AAN News

The Coast Wins Two Atlantic Journalism Awardsnew

Lezlie Lowe's "Chasing Amy" won the Gold award in Feature Writing - Print, and Sue Carter Flinn's "Elementary" won the Gold in Arts & Entertainment Reporting. The Halifax alt-weekly also had finalists in the Feature Writing and Sports Reporting categories. The annual awards honor "excellence in Atlantic Canada journalism."
Atlantic Journalism Awards  |  05-05-2008  8:43 am  |  Honors & Achievements

Four Alt-Weekly Journalists Named Livingston Award Finalistsnew

The Dallas Observer's Megan Feldman and Jesse Hyde, Phoenix New Times' John Dickerson, and Washington City Paper's Dave Jamieson are among this year's Livingston Award finalists. The contest awards three $10,000 prizes for Local, National, and International Reporting to journalists under the age of 35. The winners will be announced on June 4.
The Livingston Awards  |  05-05-2008  8:25 am  |  Honors & Achievements

David Brauer Weighs in on the Changes at City Pages, Post-VVM Mergernew

"These days, compliments about City Pages are as rare as pro-R.T. Rybak stories during [Steve] Perry's 13-year tenure as editor," Brauer writes on MinnPost.com. But he thinks that despite the paper's "obvious problems" in the Village Voice Media era, the piling-on is unfair. "The beat-down has become so relentless that the good things aren't being acknowledged," he writes. The most recent staffer to depart, reporter Paul Demko, agrees. "I see people here doing a lot of good work and hard work and -- whatever the failings of the paper -- that also needs to be acknowledged," he tells Brauer. "It pisses me off when I think about some jackass on [the local blog] MnSpeak talking about how worthless the paper is." In the rest of the nearly-3,000 word piece, Brauer looks at everything from the recent City Pages stories that have generated the most web traffic to what he sees as the paper's remaining weaknesses.
MinnPost.com  |  05-01-2008  1:46 pm  |  Industry News

Ownership Reports on Applying Papers Now Available

The reports provide background information on the companies and individuals who hold ownership stakes in the 12 papers that have applied for AAN membership in 2008; they are now available in the Resource Library. The Membership Committee is meeting this weekend in Washington, D.C., to discuss the applicants, and will issue its recommendations prior to the Annual Meeting, which will be held on Saturday, June 7 at the AAN Convention. The applying papers must be approved by two-thirds of the members voting in order to be accepted into the association.
AAN  |  04-30-2008  1:48 pm  |  Association News

Isthmus Wins Seven Awards in Wisconsin Journalism Competitionnew

The Madison alt-weekly has won seven awards in Milwaukee Press Club's 2007 Excellence in Wisconsin Journalism competition, including first-place finishes in Critical Review of the Arts, Feature Story over 30 inches, Sports Story and Topical Column. Winners were honored at a dinner last weekend.
Milwaukee Press Club  |  04-30-2008  8:56 am  |  Honors & Achievements

Monday Magazine Cartoonist Diesnew

Bob Bierman, whose "Bierman's Corner" was a "staple feature" in Monday Magazine, died in the hospital on April 17, four days after suffering a massive stroke, the Globe and Mail reports. He was 86 years old. Bierman was best known for being sued for libel by a British Columbia cabinet minister in the late 1970s. He leaves his wife Angelina, two sons, and two grandchildren.
The Globe and Mail  |  04-30-2008  8:33 am  |  Industry News

Phoenix New Times Files Suit Over Last Year's Grand Jury Debacle

The lawsuit, filed today in Maricopa County Superior Court, says defendants Sheriff Joe Arpaio, County Attorney Andrew Thomas, lawyer Dennis Wilenchik and two county agencies subverted "the grand jury process" and committed other wrongdoing in their probe of New Times, which led to the arrests of the paper's founders. The 34-page lawsuit also accuses the defendants of retaliatory conduct in falsely arresting Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin and in maliciously prosecuting New Times. The lawsuit does not ask for a specific amount of money, but seeks general and punitive damages, and requests a jury trial. Read more on the Phoenix New Times' blog. (FULL STORY)
Phoenix New Times Press Release  |  04-29-2008  11:28 am  |  Press Releases

AAN's Inaugural Web Publishing Survey Sent Out Today

The confidential survey (click here for PDF copy) covers a broad range of topics, including financial info, web traffic, staffing, software, marketing, email newsletters, blogs and multimedia. It was emailed to AAN publishers today. The results will be compiled by AAN staff; Jackson Free Press' Todd Stauffer will analyze the results and present the findings in a closed session at the AAN Convention in Philadelphia. Only those papers that substantially complete the survey by the close-of-business on May 12 will receive a copy of the results and be allowed to attend Stauffer's presentation at the convention.
AAN  |  04-28-2008  3:37 pm  |  Association News

Letter in Alibi Leads VA Nurse to First Amendment Awardnew

The PEN American Center named Laura Berg as the recipient of this year's prestigious PEN/Katherine Anne Porter First Amendment Award. Berg, who faced a sedition investigation after writing a letter to the editor of the Alibi criticizing the Bush Administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina and the Iraq War, will receive the $10,000 prize at a gala tonight in New York City. "When Laura Berg sat down to write her letter to the editor, she was enacting her most basic constitutional right and affirming our national faith that exercising this right is an act of patriotism and civic engagement," PEN Freedom to Write program director Larry Siems says in a release. "That her letter was greeted instead as a threat to overthrow the government shows just how far we deviated from our national values in the years following 9/11." The New York Times applauded the PEN Center's decision, editorializing this weekend that Berg was "well chosen" to receive award.
The PEN American Center | The New York Times  |  04-28-2008  8:50 am  |  Industry News

Ex-Village Voice Film Critic On His Departure and the State of Criticismnew

"In some sense, getting fired from the Voice was maybe the best thing to happen in my career," Nathan Lee tells Rotten Tomatoes. "Before I wrote for the Voice, a certain number of people were familiar with my work ... But I think having been able to write at the Voice for about a year and a half, I got to show a lot of people what I could really do. Because you can write at length and it's very unfettered; you can sort of say whatever you want, and I did." He says he's been fielding a lot of freelance offers since he was dismissed in March. When asked about the nationwide trend of the "disappearing critic," Lee doesn't mince words. "I mean, it's really sad that all these film critics are losing their jobs, but I think most film criticism is terrible. And not useful. And frankly, really boring."
Rotten Tomatoes  |  04-25-2008  3:13 pm  |  Industry News

OC Weekly Staffer in New Feature Filmnew

Luke Y. Thompson has a role in Wicked Lake, a horror film premiering this weekend in Hollywood. According to IMDB's roll call of cast members, Thompson plays "Half-Idiot." The film was written by Adam Rockoff, directed by Zach Passero, and features music by Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen.
OC Weekly  |  04-25-2008  8:39 am  |  Industry News

The Memphis Flyer Prints its 1,000th Issuenew

In a letter from the editor celebrating the milestone, Bruce VanWyngarden traces the history of the Flyer, from its February 1989 debut to this week's issue. VanWyngarden gives props to previous editors Tim Sampson and Dennis Freeland, as well as Flyer publisher and former AAN Board President Kenneth Neill, and the staffers who rarely get such recognition. "The people who do count are those who create your weekly Flyer -- the writers, editors, art directors, ad sales folks, and others who make this publication possible," he writes.
The Memphis Flyer  |  04-25-2008  8:21 am  |  Honors & Achievements

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