AAN News
New Google Analytics Tools Make it Easier for News Orgs to Track Metricsnew
Poynter |
11-04-2009 10:12 am |
Industry News
Tags: Electronic Publishing, Management
New Yorker: Jonathan Gold is 'High-Low Priest of the L.A. Food Scene'new
This week's New Yorker has a profile of the Pulitzer-winning L.A. Weekly food critic that has reportedly been "almost a year in the making." While the full article is available only to subscribers, here's an interesting tidbit from an abstract on the magazine's website: "To Gold's readers, his reviews have the ontological status that the New York Times has for people interested in current events: he doesn't write about it because it is, it is because he's written about it."
The New Yorker | LA Observed |
11-03-2009 11:30 am |
Industry News
Houston Press Food Writer Sheds Anonymitynew
"For nearly ten years now, I have done my job incognito," Robb Walsh writes. "Now I am joining the ranks of no-longer-anonymous restaurant critics." He notes that fellow VVM food writers Jason Sheehan (Westword) and Jonathan Gold (L.A. Weekly) have had few problems since moving away from the time-honored tradition of being an anonymous food critic. "[I've] noticed absolutely no difference in being recognized in restaurants," Gold says. "None. Zero."
Houston Press |
11-03-2009 8:59 am |
Industry News
Senate Dems, White House Reach Compromise on Federal Shield Lawnew
The compromise bill would allow federal judges to quash government subpoenas against reporters if they determine that the public interest in the news outweighs the government's need to uncover the source of that news, including some disclosures of classified national security information. The bill would also extend shield protection to unpaid bloggers engaged in newsgathering. "We've come a long way in these negotiations and have now reached a compromise that strikes the right balance between national security concerns and the public's right to know," Sen. Charles Schumer said in a statement. The Times notes that the compromise could still falter if press groups object to the concessions made to prosecutors. "This is a huge deal, but it's not a done deal," Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press executive director Lucy Dalglish says. "And quite honestly, until all of the media coalition members sign off on it, it's not a deal."
The New York Times |
10-30-2009 4:37 pm |
Industry News
Tags: Editorial
Eugene Weekly Art Director Diesnew
The Weekly's longtime art director and production manager Kevin Dougherty died at home on Oct. 21 of an apparent heart attack, the paper reports. He was 49 years old. Dougherty, who began working at the Weekly in 1994, became production manager in 1998 and also took over the art director position in 1999. In addition, he served on the executive committee that ran the paper. "Kevin was an amazing boss and coworker, a wonderful friend and an inspirational human being," says Weekly staffer Sarah Decker. "He knew how to make us laugh, and he sure knows how to make us weep. I will miss him every day of my life."
Eugene Weekly |
10-30-2009 9:11 am |
Industry News
Chicago Reader's New Publisher Hopes to 'Be Pretty Involved' Editoriallynew
"The best newspapers maintain a wall between publishers and editors, and nothing crosses it but the budget. The Reader is no exception," Michael Miner writes. But he notes that's about to change with the hiring of James Warren -- an editorial veteran -- as the paper's new publisher. Warren, who says he hopes to "be pretty involved" on the editorial side, adds that he thinks his appointment "is an implicit affirmation of the link between quality journalism and a successful business," and Creative Loafing Inc. bosses are saying the move shows the Reader's commitment to editorial excellence. But as the paper's editor points out, it is important the business and editorial sides stay in their own corners. "It's good to hear the board and Warren acknowledging how important journalism is to the success of the company," Alison True says. "Because we're looking forward to getting the resources to support it. But if that wall disappears, so does our credibility."
Chicago Reader |
10-28-2009 2:15 pm |
Industry News
Bay Guardian Finds the 'Fuck You' Code Inside Gov's Veto Messagenew
A routine veto message from California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger may have had a hidden meaning for the bill's sponsor, according to the San Francisco Bay Guardian, which reports that if you add up the first letter of each line of the message, you get "Fuck You." The bill in question, which would have expanded the financing powers of the Port of San Francisco, was sponsored by state Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, who earlier this month shouted "You lie!" at the governor and told him to "Kiss my gay ass" at a fundraiser. While a Schwarzenegger spokesman maintains that the message is simply "a strange coincidence," the Guardian's findings have the political world buzzing. READ MORE coverage of the incident from ABC News, the New York Times, NPR, and the Wall Street Journal.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
10-28-2009 1:09 pm |
Industry News
Boise Weekly Makes 'Difficult' Decision to Go with a New Printernew
The Weekly has been printed at Idaho's Snake River Printing for the past seven years, but that will change next week. The paper will now be printed in another state -- at Utah's Print Works (which also prints the Salt Lake City Weekly). "This has been a difficult decision because of our desire to keep our business local," publisher Sally Freeman says. "But circumstances beyond our control have forced us to make this difficult decision." Editor Rachael Daigle says that there just weren't many local printers that could handle the paper's print run of 30,000 each week; as an added bonus, she notes, the printer switch will allow for more color in the Weekly.
Boise Weekly |
10-28-2009 12:44 pm |
Industry News
Creative Loafing (Tampa) Settles into New Digsnew
As part of a bankruptcy judge's August decision to turn Creative Loafing, Inc. over to its creditors, the Tampa paper had to vacate its old office building, which was owned by the Eason family. This week is Creative Loafing (Tampa)'s first in its new offices, located in the historic Ybor Square area, and editor David Warner is already impressed with a seemingly simple aspect: being able to get out of the office and walk around. "That may not sound like much, but after five (!) years cooped up in a former fruit warehouse where you had to get in your car to do anything outside the office, this was, literally, a dream," he writes.
Creative Loafing (Tampa) |
10-28-2009 10:51 am |
Industry News
Phoenix New Times Seeks Meth Criticnew
After Westword started taking applications for a position reviewing the Denver area's medical marijuana dispensaries, Phoenix New Times decided it would "do the same regarding the Valley's drug of choice" -- meth. "The column will focus on a few things: Quality of the drug, of course, but also the safety of users," James King writes. "We want to know where to find quality meth that won't kill you right away."
Phoenix New Times |
10-28-2009 9:10 am |
Industry News
Longtime Chicago Journalist Named Publisher of the Chicago Readernew
James C. Warren, who was previously co-managing editor of the Chicago Tribune and before that the Tribune's Washington bureau chief, was named the Reader's new president and publisher today. He will start on Nov. 2. "If I bought into much conventional wisdom concerning high-quality print journalism, I'd be entering the fields of clean energy solar panels or medical robots. But I don't," Warren said in a statement. "Rather, I believe The Reader can be an even greater success if it is provocative, makes those in power squirm and yet is willing to entertain and have fun."
Chicago Reader |
10-27-2009 5:33 pm |
Industry News
Tags: Management, Chicago Reader
Circulation at Daily Papers Continues its Slidenew
Audit Bureau of Circulation figures released yesterday show weekday newspaper circulation down more than 10 percent since last year. "The figures join a list of indicators of the industry’s health -- like advertising and newsroom headcounts -- that, after years of slipping, have accelerated sharply downward, as newspapers face the greatest threats since the Depression," the New York Times reports.
The New York Times |
10-27-2009 8:50 am |
Industry News
Tags: Management
Newspapers May Miss Out on Online Advertising's Growthnew
The New York Times reports that newspaper websites "are not holding on to ad dollars, even while overall internet advertising is creeping back." The reasons why are complicated, but a number of industry folks tell the Times that more ads are going to ad networks, niche sites and low-cost alternatives to newspaper websites.
The New York Times |
10-26-2009 9:01 am |
Industry News
CVC: Circ at Alt-Weeklies Flat from Q1 to Q2new
The latest audit data for the first six months of 2009 from Circulation Verification Council (CVC) finds that alt-weeklies' circulation rose 0.1 percent from Q1 to Q2, with 54 percent of alt-weeklies saying circulation rose in Q2.
Editor & Publisher |
10-26-2009 8:29 am |
Industry News
Robert Newman Highlights Some 'Mind-Blowing' Flagpole Coversnew
Last month, Robert Newman Design took a trip back through the Village Voice's cover archive to highlight some great design work; now he's trained his spotlight on Athens, Ga., alt-weekly Flagpole in a new collection posted to his Facebook page. "The Flagpole cover is a visual hybrid somewhere between the New Yorker and Seattle's The Stranger," Newman writes. "Flagpole's choice of illustrations (and the occasional photo) embrace a wide array of styles, but they are all cool."
Robert Newman Design on Facebook |
10-23-2009 10:30 am |
Industry News
