AAN News
Bay Guardian/VVM Trial Goes to the Jurynew
The jury began deliberations on Friday and will resume this morning. Both the SF Weekly and the San Francisco Bay Guardian need nine of the 12 jurors to take their side in order to win the case. "Much like two candidates in the final days before an election, attacks from both sides are getting increasingly personal as a verdict nears," the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The daily says the trial has brought to light financial data that call into question whether the city can support two alt-weeklies at "a time when newspapers are consolidating to stay alive." Local blogger Randy Shaw agrees.
"Maybe the San Francisco market can't support two alternative weeklies," he says. "It's likely, after the outcome of this court case, there might only be one left standing." For the most recent coverage, check out the trial blogs from the Guardian and the Weekly.
San Francisco Chronicle | SF Bay Guardian | SF Weekly |
03-03-2008 8:26 am |
Industry News
Creative Loafing (Charlotte) Wins Top Honors
Awards go out to two writers
(FULL STORY)
Creative Loafing (Charlotte) Press Release |
03-03-2008 8:31 am |
Press Releases
State Agency Stonewalls Seven Daysnew
While working on a story on the growth of Vermont's bottled water industry, reporter Mike Ives arranged an interview with a hydrogeologist from the state's Agency of Natural Resources (ANR). But when it came time to conduct the interview, Ives was referred instead to Sabina Haskell, ANR's communications director, who eventually told him, "I won't be able to line up anyone to talk to you." In the meantime, she'd also circulated an internal memo directing ANR employees not to speak with Seven Days unless clearing it with her. "Twice since I've been here," Haskell says as justification, "we've made ourselves readily available and were told that interviews were going to go one way and the story turned out completely differently." The dispute "spilled over to the Vermont Legislature" this week, according to the Rutland Herald. During hearings on two open government bills, the chairwoman of the Senate Government Operations Committee brought up the memo "as an example of how difficult it sometimes is to get agency experts to speak to legislative committees."
Seven Days | Rutland Herald |
02-28-2008 11:50 am |
Industry News
Tags: Editorial, Seven Days
Judge Grants Injunction in Metro Times Voter Info Casenew
A federal judge on Wednesday granted a request for a preliminary injunction in a case brought in January by the ACLU of Michigan on behalf of Metro Times, three political parties, and a political consulting firm, the Associated Press reports. The suit seeks information about who voted in the state's primary and whether they took a Republican or Democratic ballot -- records that are currently available only to those two political parties. Under current law, the secretary of state is required to provide this information to the parties within 71 days of the primary, which was held this year on Jan. 15. But the plaintiffs argue that violates the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. The ruling yesterday prevents the information from being disseminated before the judge can make a definitive decision. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for March 26.
The Associated Press via the Detroit Free Press |
02-28-2008 8:29 am |
Legal News
Tags: Editorial, Metro Times
Closing Arguments in Bay Guardian/VVM Trial Set for Thursday
The last three witnesses took the stand yesterday in the Guardian's predatory pricing trial against SF Weekly and Village Voice Media. Guardian publisher and editor Bruce Brugmann and associate publisher Jean Dibble were brought back to the stand, this time by the Weekly's attorneys; they were followed by Bay Area publisher Bill Johnson, whose papers include AAN members the Palo Alto Weekly and Pacific Sun. The trial takes a day off today, and closing arguments begin Thursday morning. For more details, read the latest from the Weekly and the Bay Guardian.
SF Weekly | San Francisco Bay Guardian |
02-27-2008 9:05 am |
Industry News
Local Listings Site Yelp Doubles Traffic, Expands Local Ad Salesnew
The Washington Post |
02-27-2008 11:24 am |
Industry News
Tags: Editorial, Electronic Publishing
Alt-Weekly Writers Win Education Reporting Awardsnew
In this year's installment of the Education Writers Association's journalism contest, Rob Jordan of the Miami New Times and April Jimenez of the Long Island Press both received first-place awards in the Feature, News Feature, or Issue Package category in different circulation divisions (Jordan in under 100,000; Jimenez in over 100,000). In addition, Westword's Luke Turf took home a special citation award in the same category for papers with a circulation under 100,000.
The Education Writers Association |
02-26-2008 2:34 pm |
Honors & Achievements
AAN West Post-Conference Survey Results Available
This year's AAN West conference went very well, according to the results of a post-conference survey. A total of 273 people attended the meeting, which was held last month in San Francisco, and 98 percent of the survey respondents agreed that the conference was an overall success. A summary of the survey results has been posted in the Resource Library.
AAN |
02-26-2008 12:51 pm |
Association News
Las Vegas Weekly Editor Joins Las Vegas CityLife
Scott Dickensheets, who had been at the Weekly since 2002, has joined the staff of Las Vegas CityLife as special projects editor. He will oversee features, cover presentation and special projects. The Weekly is an AAN member, and CityLife is applying for membership this year.
(FULL STORY)
Las Vegas CityLife Press Release |
02-26-2008 9:51 am |
Press Releases
Monthly Mag from City Pages Founders Ceases Print Publicationnew
The Rake, which was founded in 2002 by Tom Bartel and Kris Henning, announced this week that the March issue will be its last, citing declining print advertising revenue, the Star Tribune reports. The magazine will continue as a web operation, and 15 of its 16 full-time employees will be laid off. "Things have changed radically in the last six years, and I think it's going to get worse long before it gets better," Bartel says. "It's too expensive to produce journalism and then have Google come along and take all your advertising."
The Star Tribune |
02-26-2008 8:54 am |
Industry News
Tags: Editorial, Management
Journalists Eligible for Scholarships for College Religion Courses
Religion Newswriters Press Release |
02-26-2008 1:22 pm |
Press Releases
Bay Guardian/VVM Trial Will Likely Go to the Jury This Week
The predatory pricing trial is winding down and it is now expected that the case will go to the jury either Tuesday or Wednesday (the trial takes a day off today). On Friday, the SF Weekly's expert CPA, Everett P. Harry, continued his testimony and Jeff Mars, Village Voice Media's vice president for financial operations, also took the stand. The Guardian says the Weekly's witnesses "make the Guardian's case," while the Weekly says the Guardian's lawyers were focusing on "imaginary evidence." Meanwhile, Editor & Publisher columnist Mark Fitzgerald checks in on the trial, and on the daily blog dispatches from each side, and finds that "the Guardian and SF Weekly are covering the trial with reports that are gleefully unconcerned about appearing objective, and recall the great newspaper feuds of yesteryear."
San Francisco Bay Guardian | SF Weekly | Editor & Publisher |
02-25-2008 9:33 am |
Industry News
Seattle Weekly Partners With Local TV Networknew
Seattle's ABC affiliate KOMO-4 will now regularly take print stories from the Weekly and turn them into TV news stories on its 11 pm newscast. The partnership began last week.
Seattle Weekly |
02-25-2008 8:38 am |
Industry News
Dueling CPAs Take the Stand at the Bay Guardian/VVM Trial
Bay Guardian expert CPA Clifford Kupperberg continued his testimony yesterday in the paper's predatory pricing trial against SF Weekly and Village Voice Media. The next witness was the Weekly's expert CPA, Everett P. Harry, who argued that Kupperberg's testimony was flawed. For more on the trial, check out these blog posts from the Weekly and the Bay Guardian and this week's editor's note from the Guardian. The trial resumes today.
SF Weekly | San Francisco Bay Guardian |
02-22-2008 2:27 pm |
Industry News
L.A. Weekly Dominates Entertainment Journalism Awardsnew
The paper finished first in four of the six categories for which it was eligible in the LA Press Club's inaugural National Entertainment Journalism Awards. Nikki Finke swept the online categories, winning first for Best News Story, Best Feature Story, and Best Critic. Ella Taylor took first for Best Critic in print, and Finke also finished second for Best News Story in print.
LA Press Club |
02-22-2008 12:54 pm |
Honors & Achievements
