AAN News

North Coast Journal Nominated for Mirror Awardnew

North Coast Journal staff writer Ryan Burns is nominated for the John M. Higgins Award for Best In-Depth/Enterprise Reporting.
Mirror Awards  |  04-01-2014  12:25 pm  |  Honors & Achievements

CNPA Honors Nine AAN Publications

Palo Alto Weekly picked up the coveted general excellence award from the California Newspaper Publishers Association. (FULL STORY)
CNPA  |  05-06-2013  1:35 pm  |  Honors & Achievements

Eight Alt-Weeklies Honored in CNPA Awardsnew

San Francisco Bay Guardian picked up the coveted General Excellence award from the California Newspaper Publishers Association. Palo Alto Weekly led all alt-weeklies with ten awards.
California Newspaper Publishers Association  |  04-22-2011  5:31 pm  |  Honors & Achievements

North Coast Journal Editor Resignsnew

Hank Sims, who was replaced as editor of North Coast Journal just over a week ago, has resigned.
The Humboldt Herald  |  02-07-2011  1:13 pm  |  Industry News  |  Comments (1)

SF Chronicle Staffer Resigns to Lead North Coast Journal

The North Coast Journal has tapped veteran San Francisco Chronicle reporter Tom Abate to lead an ambitious expansion that will fuse the paper’s weekly print edition with its continuous online coverage. (FULL STORY)
North Coast Journal  |  01-26-2011  4:50 pm  |  Press Releases

Former News & Review Employee Accused Of Embezzlementnew

Former Sacramento News & Review sales director Jeff Lang allegedly stole "hundreds of thousands of dollars."
North Coast Journal  |  12-10-2010  12:21 pm  |  Legal News  |  Comments (1)

North Coast Journal Publisher Apologizes for Graphic Covernew

In a letter to readers, NCJ publisher Judy Hodgson says, "It didn’t need that cover."
North Coast Journal  |  09-24-2010  2:40 pm  |  Industry News

North Coast Journal Launches Redesigned Websitenew

The Journal's new site, which went live May 1, "is a top-down and head-to-toe revision of our most recent site, which was circa 2007," editor Hank Sims explains in a note to readers. The design work was done by Portland's Topaz Design, and the CSS was done by Slice 'n' Dice.
North Coast Journal  |  05-04-2010  10:26 am  |  Industry News

Nine California AAN Members Take Home State Press Awardsnew

The California Newspaper Publishers Association recently gave out 480 first and second place awards in its 2009 Better Newspapers contest, and nine alt-weeklies received at least one. The Sacramento News & Review won ten awards, including firsts for Public Service, Columns, Sports Story, Front Page, Freedom of Information. SF Weekly won seven awards, including first-place finishes for Writing, Investigative/Enterprise Reporting and Environmental/Ag Resource Reporting. The North Coast Journal won six awards, including firsts in the Writing, Local News Coverage, Business/Financial Story and Environmental/Ag Resource Reporting categories. Palo Alto Weekly took home five awards -- all first-place wins -- in the Editorial Comment, Local News Coverage, Sports Coverage, Feature Photo, Best Website and General Excellence categories. Chico News & Review won two awards, both firsts, for Editorial Pages and Special Issue. Pacific Sun also took home two awards, both firsts, for Feature Story and Lifestyle Coverage. Metro Silicon Valley, Pasadena Weekly and the San Francisco Bay Guardian each took home one award.
California Newspaper Publishers Association  |  04-26-2010  11:14 am  |  Honors & Achievements

North Coast Journal Adds Three Co-Ownersnew

"About five years ago, Carolyn [Fernandez, the paper's production manager] and I began to craft a succession plan for the newspaper," publisher Judy Hodgson writes. "What would the ownership look like when we are no longer actively working? Who will be at the helm for the next 20 years?" To answer that question, the two co-founders did not have to go far. On Jan. 1, editor Hank Sims, sales manager Mike Herring and A&E editor Bob Doran became co-owners of the Journal; they are now minority stockholders while Fernandez and Hodgson retain majority control.
North Coast Journal  |  01-06-2010  1:41 pm  |  Industry News

North Coast Journal Makes Basic Cable Debut in 'Pot City USA'new

The new 60-minute A&E documentary examines the illegal pot growing scene in Arcata, Calif., and follows Humboldt County law enforcement officials "as they make busts and fly over forestlands searching for hidden marijuana groves," the network says. As eagle-eyed North Coast Journal editor Hank Sims points out, the trailer on YouTube has a special surprise guest. "I never thought that I'd be carrying a gun," one resident says about 20 seconds into the promo. And just where does said resident keep his trusty piece? On top of a copy of the North Coast Journal, of course! "Most creative recycling suggestion ever," Sims writes.

North Coast Journal  |  10-21-2009  1:03 pm  |  Industry News

Three AAN Members Win Northern California SPJ Awardsnew

The Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists announced the winners of its 2009 Excellence in Journalism Awards last week, and three alt-weeklies took home honors. The SF Weekly's Joe Eskenazi won the Explanatory Journalism (print, non-daily) award for "Service with a Snarl," a piece that "examines, with clarity and humor, the laws around the use of service animals in San Francisco." Kathleen Richards of the East Bay Express won the Investigative Journalism (print, non-daily) award for "Yelp and the Business of Extortion 2.0," which the judges say is "a strong example of consumer-affairs reporting." And the staff of the North Coast Journal won the Student Special Project award for "Meltdown," a project the paper undertook with students from Humboldt State University's Investigative Reporting Class.
The Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists  |  09-28-2009  1:29 pm  |  Honors & Achievements

California Alt-Weeklies Take Home Dozens of State Awardsnew

The California Newspaper Publishers Association announced the winners of its annual Better Newspapers Contest on Saturday, and nine AAN members won a total of 38 awards. The Sacramento News & Review won a total of nine awards, five of which were first-place finishes, including a General Excellence win. "The News & Review is a salty and irreverent weekly packed with excellent coverage of news and culture, multiple voices in columns and two pages of letters," the judges wrote. "Its colorful design is inviting and, praises to the sales department, it is packed with ads." In addition, Palo Alto Weekly also won nine total awards; the North Coast Journal won eight; Chico News & Review won four; the San Francisco Bay Guardian won three; Metro Silicon Valley won two; and the Pacific Sun, Pasadena Weekly and SF Weekly each took home one award. CORRECTION: The Santa Barbara Independent also won five awards.
California Newspaper Publishers Association (pdf)  |  10-27-2008  9:09 am  |  Honors & Achievements

North Coast Journal Story on Weapons Permits Causes a Stir

The Humboldt County alt-weekly provoked an angry response last week with a cover story revealing the names of citizens who have permits to carry concealed weapons in the county. The cover illustration of a handgun was composed of names supplied by the county sheriff's office of 641 individuals holding such a permit. The story has caused an "internet shitstorm," editor Hank Sims tells AAN News, as evidenced by the comments on the story itself and various online forums and blogs. Sims notes that the reaction online has been much harsher than his face-to-face encounters. "A number of local people called or came into the office last week a little bit angry, wondering how we got their name or why we should be allowed to publish the list. They were all very cool, and I had some great conversations," he says. "These out-of-town internet dudes are another matter."
AAN News  |  09-30-2008  10:44 am  |  Industry News

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