AAN News
Senate Republicans Block Debate on Shield Lawnew
Some Republican senators are refusing to begin debate on the latest version of a federal shield law until the Senate addresses a bill that would promote more domestic oil and gas production, the Washington Post reports. The most recent iteration of the bill was introduced on Tuesday by Sens. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Richard Lugar (R-Ind.). A similar bill was passed last October by the House of Representatives and the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Washington Post |
07-31-2008 9:24 am |
Legal News
Tags: Editorial, Management
NY Yankees Pitcher Writes for an Alt-Weekly ... Only in The Onionnew
In a story based on the premise of New York Yankees starting pitcher Mike Mussina's failed attempts to get published by McSweeney's, the Onion "reports" that Mussina "frequently submitted" stories to Baltimore City Paper while he was in the minor leagues.
The Onion |
07-31-2008 9:03 am |
Industry News
Two AAN Members Win Four NABJ Awardsnew
Philadelphia Weekly and Seattle Weekly both finished first in two categories in this year's National Association of Black Journalists' Salute to Excellence National Media Awards. PW's Kia Gregory took first-place honors in Newspaper--Feature (Single Story) and Newspaper--Commentary, while Seattle Weekly's Mike Seely finished first in Newspaper--Sports and Brian Miller finished first in Newspaper-Business. Winners were announced Saturday in Chicago. This marks Seely's fourth award from the NABJ in the past five years, according to the Weekly.
National Association of Black Journalists |
07-31-2008 8:16 am |
Honors & Achievements
Another LEO Alum Enters Political Arenanew
Former editor Cary Stemle is not following in the footsteps of LEO founder and current Congressman John Yarmuth by running for office, but he has has joined Democratic Senate candidate Bruce Lunsford's team as campaign spokesperson, Politicker KY reports. Lunsford is running against Senator Mitch McConnell, the current Senate Minority Leader who has served in Congress since 1984. Stemle, who edited LEO for a decade, was let go when the paper was purchased by SouthComm Communications in May.
Politicker KY |
07-30-2008 2:05 pm |
Industry News
Santa Barbara Named One of '10 That Do it Right' by E&P
Editor & Publisher has recognized the Santa Barbara Independent as one of 10 newspapers of note, in their annual "10 That Do It Right" feature. The Independent is the only AAN member on this year's list (the Bay Guardian made the cut last year), which showcases newspapers in the US that are "performing in one particular aspect -- from marketing to online video -- that merits consideration and maybe even emulation by their peers." E&P notes that the Independent has become the top source for local news in town by capitalizing on turmoil at the daily Santa Barbara News-Press and by focusing on its website. "When you talk about the paper of record, you really are assuming that's the paper that has the institutional memory," Indy editor-in-chief Marianne Partridge says. "The fact is, it's our paper that has all the institutional memory."
(FULL STORY)
Santa Barbara Independent Press Release |
07-30-2008 10:11 am |
Press Releases
Longtime Editor Leaves Isthmus as Part of Cutbacksnew
Marc Eisen, who is currently executive editor of the Madison alt-weekly, is leaving the paper at the end of August as a part of cost-cutting measures, publisher Vince O'Hern says in a column. Eisen was editor until he moved into the executive editor spot last fall to have more time to write. He worked for Isthmus from 1978-1986, and then rejoined the paper in 1988. "These are difficult, challenging times in journalism," Eisen tells the Capital Times. "There's no one more expendable than the executive editor." The other staffer that falls victim to the cuts is 18-year veteran writer Tom Laskin. "These departures were not pleasant decisions to make and we do not relish saying goodbye to these folks. We hope to work with them again in the future," O'Hern writes. "Change can be and, in this instance, is hard. But the consequences of not changing, of not responding to the challenges of the business climate, would ultimately be harder."
Isthmus | The Capital Times |
07-29-2008 8:49 am |
Industry News
Gambit Weekly Picks Up a Dozen Local Press Club Awardsnew
Gambit won a total of 12 awards at the 50th annual Press Club of New Orleans awards competition, including four first-place finishes. The paper took the Ashton Phelps Sr. Memorial Award for excellence in editorial writing, and finished first in column, general news, and headline writing. In addition, former Gambit intern and current contributor Lauren LaBorde was one of three students to receive a journalism scholarship at the ceremony.
Gambit Weekly |
07-29-2008 8:42 am |
Honors & Achievements
Federal Judge Rules Fair Use in Michael Savage/CAIR Casenew
Online Media Daily |
07-29-2008 11:11 am |
Legal News
After Inaugural Issue, Cleveland's Daily Looks at the New Scenenew
Publisher Matt Fabyan tells the Cleveland Plain-Dealer that his fears of newsroom tension between employees of former competitors Cleveland Free Times and Scene were unfounded. "After the first day, people have jelled really well," he says. The Plain-Dealer runs down some facts about the new paper, which debuted last week after the two papers were merged by new owners Times-Shamrock. The first issue came in at 100 pages, which was up from 72 in Free Times' last issue and 60 in Scene's last one. The new paper's circulation is 60,000, which is 10,000 more than pre-merger circulation totals for each paper, but down from a high of 100,000 a few years ago. Fabyan also tells the P-D that total staff loss was about 10 people. Each paper had about 25 staff members pre-merger, and the new paper comes in around 40, half from the old Free Times and half from the old Scene.
Cleveland Plain-Dealer |
07-28-2008 12:53 pm |
Industry News
At Comic-Con, Matt Groening Rips San Diego Readernew
As he's been doing for, "like, 15 years," the Simpsons creator and cartoonist behind the "Life in Hell" comic criticized the Reader while in San Diego for Comic-Con. The strip, which runs in LA Weekly and other alts, "used to be in the San Diego Reader, but they don't like portrayals of gay couples in their publication, like with the characters Akbar and Jeff," Groening said, according to Variety. "So now every year I come to Comic-Con and denounce the San Diego Reader." Groening was also asked if he had any plans to turn the strip into an animated series. He said it was possible but explained, "There is a satisfaction in working in a collaborative process in animation," but "there's another kind of creative fulfillment of doing something completely by yourself."
Broadcasting & Cable | Variety |
07-28-2008 9:11 am |
Industry News
Boston Phoenix Critic Hits Back on Ethics Questionnew
"I'm surprised that some people think that artists shouldn't write criticism," says Phoenix classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz, who last week faced questions about his ethics from the Boston Globe because an orchestra he covers was setting his poetry to music. "I can't believe that there is anything wrong with anyone, let alone a teacher and artist who also happens to be a critic, taking part in a worthy educational enterprise such as this one, a modest effort to further the education of a handful of young classical musicians," says the Pulitzer-winning critic. "It's a sad state of affairs that anyone thinks this service to a new generation of composers and musicians compromises my standing as a critic."
The Boston Globe |
07-28-2008 8:26 am |
Industry News
Sacramento News & Review Restaurant Critic Launches Literary Publishing Housenew
The Sacramento Bee |
07-28-2008 8:30 am |
Industry News
2000 SF Weekly Satire Has Come to Fruitionnew
California recently joined 10 other states in compelling Anheuser Busch to stop selling caffeine-spiked beer products like Tilt and Bud Extra. "The watchdogs might have saved steps by looking up a 2000 SF Weekly satire column, which facetiously predicted the introduction of an 'energy beer' that would be viewed as a public menace, and run into trouble with the law," columnist Matt Smith notes. The satire was part of a regular dot-com-boom-era feature called "South to the Future," in which the writers Becky Bond and Jose Marquez "concocted made-up news stories about improbable, absurd, yet somehow believable technological advances." Energy beer was one of those advances, and as Smith points out, "eight years later, the Bond and Marquez column reads like current news."
SF Weekly |
07-25-2008 10:23 am |
Industry News
Cleveland Scene Editor: The War is Over, and Neither Side Won or Lostnew
"A month ago we were enemies, hunkered down in bunkers and trying to will each other into starvation or surrender; today, we share the same fax machine and make small talk in the elevators," Frank Lewis says of the now-merged Cleveland Free Times and Scene. "And between deadlines and the seemingly endless details inherent in merging two operations -- packing and unpacking, integrating computer systems, finding the goddamn coffee -- there's just been no time to nurse grudges." He adds: "What matters most now is figuring out what to do with this rare opportunity -- in the Rust Belt, at least -- to leave behind the hand-to-mouth, week-to-week existence, the paranoia and bitterness, and figure out how to make the most of a more stable future."
Cleveland Scene |
07-24-2008 11:41 am |
Industry News
Emily Flake Talks About Cartooning and Her Creative Processnew
In a Q&A with The New Yorker's Cartoon Lounge blog, Flake, whose "Lulu Eightball" strip appears in many AAN papers and who also does spot illustrations for alts, says that, yes, Emily Flake is her real name. "All too real, my friend, all too real," she says. When asked to describe her typical day, she does thusly: "Drawing, pen chewing, staring into space, brooding, looking at websites of superior illustrators and dying a little inside, losing at computer solitaire, some more drawing, venturing out for coffee, seeing if a cigarette helps things along (things being 'ideas,' not 'fatal diseases,' God willing), some desultory fumblings at the Y, some more drawing and staring, dinner, lots of knitting, staring at the ceiling, merciful sleep."
The New Yorker |
07-24-2008 10:30 am |
Industry News
