Likely, while you're reading this, I'll be in Nashville for the annual convention of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, the trade organization for the ragtag bunch of journalism weirdos we belong to. I've been to the last four conventions and they're always an informative and entertaining time, reminding of why I got into this part of the business in the first place.
In a bit of coincidence, our cover story this week is actually an AAN project, featuring entries from alt-weekly writers across the county detailing just how terrible some of this country's politicians are. This might not be super-surprising to any of you, but it turns out there are more sleazeballs, thieves and overly-self-important jerks than we had room for, including Arizona's five (sigh) inclusions on the list, so you can find the complete article online.
One of the things I really do appreciate about this corner of the journalism world is that we can call out these clowns (and others, John Huppenthal didn't make the list, possibly due to the lateish-breaking news of his commenting idiocy) for who they are. The daily newspapers of the world, God bless 'em, are committed to bring balance to the conversation, allowing equal time and column space to people who don't always deserve it. We, while still attempting to be fair and accurate, can tell the story in the most truthful way possible. It's a nice perk.
Enjoy the cover story and the rest of the issue. At the very least, it might remind you that Arizona hasn't entirely cornered the market on awful elected officials.
