AAN News
The Village Voice Obtains, Publishes Secret NYPD Tapesnew

For more than a year, a Brooklyn police officer secretly recorded his fellow officers and superiors and those tapes have now been obtained by writer Graham Rayman and published by the Village Voice. "They provide an incredible composite into the goings-on of those entrusted with the law, the ones New Yorkers don't know about, and the ones they would definitely want to," Voice blogger Foster Kamer writes. "And the results are as astounding as they are infuriating." The Washington Post's Story Lab agrees, saying the tapes and the story "[capture] a rare look inside the New York City police department. ... Taken together, the recordings provide an intimate look into a place that has been for the most part hidden from the media and the public."
The Village Voice |
05-07-2010 3:23 pm |
Industry News
Senate Passes Amendment Designed to Speed Up FOIA Responsenew
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press |
05-07-2010 1:58 pm |
Industry News
Tags: Editorial
Treme Character Works for the Village Voicenew
David Simon, whose harsh portrayal of the Baltimore Sun in The Wire caused a minor stir in media circles a few years ago, is back with a new HBO series, Treme, which also features a reporter character: Jill, a Village Voice reporter played by Danai Gurira. "We'd hope for an honest portrayal of what it's like to work at the Village Voice, and we got one," the Voice's Foster Kamer writes. The character "is first greeted at an awesome, hopping party (which we all go to, nightly) by legendary Jazz critic (and Voice alum) Stanley Crouch, and told how great a piece she wrote was. It happens. She's then greeted by another legendary cultural critic, Nelson George, and asked how the Village Voice is treating her. She replies in the ambivalent-affirmative ("Ehh. Good enough.") thus accurately conforming to Page 121, Paragraph 3, Section A of the Village Voice Media Holdings, LLC employee handbook."
The Village Voice |
05-06-2010 3:51 pm |
Industry News
Four Alt-Weeklies Named Finalists in Food Journalism Awardsnew
The Association of Food Journalists (AFJ) has announced the winners in its 2010 awards competition, and four AAN members are in the mix. Miami New Times has placed in three categories -- Best Newspaper Food Feature (under 200K circ.), Best Newspaper Food Story and Best Newspaper Food Criticism. The Village Voice staff is competing in the Best Newspaper Food Coverage (150-250K circ.) category, while the L.A. Weekly staff is in the running for Best Food Blog. And the Mountain Xpress' Hanna Raskin, who recently decamped to the Dallas Observer, is competing in the Best Newspaper Food Column category. The placement of the winners will be announced at AFJ's annual conference in September.
Association of Food Journalists |
05-06-2010 1:34 pm |
Honors & Achievements
The Pitch Wins National SPJ Awardnew
Pitch staff writer Nadia Pflaum has won a 2009 Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Society of Professional Journalists in the Feature Reporting for non-daily papers category for "Aftermath." Judges chose the winners from over 1,300 entries; the awards will be presented Oct. 2 during a ceremony in Las Vegas.
Society of Professional Journalists |
05-04-2010 3:48 pm |
Honors & Achievements
Fake Bruce Brugmann Now on Twitternew
The fake Twitter stream of San Francisco Bay Guardian publisher Bruce Brugmann is "drunken, outrageous, [and] rails against Village Voice Media executive editor Mike Lacey," the SF Weekly reports. "Once upon a time, if you wanted to roast your newspaper editor, you would make a drunken speech at an office party or draw a funny cartoon," the Weekly notes. "But that was back in the bad old days, before fake Twitter accounts created the perfect medium for a constant stream of homage/mockery." The Weekly adds that it is not behind the account, which has the handle "Bossy_Brugmann," despite its ongoing public battles with the Guardian and its founder.
SF Weekly |
05-04-2010 10:37 am |
Industry News
North Coast Journal Launches Redesigned Websitenew
The Journal's new site, which went live May 1, "is a top-down and head-to-toe revision of our most recent site, which was circa 2007," editor Hank Sims explains in a note to readers. The design work was done by Portland's Topaz Design, and the CSS was done by Slice 'n' Dice.
North Coast Journal |
05-04-2010 10:26 am |
Industry News
Three Young Alt-Weekly Staffers Finalists for 2009 Livingston Awardsnew
The Village Voice's Elizabeth Dwoskin, Jaclyn Galluci of the Long Island Press, and Chris Vogel of the Houston Press are among the finalists for this year's Livingston Awards for Young Journalists, an all-media, general reporting contest that awards three $10,000 prizes for Local, National, and International Reporting to journalists under the age of 35. It's Dwoskin's second nomination in a row; last year's local reporting winner was Phoenix New Times' John Dickerson. Winners will be announced on June 2.
The Livingston Awards for Young Journalists |
05-03-2010 2:20 pm |
Honors & Achievements
Former Phoenix New Times Staff Writer Running for U.S. Senatenew

John Dougherty, who left New Times in August 2006, says he has filed documents with the Federal Elections Commission as a first step to run in the upcoming Democratic primary for a U.S. Senate seat. New Times reports that, if he collects enough signatures to get on the ballot, Dougherty will be matched against two other Democratic hopefuls before potentially facing off with the winner of the Republican primary battle between incumbent John McCain and J.D. Hayworth. "This will be a great exercise in the regular folks standing up and saying, 'Enough of this bullshit,'" Dougherty says. "We're going to try to make the debate more than just about rounding up people and tossing them back across the border and thinking that will solve everything, including our economic crisis."
Phoenix New Times |
05-03-2010 2:08 pm |
Industry News
Three Alt-Weekly Writers Pick Up James Beard Awardsnew
Writers from the Chicago Reader, L.A. Weekly and Westword all took home top prizes at this year's James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards, which recognize excellence in food writing. The Reader's Cliff Doerksen won in the Newspaper Feature Writing category for his feature on mince pie, and Westword's Jared Jacang Maher came out on top in the Newspaper Feature Writing About Restaurants and/or Chefs category for his piece on the pay-what-you-want SAME Cafe. Meanwhile, the Weekly's Pulitzer-winning food critic Jonathan Gold added another awards notch to his belt with a win in the Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Reviews category.
James Beard Foundation |
05-03-2010 1:56 pm |
Honors & Achievements
City Pages Wins 17 Local SPJ Awardsnew
The Twin Cities alt-weekly is in line for 17 awards this year in the Minnesota Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists' annual Page One Awards. Specific placements will be announced at a May 21 awards banquet.
City Pages |
04-30-2010 1:41 pm |
Honors & Achievements
Alice Lucan's Newslaw Office is Moving; New Phone Number Coming [members only]
AAN |
04-30-2010 12:10 pm |
Association News
Mark Your Calendars: AAN's 2010 Convention Hits Toronto This July

The 33rd annual AAN Convention is heading north to Toronto, where NOW
Magazine will host a three-day gathering of enlightening programming,
unforgettable parties and crucial networking with your AAN peers. The convention website, which launched today, has the details thus far on programming, registration deals, travel and accommodations, and more.
(FULL STORY)
AAN |
04-29-2010 5:16 pm |
Association News
Former NOW Magazine Writer Becomes Mayoral Candidate Spokespersonnew
By taking the job as spokesperson for Toronto mayoral candidate (and current deputy mayor) Joe Pantalone, former NOW writer Mike Smith is giving himself the chance to potentially replace another former NOW writer in City Hall. Don Wanagas, who wrote for the alt-weekly until 2005, is the communications director for current mayor David Miller. Miller is not running for re-election.
The Globe & Mail |
04-28-2010 9:44 am |
Industry News
Michael Schaffer Named Washington City Paper Editornew

Schaffer was named the paper's new editor on Monday, replacing Erik Wemple, who departed for a local news website earlier this year. Schaffer, who currently lives in Philadlphia, was a reporter and senior editor at City Paper from 1997 to 2000. He went on to work at U.S. News & World Report and the Philadelphia Inquirer, and is the author of the best-selling book One Nation Under Dog, which examines America's mania for pets. "I'm sort of over the moon right now," Schaffer says. "City Paper was the first job I ever had and the most fun I've ever had at a job. I cherish the place." MORE from Politico.
Washington City Paper |
04-27-2010 9:40 am |
Industry News