The First Quarter 2002 issue of PR Watch, which examines the ways that PR firms and activists are using the Internet, is now available online as a free download. Stories in this issue include "Spinning the Web," which shows how PR firms view the web as a two-way street, using it themselves to flog their causes and market clients' products, while simultaneously PR pros are becoming increasingly alarmed at the growth of online activism.

The recent ruling by California's Supreme Court that Nike's PR efforts to defend itself against sweatshop labor charges are considered commercial speech has some PR professionals worried that the ruling will have a "chilling effect" on other PR campaigns.

"Aided by the Internet and personal-computer software, online communities with their own publishing tools and networks are redefining news in the 21st Century," writes Paul Andrews as he examines the growth of alternative journalism on the Internet.