As the first anniversary of the Rapidian, Grand Rapids Michigan’s hyperlocal newspaper, drew near, publisher Laurie Cirivello wrote that there is no official definition for the term hyperlocal. But hyperlocal is a word that has permeated newsrooms and the media landscape for the last two years. So what is hyperlocal?
To get a better grip on the Tea Party movement, we should take a look back to 2008. In a year when angry voters were expected to vote out Republicans, there was one voice in Red that was drawing crowds. No, it wasn’t Sarah Palin. It was Ron Paul.
Polls don’t always tell the truth. That doesn’t mean they lie; it just means they can be misleading. An example could be found if one followed the polls during Kentucky’s U.S. Senate race between Rand Paul and Jack Conway.
Jon Stewart’s rally to restore sanity turned into a rally against cable news media. The media are still trying to figure out how to react. Some are upset. Keith Olbermann claimed that Stewart “jumped the shark”. The New York Times called Stewart a political activist. The right barely noticed. But if you pay attention to the media reaction to Stewart, you get the feeling that the media aren’t happy.
Watching media cover Kentucky politics this year has never been dull. The latest incident involves Lauren Valle, the moveon.org worker who suffered the infamous head stomp from Rand Paul supporter Tim Profitt.