AAN News
Finally! Alt-Weeklies Tied to U.S. Attorneys Scandalnew
SF Weekly's October 2006 cover story about the detached management style of former U.S. Attorney Kevin Ryan turned up in one of the emails released in the Justice Department's latest document dump. "Thought you might be interested in this; It's from a local weekly," Associate Deputy Attorney General David Margolis wrote to several colleagues as he forwarded Martin Kuz's tale of mismanagement and upheaval within the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Francisco. According to Kuz, "while the other seven deposed U.S. attorneys earned mostly high marks for their work, Ryan arguably deserved his fate."
SF Weekly |
03-27-2007 3:30 pm |
Industry News
Honolulu Weekly Story Helps Resolve Contract Disputenew
Viacom subsidiary College Publisher has dropped language in its contract with the University of Hawaii-Manoa's student newspaper that forbade any stories critical of the firm or its corporate partners, the Honolulu Weekly reports. The dispute was made public last week when the alt-weekly reported the student paper's website had been down since February due to the stalled contract talks. The provision was removed the next day, according to the Weekly. College Publisher provides an online publishing system for the websites of more than 450 university and college newspapers.
Honolulu Weekly |
03-27-2007 11:57 am |
Industry News
New York Press Names New Publisher & New Editor
Nick Thomas, who was most recently Associate Publisher at the New York alt-weekly, is the new publisher, according to a press release. In addition, as we reported last week, Jerry Portwood has been named the paper's new editor.
(FULL STORY)
New York Press Press Release |
03-27-2007 10:35 am |
Press Releases
Houston Press Reporter Wins IRE Awardnew
All the finalists in the "Newspapers: Local Circulation Weeklies" category were AAN members, but Todd Spivak came out on top for "Run Over By Metro." The prestigious awards, given by Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc., recognize the most outstanding watchdog journalism of the year. Judges said Spivak's "compelling and vivid narrative writing gives extraordinary power to the victims' stories and fuels the outrage over the agency's misconduct." The other finalists were Sarah Fenske of Phoenix New Times (for "Cracked Houses"), Dan Frosch of the Santa Fe Reporter (for "The Wexford Files"), and Matthew Fleischer of LA Weekly (for "Navahoax").
Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc. |
03-27-2007 9:12 am |
Honors & Achievements
Phoenix New Times Reveals the Anatomy of a Hoaxnew
As we reported earlier this month, the alt-weekly's story on Anna Nicole Smith's "secret Native American love child" was indeed fake. Stephen Lemons, who wrote the story, tallies up the carnage this week, reporting that CBS News, Gawker and the New Zealand Herald were among the outlets that fell for it. And while the paper was offered $500,000 for photos of the non-existent baby boy at one point, Lemons notes that many of the paper's regular readers knew it was a hoax all along.
Phoenix New Times |
03-26-2007 2:29 pm |
Industry News
Isthmus Wins Milwaukee Press Club Awardsnew
Nathan Comp took home a first-place award for Feature Writing in the Club's annual Excellence in Journalism contest, the Wisconsin State Journal reports. The Madison alt-weekly's website received two second-place awards in the contest.
Wisconsin State Journal |
03-26-2007 8:29 am |
Honors & Achievements
Former Dallas Observer Writer Booted off Ballot in Mayoral Racenew
Zac Crain's quixotic quest to become Mayor of Dallas looks like it may be over. The former Observer music editor came up about 50 valid signatures short of the 473 required and will be removed from the May 12 ballot, the Dallas Morning News reports. Many of Crain's signatures came from people ineligible to vote in Dallas or declared "inactive" by officials because they hadn't voted in years, according to Assistant City Secretary Rosa Rios. "We should have done a better job at securing signatures -- it's really disappointing," says Crain, who promises to fight the ruling. "We haven't figured out what we're going to do, but I'm not going to quit just yet." Crain had hoped to replace current Dallas mayor and former Observer columnist Laura Miller.
Dallas Morning News |
03-23-2007 3:04 pm |
Industry News
New York Press Editor Steps Downnew
Adario Strange has resigned after one year at the alt-weekly, Gawker reports. "My goal was to change the paper into what it could be and I'm happy that we accomplished that," says Strange, who took over for Harry Siegel in the wake of the Muhammad cartoons controversy. "Having accomplished those goals, I am happy to get back to what I had been doing for the prior four years, making independent films."
UPDATE: Arts Editor Jerry Portwood will take over as editor of the New York Press, Gawker is now reporting. In addition, Managing Editor Natalie Dolcewas fired resigned last week, according to Gawker. CORRECTION: AAN News has been informed that Dolce was not fired as originally reported by Gawker, but that she resigned from the Press.
UPDATE: Arts Editor Jerry Portwood will take over as editor of the New York Press, Gawker is now reporting. In addition, Managing Editor Natalie Dolce
Gawker |
03-23-2007 9:52 am |
Industry News
OC Weekly Editor Leaves for Sacramento News & Reviewnew
Executive editor Matt Coker notified the Weekly's staff yesterday that he's heading to the state capitol to be editor of the News & Review, LA Observed reports. He replaces Nancy Brands Ward, who left the Sacramento alt-weekly earlier this month. Despite the timing of his resignation, Coker says it's unrelated to the recent comings and goings at OC Weekly. "I want to make it clear that my departure has nothing to do with Ted [Kissell]'s arrival nor the shenanigans involving others who have left the Weekly," Coker says in his e-mail to staff. "The timing just happened to work out that way."
LA Observed |
03-23-2007 9:13 am |
Industry News
Call For Nominations: Molly Ivins Award
The Molly Ivins First Amendment Award will be presented at the AAN convention to a journalist or media figure who has taken a courageous stand challenging the preferred narrative of powerful government or private interests; whose reporting and/or commentary has had a profound impact on the public's understanding of the issue; and whose work embodies the spirit of Ivins' legacy -- speaking truth to power with wit and style. All AAN members are eligible to submit a nomination to web at aan.org. The deadline is Tuesday, April 2.
AAN Staff |
03-22-2007 3:51 pm |
Association News
Tags: Editorial, Management
Alt-Weekly Vet Cathy Seipp Dies at 49new
The former columnist for Los Angeles CityBeat and the New York Press passed away yesterday afternoon, the Los Angeles Times reports. Despite being a non-smoker, Seipp was diagnosed five years ago with the lung cancer that ultimately killed her. Although she's probably best known for her National Review column and her Wall Street Journal op-eds, Seipp was a longtime writer for alt-weeklies on both coasts. She wrote the "Letter from L.A." column for the New York Press in the 1990s, and in 2003 she started writing the "Media Circus" column for Los Angeles CityBeat. The Advice Goddess Amy Alkon, a close friend of Seipp's, reports that a public funeral will be held at 10 am Friday, at L.A.'s Mt. Sinai Hollywood Hills (map). On Seipp's blog, her daughter notes that instead of flowers, she had requested that people make donations to the Humane Society or the Lung Cancer Alliance.
Los Angeles Times |
03-22-2007 8:39 am |
Industry News
Tags: Editorial, Management
Roanoke Times Launches Website Targeting College Studentsnew
After trying -- and failing -- to reach the youth demographic with a tabloid insert, the Roanoke Times has turned to the web instead. BigLickU.com, which launched Monday, features listings, social networking and video, and is thus far completely supported by ads, according to Editor & Publisher. Landmark Communications, the parent company of the Roanoke Times, also owns Virginia-based AAN members Style Weekly and Port Folio Weekly.
Editor & Publisher |
03-21-2007 2:08 pm |
Industry News
New OC Weekly Editor to Staff: 'Keep Up the Good Work'new
That's the first thing he'd say to them, Ted Kissell tells Fishbowl LA. "I was impressed in general with the paper," he says. "I know a lot of people who have respect for Will Swaim and what he accomplished there ... I'm happy to be going there and picking up where he left off." Kissell takes the helm as editor April 2.
Fishbowl LA |
03-21-2007 1:09 pm |
Industry News
Whistleblower Who Talked to San Francisco Bay Guardian Axednew
Alcatraz Island tour guide Dan Cooke has been fired by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy (GGNPC) in the wake of the alt-weekly's article that quoted him complaining about a sewage spill, the Guardian reports. Cooke has filed an administrative complaint with the U.S. Dept. of Labor against the GGNPC and the National Park Service, claiming he should be protected as a whistleblower. Members of the state assembly are also investigating the firing, according to the Guardian.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
03-21-2007 11:11 am |
Industry News
Southland Publishing Adds a Glossy Monthly to the Mixnew
The publisher of AAN members San Diego CityBeat, Los Angeles CityBeat, ValleyBeat and Pasadena Weekly announced today that Los Angeles New City Monthly will debut in June. The magazine will "celebrate the intellectual and cultural 'renaissance' of LA's Eastside" and will largely be distributed via direct mail, according to a Southland press release. Nikki Bazar, who previously freelanced for Pasadena Weekly, will be editor. The design and production will be handled by the art and production team at CityBeat and ValleyBeat.
Southland Publishing Inc. Press Release (PDF) |
03-21-2007 10:56 am |
Press Releases
