On a charitable day I might've given Isthmus 3 stars, but I also felt the need to balance out the inflated marks it's gotten so far. Every Madison-size or larger community benefits from having a free, weekly alternative newspaper, and The Isthmus is definitely handy for concert and show listings, farmers' market schedules, restaurant reviews, etc etc. But by and large the content is kinda weak. Bill Lueders occasionally has an interesting article in his watchdog column, also occasionally gets apoplectic about rather trivial issues. The media reviewers (Dean Robbins, Kenneth Burns) are consistently lousy. Every so often there's an interesting feature article. The Isthmus also likes to play up its independence but takes potshots at other local media on a regular basis. \n  I'm glad there's a free weekly in Madison, but I really wish there was a better one than The Isthmus. Madison's an interesting and  dynamic community, and it deserves better.