Editorial: Time story is ‘best free publicity’?

Wednesday, July 21, 2004 | 8:40 a.m.

It has been a decade since a Time magazine cover story dubbed Las Vegas the "New All-American City." Time's cover story this week shouts "It's Vegas, Baby!", a look at what it calls the city's "profitable mix of sin and sensation," resulting in a "Sodom and Gomorrah without the guilt." Some tourism boosters and local political leaders are thrilled by what they see as the magazine's positive coverage, which examines the growing number of strip clubs and looks at the casinos that increasingly stress sexuality. For these officials the story is an echo of the city's none-too-subtle marketing campaign of "What happens here, stays here," which has become so well known that it's a national catch-phrase. Mayor Oscar Goodman gushed that the Time story was "the best free publicity the valley has ever had."

This city's success, including that of businesses not directly tied to casinos, is inextricably linked to the vitality of the gaming industry. And, to borrow a phrase, what's good for the gaming industry is good for Las Vegas. Nevertheless, the constant emphasis on sex and partying is causing many local residents -- especially for parents with children -- to wonder if, as a community, we have gone too far. One recent flashpoint was the opposition by hundreds of Las Vegans to the increasingly racy billboards in Las Vegas that advertise strip joints, after-hours clubs and casinos, a development that they viewed as having crossed the line since children, too, can see the advertising.

The Time article's depiction of Las Vegas as an alcohol-and-sex-fueled party city also could have negative consequences for economic development and recruitment efforts in Southern Nevada. And it isn't exactly a drawing card for companies when the mayor suggests, as he did in the Time story, the possibility of legalized prostitution and predicts that topless clubs will one day be in casinos. Our city's image could cause second thoughts for a company looking at bringing their executives and their families here when there are family-friendly alternatives nearby, cities such as Phoenix, Tucson, Boise and Salt Lake City.

Don't get us wrong. We're not suggesting a makeover that would take the "Las Vegas" out of Las Vegas. But we hope that residents of this metropolitan area will now have a serious debate about the consequences of the "What happens here, stays here" mentality.