se of CNN in covering the Gulf War. CNN rose to international prominence with its coverage of the war, in large part because its 24 hour all news format was better suited to cover that kind of story. The major networks were off the air at night when many key events took place, and they only offered limited news coverage during the day and evening. Like CNN, the private Websites coveIntroduction: Though written several years ago, this article is still highly relevant, as the 2006 elections demonstrated.

Very little is being said in the press about the information health and consumer groups are posting on the Internet about the tobacco issue. This is unfortunate, because the tobacco war currently happening on the Internet will have profound long term effects on marketing, advertising, and media, not to mention politics.

The tobacco war is the first major demonstration of just how much the Internet is changing the basic balance of power between business, consumers, and government. As the first post-Internet consumer/business confrontation, this is uncharted territory; the public has never had this much information about a such complicated issue available to it before.

In days prior to the Internet only a few thousand people would have been able to read the 50+ page tobacco settlement agreement reached by the attorneys general last year. The document is too long for magazines and newspapers to print in entirety, even if they wanted to, but it's well within size limits for distribution over the Internet. Within days after its release, the settlement was available for viewing or downloading from several private or consumer sponsored Websites. Even at this late date, few American magazines and newspapers have run a single sentence of the settlement agreement.

There is a striking similarity between the rise of private Internet Websites covering the tobacco war and the rise of CNN in covering the Gulf War. CNN rose to international prominence with its coverage of the war, in large part because its 24 hour all news format was better suited to cover that kind of story. The major networks were off the air at night when many key events took place, and they only offered limited news coverage during the day and evening. Like CNN, the private Websites cover

m effects on marketing, advertising, and media, not to mention politics.

The tobacco war is the first major demonstration of just how much the Internet is changing the basic balance of power between business, consumers, and government. As the first post-Internet consumer/business confrontation, this is uncharted territory; the public has never had this much information about a such complicated issue available to it before.

In days prior to the Internet only a few thousand people would have been able to read the 50+ page tobacco settlement agreement reached by the attorneys general last year. The document is too long for magazines and newspapers to print in entirety, even if they wanted to, but it's well within size limits for distribution over the Internet. Within days after its release, the settlement was available for viewing or downloading from several private or consumer sponsored Websites. Even at this late date, few American magazines and newspapers have run a single sentence of the settlement agreement.

There is a striking similarity between the rise of private Internet Websites covering the tobacco war and the rise of CNN in covering the Gulf War. CNN rose to international prominence with its coverage of the war, in large part because its 24 hour all news format was better suited to cover that kind of story. The major networks were off the air at night when many key events took place, and they only offered limited news coverage during the day and evening. Like CNN, the private Websites cove

such complicated issue available to it before.

In days prior to the Internet only a few thousand people would have been able to read the 50+ page tobacco settlement agreement reached by the attorneys general last year. The document is too long for magazines and newspapers to print in entirety, even if they wanted to, but it's well within size limits for distribution over the Internet. Within days after its release, the settlement was available for viewing or downloading from several private or consumer sponsored Websites. Even at this late date, few American magazines and newspapers have run a single sentence of the settlement agreement.

There is a striking similarity between the rise of private Internet Websites covering the tobacco war and the rise of CNN in covering the Gulf War. CNN rose to international prominence with its coverage of the war, in large part because its 24 hour all news format was better suited to cover that kind of story. The major networks were off the air at night when many key events took place, and they only offered limited news coverage during the day and evening. Like CNN, the private Websites cove

nternet. Within days after its release, the settlement was available for viewing or downloading from several private or consumer sponsored Websites. Even at this late date, few American magazines and newspapers have run a single sentence of the settlement agreement.

There is a striking similarity between the rise of private Internet Websites covering the tobacco war and the rise of CNN in covering the Gulf War. CNN rose to international prominence with its coverage of the war, in large part because its 24 hour all news format was better suited to cover that kind of story. The major networks were off the air at night when many key events took place, and they only offered limited news coverage during the day and evening. Like CNN, the private Websites cove

se of CNN in covering the Gulf War. CNN rose to international prominence with its coverage of the war, in large part because its 24 hour all news format was better suited to cover that kind of story. The major networks were off the air at night when many key events took place, and they only offered limited news coverage during the day and evening. Like CNN, the private Websites covering the tobacco war have some basic advantages over their competition; their format allows large quantities of information to be easily and affordably distributed, and there are no advertisers to risk offending. Consumers are noticing.

Among the most prominent of the privately run tobacco information sites is www.tobacco.org. This site is primarily composed of links to articles from major newspapers currently available on the Internet, and it functions much like an information clearinghouse, tracking a number of different trials. It also offers links to other tobacco resources (including the Minnesota Attorney Generals office,) links to other tobacco related Websites, a searchable archive of previous articles, and downloads of the settlement and other essential documents. Other sites include Action for Smoking and Health (www.ash.org) and the Putnam Pit (www.putnampit.com), which has been running transcripts of the Minnesota tobacco trial. Other anti-smoking groups are posting statistics on the relationship of tobacco industry campaign contributions and favorable votes on tobacco related legislation.

The credibility of advertising sponsored media will take a long term beating because of the tobacco scandal. Anti-tobacco groups have started posting statistical studies comparing the number of tobacco ads in magazines and the number of tobacco related health articles appearing in those same magazines. Magazines with significant tobacco advertising were shown to have run far fewer, if any, articles on tobacc