AAN News
Called the 'Worst' by GLAAD, Westword Cartoonist Kenny Be Strikes Backnew
In July, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) placed Be and Westword on the "worst" section of its monthly Best and Worst of National News for a cartoon that used the term "Gear Fags" to describe camping enthusiasts who spend a lot of money on ridiculous gear. Be responds -- in hilarious fashion -- with this week's cover story, which points out that more than one celebrity who has received GLAAD Media Awards has also used the word the group apparently found so offensive. "If GLAAD claims that their mission is to 'prevent defamation' and to 'ensure accuracy and fairness for LGBT people in the media,' then why are they fawning over these fearless funny women, yet censoring me like some backwoods LGBT bigot?," he wonders. "Maybe if I had a vagina and a cable TV sitcom, I too would be a red-carpet-worthy GLAAD icon."
Westword |
10-02-2009 1:37 pm |
Industry News
East Bay Express Launches Small Biz Publication
The Express' Small Business Monthly will launch in February 2010 and "will focus on local reporting of small business issues in our region," according to an email sent out by publisher Jody Colley. "In a broader purpose," she continues, "it will also serve to inform community members, investors, entrepreneurs and policy leaders on how integral our 'Main Street' independent businesses are to a healthy and sustainable local economy." The publication will be distributed as an insert in the Express each month.
(FULL STORY)
AAN News |
10-02-2009 1:06 pm |
Industry News
Westword Seeks a Pot Criticnew
"Do you have a medical condition that necessitates marijuana? Do you have a way with words?," the Denver alt-weekly asked in a job posting earlier this week. "If so, Westword wants you to join the ranks as our freelance marijuana-dispensary reviewer." As the paper has reported, the number of medical marijuana dispensaries in the area has exploded, so they're launching a weekly column called "Mile Highs and Lows" to review them. Westword editor Patricia Calhoun tells the Wall Street Journal the process of looking for a critic to review drugs isn't any different than looking for, say, a food critic -- they will post the ad and ask for a sample review. "Our restaurant critic, Jason Sheehan, won a James Beard award," she says. "We're hoping we'll have similar success, although there don't seem to be as many rewards for marijuana reviewers."
The Wall Street Journal |
10-01-2009 12:10 pm |
Industry News
Obama Administration Proposes 'Sweeping Revisions' to Shield Lawnew
The White House has told Congress that it opposes federal shield legislation that would protect reporters from being imprisoned if they refuse to disclose confidential sources who leak material about national security, and has proposed changes to weaken that provision of the bill, the New York Times reports. The administration's proposals are being criticized by press groups and at least two Democratic senators who have supported the legislation, Arlen Specter (Pa.) and Charles Schumer (N.Y.). "The White House's opposition to the fundamental essence of this bill is an unexpected and significant setback," Schumer says. "It will make it hard to pass this legislation."
The New York Times |
10-01-2009 10:39 am |
Industry News
Tags: Editorial
FOIA Should be Stronger, SGI Tells Senate
In spite of strong statements from the White House supporting open government, "the secrecy reflex at some agencies remains firmly in place," Associated Press president and CEO Tom Curley said in prepared remarks to a Senate panel examining the state of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) today. Curley, who was testifying on behalf of the Sunshine in Government Initiative, told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the Obama message to agencies to be more transparent whenever possible has not yet translated into big changes when federal agencies process FOIA requests.
(FULL STORY)
Sunshine in Government Initiative Press Release |
09-30-2009 11:47 am |
Press Releases
Tags: Editorial
Catholic University Bans Washington City Paper After Sex Storynew
Washington City Paper has not been available on Catholic University's campus since May, when the alt-weekly ran a story on the school's campus sex ban, "Screw U: Inside the Secret Sex Life of Catholic University." The university's director of public affairs tells the campus paper The Tower that City Paper's removal was brought on by its "hateful article ridiculing our Catholic faith" but declined to provide any further details. "Whether or not that article was a true portrayal of students, we should be able to decide for ourselves whether or not it's worth reading," sophomore Joe McAnaney says. "It's disappointing that I can't just pick up the City Paper in the Pryz [the student center] anymore, even though I understand the University's decision."
Washington City Paper | The Tower |
09-29-2009 12:11 pm |
Industry News
Another 'How I Got that Story' Live Chat Slated for This Friday
Jeffrey Billman, who won first place for investigative reporting in the under-50,000 circulation category for his Orlando Weekly piece "Might Makes Right," will discuss the story with Weekly editor Bob Whitby in a conversation moderated by the San Francisco Bay Guardian's Tim Redmond. Like last week, the live chat will happen right here on AAN.org and will take place Friday at 3 pm EDT.
(FULL STORY)
AAN |
09-28-2009 3:52 pm |
Association News
Three AAN Members Win Northern California SPJ Awardsnew
The Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists announced the winners of its 2009 Excellence in Journalism Awards last week, and three alt-weeklies took home honors. The SF Weekly's Joe Eskenazi won the Explanatory Journalism (print, non-daily) award for "Service with a Snarl," a piece that "examines, with clarity and humor, the laws around the use of service animals in San Francisco." Kathleen Richards of the East Bay Express won the Investigative Journalism (print, non-daily) award for "Yelp and the Business of Extortion 2.0," which the judges say is "a strong example of consumer-affairs reporting." And the staff of the North Coast Journal won the Student Special Project award for "Meltdown," a project the paper undertook with students from Humboldt State University's Investigative Reporting Class.
The Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists |
09-28-2009 1:29 pm |
Honors & Achievements
Application Deadline for IRE's Philip Meyer Journalism Awards is Oct. 31new
Investigative Reporters and Editors |
09-28-2009 3:07 pm |
Press Releases
Tags: Editorial, Management
How I Got That Story Live Chat: John Dickerson Talks Investigative Reporting
In our debut "How I Got That Story" live chat, John Dickerson talked about his Phoenix New Times series "Prescription for Disaster" with New Times managing editor Amy Silverman. The conversation was moderated by Folio Weekly editor Anne Schindler.
(FULL STORY)
AAN |
09-25-2009 2:28 pm |
Association News
Tags: Editorial, Management
Federal Shield Law Sees Further Delaynew
The proposed law again failed to win approval from the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday, "after senators from both parties said the current version could damage national security," the Associated Press reports.
The Associated Press via Editor & Publisher |
09-25-2009 11:27 am |
Industry News
Tags: Editorial
Nevada Alt-Weeklies Win Big in State Press Contestnew
Las Vegas CityLife, Las Vegas Weekly and the Reno News & Review took home a total of 74 awards at the annual Better Newspaper Contest put on by the Nevada Press Association. CityLife won 34 awards, with 16 first-place finishes; the News & Review won 28 awards, including 11 firsts; and the Weekly won 12 awards, four of which were first-place.
Nevada Press Association |
09-25-2009 9:42 am |
Honors & Achievements
AltWeeklies.com Launches Twitter Headline Feeds
Earlier this month, AAN's news portal website AltWeeklies.com launched two new ways for readers to check out the great work featured on the site. Now, in addition to the site's myriad (and customizable) RSS feeds, Twitter users can sign up to receive all News and/or Culture headlines from the site in an automated feed. To see the feeds in action or to sign up as a follower, visit AltWeeklyCulture and AltWeeklyNews on Twitter. All the while, AAN's main Twitter account will continue to highlight at least one significant story on AltWeeklies.com each day.
AAN |
09-24-2009 2:32 pm |
Association News
Defense Attorney Sues Tucson Weekly for Defamationnew
The Courthouse News Services reports that Andrew Diodati has sued the Weekly, publisher Tom Lee and a staff writer for allegedly defaming him in a July story in which a former client and her new lawyer accused Diodati of botching a fraud case and overcharging the government. Diodati claims the story spurred investigations by Pima County and the State Bar of Arizona, and that his "reputation has been severely damaged." He is seeking $2.75 million in damages to make up for what he says was the Weekly's "reckless disregard for the truth." Reached by email, attorney D. Douglas Metcalf, who is representing the paper, says they "have no comment other than to say that the Weekly intends to defend the suit vigorously."
Courthouse News Service |
09-24-2009 2:04 pm |
Industry News
Justice Department Unveils New Policy on State Secretsnew
Attorney General Eric Holder has laid out out new procedures that will "provide greater accountability and ensure the state secrets privilege is invoked only when necessary and in the narrowest way possible." Open government advocates like OMB Watch and Sen. Patrick Leahy have "expressed cautious optimism" about the policy, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press reports. Secrecy News also has a mixed reaction, saying the policy "includes procedural and substantive changes to current practice," but "it reserves decisions over the exercise of the privilege to the executive branch, and it appears to have garbled its treatment of judicial review."
U.S. Department of Justice |
09-24-2009 11:43 am |
Industry News
Tags: Editorial, Management
