AAN News
New Times Fares Well in Salute to Excellence Awardsnew
Finalists have been announced in the annual Salute to Excellence Awards sponsored by the National Association of Black Journalists. More than half of the finalists named for papers with a circulation under 150,000 are from New Times papers. The Riverfront Times of St. Louis has four stories nominated, including two by staff writer Mike Seely. The Cleveland Scene boasts two finalists. Phoenix New Times, Dallas Observer and New Times Broward-Palm Beach are also represented on the short-list. Winners will be announced at the NABJ's awards banquet Oct. 9 in Washington, D.C.
National Association of Black Journalists |
09-02-2004 6:08 pm |
Industry News
Marketing Campaign for AAN's Story-Sharing Site to Begin
For years, editors of AAN papers talked about having a Web site they could use to buy articles from each other in a pinch. This year DesertNet built them the site, AltWeeklies.com. Over the summer, editors filled the story-sharing site with news articles, commentary and reviews. And now AAN's director of sales and marketing, Roxanne Cooper, is promoting AltWeeklies.com to the public with the hope of building a broader online audience for all AAN papers.
(FULL STORY)
Ruth Hammond |
09-01-2004 8:47 pm |
Industry News
City Pages Voting Promotion Might Be Illegal, Official Warnsnew
Minnesota's Secretary of State, Mary Kiffmeyer, sent a letter to City Pages on Monday, warning the paper that its "I Will Vote" promotion might violate federal law prohibiting the payment or acceptance of payment for voting or registering to vote, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune. At a City Pages booth at summer events, young voters were encouraged to register to vote and promise to turn out on election day as well as to sign up for a chance to win a free overseas trip. Kiffmeyer says her letter was prompted by David Strom, president of the Taxpayers League in Minnesota and City Pages' "Villain of the Year" for 2004, who issued a news release last week urging her to intervene.
Minneapolis Star Tribune |
09-01-2004 12:53 pm |
Industry News
Dallas Observer Hit with $1.1 Billion Lawsuitnew
A plaintiff who alleges the Observer wrongfully disclosed his HIV-positive status has sued the Dallas alt-weekly; its parent company, New Times; and other parties, Texas Lawyer reports. In "Fallen Angel," an article published last December, the Observer referenced the man by name. The plaintiff doesn't dispute that he's HIV-positive but contends that the paper didn't have the right to disclose his condition without his consent. By doing so, he claims, the paper violated the Texas Health and Safety Code. Miriam Rozen writes: "Most attorneys have assumed the statute applied to parties in the medical and insurance industries -- not media organizations." Three of the defendants are seeking the outright dismissal of the plaintiff's petition.
Texas Lawyer |
08-31-2004 3:48 pm |
Industry News
Weekly Dig Shamelessly Sells Its Pages to Vincent Gallo Cartel
Effectively Joins Ranks of Traditional Publications
(FULL STORY)
08-31-2004 5:14 pm |
Press Releases
Tags: Boston's Weekly Dig
Mags Use Online Ads as Sales Toolsnew
Vogue appears to be at the vanguard of a revived effort by publishers to extend the usefulness of their products online. The latest experiments are prompted in part by worries over competition from comparison-shopping sites and Web search engines such as Google, which have pioneered new forms of advertising tied to search queries.
Washington Post |
08-30-2004 10:20 am |
Industry News
Florida Businessman Slaps New Times with Lawsuitnew
Last month, New Times Broward-Palm Beach reporter Sam Eifling visited the office of Steven West. The paper had run a story about the South Florida businessman in August 2002, tracing his career path from department-store raider to convicted felon. This time, the reporter wanted to ask West about a controversial firing of one of West's office workers. Instead of a quote, New Times got a lawsuit. Filed without aid of an attorney, the suit claims the 2002 story "willfully omit[ted] positive information and willfully ignore[d] positive interviews." Eifling writes that West might simply be practicing what his company's Dilbertian policy manual expounds: "Do Not Get Pushed Around."
New Times Broward-Palm Beach |
08-27-2004 4:35 pm |
Industry News
East Bay Express Intern Dies Unexpectedlynew
Simon Peter Kinsella, an intern at the East Bay Express, passed away in his sleep at a friend's house last week. He was 29, and recently earned a master's degree from UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism. The Express reports he hoped to parlay his internship to land a reporting job at either the Cincinnati Enquirer or Cleveland Plain-Dealer and later move to New York City, perhaps as a political writer.
East Bay Express |
08-27-2004 12:38 pm |
Industry News
Tags: East Bay Express
AAN's Karpel Predicts Faux Alternatives Will Failnew
In an opinion piece published in Boulder Weekly, AAN executive director Richard Karpel recounts a phone interview he gave to The Daily Camera. The Boulder, Colo., daily is launching Dirt, a free weekday paper targeting 18- to 24-year-olds, and its reporter wanted a comment. Karpel obliged, explaining why Dirt, like any number of similar tabloids, would ultimately fail to reach young people: Daily papers tiptoe around potentially offensive language and subject matter; they're too "objective" for passion or point of view; and they're institutions far removed from the world most young people inhabit. The Camera chose to publish his one comment that tended to make the opposite point, so he lays out his full argument here.
Boulder Weekly |
08-27-2004 12:17 pm |
Industry News
Firebrand L.A. Weekly Reporter Scorches Tinseltownnew
Nikki Finke, who writes the Deadline Hollywood column for L.A. Weekly, has become essential reading for those who follow the Industry, reports Los Angeles Magazine. Capitalizing on her position as both insider (with numerous longtime sources) and outsider (what studio exec would talk to an alt-weekly reporter?), she reveals, critiques and influences showbiz power. "Nikki is part of a tradition of women reporters in Hollywood who terrify people," says Vanity Fair contributing editor Bruce Feirstein.
Los Angeles Magazine |
08-26-2004 3:56 pm |
Industry News
Tags: Editorial, L.A. Weekly
2004 AAN Annual Convention Coverage Is Online
News from the 27th annual Association of Alternative Newsweeklies convention in San Antonio has been archived online, allowing members to review any of the goings-on they may have missed. Coverage of this year's convention far exceeded that of past years, with a team of writers and editors producing an AAN Convention Daily newsletter. Contributors included Academy for Alternative Journalism fellows, alt-weekly staff members and AAN's editor.
(FULL STORY)
AAN Staff |
08-25-2004 5:50 pm |
Industry News
Webb Joins Sacramento Alt-Weeklynew
Gary Webb is the newest reporter at the Sacramento News & Review, where he will cover politics and state government. Webb has won more than 30 journalism awards, including a Pulitzer Prize given to the editorial staff of the San Jose Mercury News for its coverage of the 1989 Bay Area earthquake. He is the author of "Dark Alliance," a book based on his series of articles for the Mercury News in which he exposed connections between Los Angeles crack dealers, Nicaraguan Contra rebels and the CIA.
Sacramento News & Review press release |
08-25-2004 5:42 pm |
Industry News
Recycled Paper Eases Alt-Weekly's Eco Impact
Kevin McKinney, editor and publisher of Indianapolis's NUVO, subscribes to the tenets of reduce, reuse and recycle. Such thinking led to the alt-weekly's recent move to print on paper with nearly 80 percent recycled content. "We had gotten all our process worked out, so now we could look at more environmentally friendly options," says production manager Mike Fox (pictured). A box of factoids on NUVO's table of contents page lists the resources saved annually by printing on this paper, 6,256 trees and 442,777 gallons of water among them. And, says McKinney, "there's no noticeable difference in photos or art and no change in cost."
(FULL STORY)
Amy Souza |
08-25-2004 12:55 pm |
Industry News
Newman to Leave Pittsburgh City Papernew
Editor of the alt-weekly since 1998, Andy Newman will be leaving in November to try his hand as a freelance writer in New York City. "I've wanted to do this for a long time, and it seems like I should do it before they send the AARP card," he tells the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. City Paper will begin searching for his replacement immediately. Newman is currently working on a story for The Believer, and hopes to place a piece in The New Yorker within a year. He is vice president of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies' board of directors.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |
08-25-2004 11:50 am |
Industry News
