiar to journalists from the United States. This organization is made up mostly of freelancers.
• I have a peculiar familial interest in journalism in Newfoundland. This is one of the few sites I've located with links to journalism "on the Rock". (Copy editors note: I put the period outside the quotation marks to satisfy my Canadian friends.)

Recording Industry Association of America:

• Entertainment editors will find this nifty little site a big help in determining how recordings have sold.

Religion in the news:

• A scholarly approach to the question of why so much hostility persists in the U.S. media toward coverage of religion.
• Writer and scholar Mark Silk heads up this organization, supported by a grant from the Pew Foundation, at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn.

Religion News Resources: ****May be the best religion link on the Web.

• Zondervan is one of the largest religious book publishers, and is now a part of the massive Harpers publishing company.
• This site, maintained by Zondervan, is probably the best single link to religion news resources for journalists on the Web.
• It one failing may be its overwhelming number of conservative-leaning links.

Religion News Service:

• Owned by Newhouse, this is the place to find how the world's religions are making news. Anyone who thinks there's no news to be found in religion is sadly mistaken and ill informed. The two major Texas newspapers in Houston and Dallas have made serious commitments to religion news and keep online readers abreast as well.
• There's a mild disappointment in store for anyone coming to this site looking for research tools for doing investigations of religion news. The RNS is in business to sell stories, not necessarily to provide resources for journalists.
• "Scoop Cybersleuth" of the Evansville Courier (see below) points to a fine collection of "religious interest" links.

Religion Newswriters Association:

• Seems to have its Web house in order after some stuttering.
• A fine organization, but its WWW site is little more than a promotional brochure.

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

• An interesting site that promotes its booklet guides written by lawyers on methods of assuring open government.
• Protecting journalists from the unconstitutional application of the law against their work is an important aspect of the organization's work.

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Reporter's Guide to Internet Mailing Lists:

• Everything anyone ever needs to know about subscribing to and using e-mail mailing lists to do research and keep abreast of the field. This site was begun by Timothy Broeker, the ex-editor of the Minnesota Daily Online, the online newspaper of the U. of Minnesota.
• Broeker is now online Webmastering an opinion site related to law and politics.
• The U. of Minnesota newspaper is an excellent example of high-powered student electronic journalism and has been named as the best student-produced newspaper on the Web.

Reporters net:

• Go here for someone who keeps abreast of things more frequently than I do. They also provide a directory of news people online.
• Reporters can also sign up here for an e-mail address that will forward e-mail to wherever one designates.
• Located on the reporters' net is The National Freedom of Information Coalition.

Resources for Economists on the Internet:

• Bill Goffe at the University of Southern Mississippi maintains this site that could be a good place for journalists covering business and economics to begin their research.

Science Week:

• A weekly that posts daily news briefs with science content.
• Calls itself "A weekly e-mail digest of news of science."
• Nothing fancy here, just a scrolling of briefs. As new ones are added old ones disappear.

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Scoop Cybersleuth:

• A clean, quick gathering of links for journalists maintained by the Evansville Courier. A good example of a small newspaper's tools for the Internet.

Searchable Newspaper Archives (Ecola):

• By newspaper and region, one can hunt down articles.
• A bit of a hyperlink trick here, though, as this site sends you to the individual newspapers' search pages, which are very uneven in their offerings. Still a valuable tool.

Smoking Gun:

• Might be considered a search engine, but a very exclusive one.
• Claims to find documents that can't be found elsewhere on the Web. Its material is gleaned from government documents, FOI requests, court files, etc.
• A healthy whimsy seems to permeate this site.

Society of Environmental Journalists:

• A self-explanatory site of the Philadelphia-based organization. In the same vein, another group, Ecotopics International covers environmental and human rights issues at its site.
• Browsers with a particular interest in environmental issues in Texas should check the site at the Texas Environmental Center; although, this site, which is connected to Rice University, goes well beyond Texas in its environmental concerns and houses an extensive library.

Society of Newspaper Design:

• All the QuarkXPress, Photoshop, and Pagemaker mavens of the world of journalism should know about this organization and its site.
• It's included here as well as in the photographic index for the benefit of editors who might not go near a photo list. They would be shortchanging themselves by not knowing about the SND.
• Anyone with graphic interests who is looking for a job would do well to investigate this site's listing.
• A caveat would be the tendency here toward the notion that design drives the newspaper.

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Society of Professional Journalists:

• Working with Indiana University's School of Journalism, the society re-launched its page on January 1, 1997, and it looks hot. Go here to see the organization's professional journal, The Quill, which often provides great tips for online research.
• Updating its pages appears to be a chore for the SPJ, but I can relate.
• One of the national organization's most active chapters is in Washington, D.C.

SourceNet:

• Primarily a source database for public relations contacts and directors.
• SourceNet only works for journalists who post a query.  When one needs information on a specific topic or needs to find a source or to book a guest or find an example of a company working in a specific sector, SourceNet can help.

Sportsline:

• A fine site, but it will cost to hang around it. For about $5 per month (plus telephone costs), one can follow every pitch of every baseball game in progress in multimedia splendor.

SportQuest (SIRC):

• A Canadian site from the Sports Information Resource Center in Ontario.
• SIRC was formed as a library of information for the coaching profession in Canada, and is trying to extend its information resources on the Web.

Stateline.org:

• A news and research tool aimed at those who cover state governments.

States News Service:

• SNS provides Washington coverage for all the small newspapers of America that can't afford, or won't risk, a correspondent in the nation's capital.
• A good place to find local angles on what's transpiring inside the Beltway.

Style book of the South Asian Journalists Association:

• A work in progress but a valuable tool for difficult terms out of India, Pakistan, etc.

Texas Daily Newspaper Association:

• A great site for journalists in Texas. Links to schools, job offerings, and a key link to legislator's districts affecting newspapers in the state.

3Hoops:

• Everything one could ever want to know about Division III NCAA basketball. Former players and coaches should get excited at this site; although, many member schools do not post their athletic stats.
• This is where they play truly "for the love of the game." The Webmaster of this site, Pat Coleman, is the statistics editor for Gannett's Baseball Weekly.

Unisci News Net:

• Fascinating site that attempts to keep up to date on the scientific research being done at the nation's universities. An ivory-tower Science Digest on the net.

Universal Press Syndicate:

• This is a place to find comics and editorial cartoons. It's shared with the publisher Andrews and McNeel.
• Anyone who judges himself a budding cartoonist or columnist is welcomed to submit ideas and samples at this site.

U-wire:

• The wire service of the nation's universities.
• A good place to find different angles when tired of rounding up the usual sources.

Vital Records:
http://www.vitalrec.com/

• Contains information on how and where to obtain vital records (birth, death, marriage certificates, divorce decrees) from various locations in the United States.
• Browser can also find guidelines for ordering vital records.

Washington Times' Media Links:

• Some subtle biases in some sections of these links, and some strange omissions in the international newspaper listing (Yomiuri Shimbun?, International Herald Tribune?), but the list is nevertheless valuable.

Young Media Professionals Committee:

• I'm not certain why this group emphasizes "young," but they're trying to keep online media people informed about what's going on by "making print and online media work for you."
• A staff member of the Atlantic Monthly keeps this thing going.
• A click here will take one to their job listings (or listings of other job-listing sites).

American Reporter:

• Touted as the first online newspaper with original content, AR is growing, though still struggling to make money.
• Many became aware of AR when it published a deliberately scatological review of the Congressional attempt to censor the Internet and went to court to fight the legislation. The ACLU also filed suit and AR was demoted to a footnote, but they fought the good fight and won.
• Anyone who hangs around journalism lists or newsgroups has heard of AR's editor, frequent poster Joe Shea. Shea's impassioned stance is expressed in his article in the "Masthead," the magazine of the National Conference of Editorial Writers.
• A struggling financial enterprise, AR still produces some fascinating stories.
• At this point, I must confess I'm a regular freelance contributor of commentary on the news for AR. About 200 freelance journalists at one time contributed to AR, but hard times have greatly reduced that number.

Flycast's e-zine Catalog:

• Claims to be the most extensive e-zine database on the Web. Has about 3,000 electronic magazines in its listing. Also provides a comprehensive definition of an e-zine.

Impression magazine:

• From the University of Missouri comes this eclectic hodge-podge of commentary and opinion.

Intellectual Capital:

• A weekly, public policy review. One of those journals that keeps the fires of politics stoked inside the Washington beltway.
• Also publishes a version in Russian. What does that tell us?

Mother Jones magazine:

• This publication always has a field day with politics. Like the Village Voice and Wired, MoJo does great investigative journalism.
• At times, they are a bit too self-absorbed in what they're doing; one might call it investigative journalism with an attitude.

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Lawyers Weekly:

• Technically, this publication calls itself a weekly newspaper, but online it doesn't make much difference. There are Mass., Michigan, Missouri, N.C., Ohio, R.I., and Virginia editions.
• The Massachusetts edition is probably the best known (the parent company is in Boston); it is the self-proclaimed "bible" of the state's legal profession. (Recall that the trial judge in the notorious Massachusetts "au pair" case chose to issue his controversial ruling via e-mail to Lawyers Weekly. One also may read my take on that.)
• Just about anything you want to know that was said or ruled in the courts in the above-listed jurisdictions, as well as in the federal courts, can be found here.

Online Journalism Review:

• I've highlighted this site elsewhere, but one can't point to it too many times.
• Some excellent writing and thoughtful analysis going on at this online publication of the Annenberg School of Communication at the U. of Southern California.

Salon magazine: ***Highly rated site but now set to charge users.

• As the dot-com world takes its hits financially, Salon has decided to begin charging readers for news stories.  A subscription will cost users between $30 and $50 each year.
• Readers can read Editor David Talbot's impassioned reasoning for the charge in a letter to users.

Science Week:

• A summary of lots of science news, mostly physical science, put together with news reports and annotated bibliographies.
• The main service is an e-mail subscription, but many back issues are archived at the Web site.

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Slate (from Microsoft):

• In 1996, Michael Kinsley promised an online magazine that would remind us of The Reporter or The New Republic; that's what he delivered.   In 2003, Slate (minus Kinsley) reports a quarterly profit.
• The question remains: Is this what the Internet needs? The question also remains: Is reading online supposed to mimic reading the print version?
• At the risk of being an online heretic, why not check out the print versions of The Reporter or The New Republic or lots of other significant publications.
  

SportsJones:

• A classy and intelligent online magazine devoted to sports.
• This site goes through long periods of inactivity but always seems to revive.

TheStreet.com:

• If one has to ask "which street?" one probably doesn't want to visit this site.
• All the business news one could ask for -- for a price.

Tabloid:

• An online newspaper that attempts to recapture the journalism of outrage, but not to be confused with some of the calls for renewed outrage by the likes of William Bennett. Sometimes, others judge this site to be outrageous; I suspect Bennett would be among them.
• One review says Tabloid is guided by three rules: 1) liars and cheats must be exposed; 2) headlines must be big; and 3) the voice of outrage is the enemy of evil.

UTNE Reader:

• Technically, this isn't an e-zine, but it almost fits the mold. Apparently the UTNE reader had some problems in its initial online venture to link readers from across the nation in highbrow forums. There is another called Cafe UTNE in that direction that can be accessed from this site.
• For those unfamiliar with the UTNE Reader print version, it's a kind of Atlantic/Harper's/Mother Jones/Esquire version of Reader's Digest. Those familiar with UTNE Reader's print reputation will get a charge from its online feature of bizarre, weird, and significant Web sites in its "Free for All" Feature.

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Village Voice:

• In a sense, journalism on the Internet is the newest form of alternative journalism. This site, as one might expect, plays big in New York City. At the same site, one can link up with the company's sister publication, LAWeekly.
• The Village Voice is so commited to online journalism (and advertisers' dollars), it has dropped its price in metropolitan New York City to zero; that's right, the print version is now distributed free in the Big Apple.
• On the other hand, any publication that fires its most famous cartoonist because he was overpaid can't hold journalists' respect for too long.

Wired magazine:

• Anyone who calls him- or herself a cyberjournalist can't afford to miss stopping by at this place regularly.
• The print version's colors and punk graphics give me a headache so I actually prefer the online version.
• This is one of my favorite places to go when I'm looking for a good argument.
• A good mix of outstanding and outlandish thought found here.

A.C. Nielsen:

• Home of television's Nielsen ratings. The site tends to be a bit commercial, despite its slick, award-winning reputation. For one reporting on television, however, it may be a necessary and valuable place to visit.

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American News Service

• This could be called online community journalism. The idea is to distribute news and comment that's been gathered on public issues not from public officials but from the rest of us. This service is distributed by Knight-Ridder. This is a welcome break from the "round-up-the-usual-sources" approach to newsgathering.

Conaghan Report:

• This organization, part of the National Association of Newspapers, attempts to determine the audience of the WWW.
• Also provides varied and good sources of news about Internet issues such as privacy, etc.

Motley Fool:

• The pedestrian investors advisors who made their name on AOL are now operating full tilt on their own site.
• Anything but foolish news of the financial, business and investing worlds comes from these pages.

New South Polar Times:

• A fascinating newsletter site by and about the people stationed at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica. More a research briefing than a daily or weekly source of news, it alerts readers to information about the South Pole.

Archieplex:

• Many researchers still prefer ftp searches to the WWW.
• This is the place to go to make a formal search of ftp sites with Archie.

Society for American Baseball Research (SABR):

• In addition to this site, there is a list, SABR-L, that researchers can join to probe the history of baseball with others.
• This site brings lots of research together, claiming to be "baseball's best kept secret."

Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times, U.S. Marine Times:

• Four separate newspapers, one for each branch of the service. Mandatory reading for anyone covering a military beat.
• Army Times also provides a neat service for military members trying to locate an old buddy. It's called " Looking For People."
• These newspapers are now the property of Gannettand in typical Gannett fashion the corporation reshuffled editors to be sure its Gannett-heads were firmly in charge losing several good editors in the process.