AAN News
Judge Dismisses Parts of Phoenix New Times' Lawsuitnew
U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton this week dismissed some, but not all, of a suit filed in April over the arrests of New Times founders Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin last year. Bolton dismissed the allegations of racketeering and negligence against special prosecutor Dennis Wilenchik and Sheriff Joe Arpaio, in addition to dismissing County Attorney Andrew Thomas entirely as a defendant, New Times reports. However, she left claims of gross negligence, malicious prosecution, and false arrest and imprisonment to be handled by Superior Court, unless facts presented in an amended complaint persuade her otherwise (New Times has until Oct. 31 to file such a complaint). Saying that Bolton's ruling "is not a surprise," Lacey writes in a blog post that "her ruling in the current case is consistent with her scant regard for the First Amendment and the rights of a free press."
Phoenix New Times |
10-09-2008 9:44 am |
Legal News
Phoenix New Times Sues for Video of Inmate Deathnew
New Times filed a complaint in Maricopa County Court on Monday, asking that a judge order Sheriff Joe Arpaio to hand over public records that his office has refused to produce despite public records requests. The paper says the records include video footage of the final moments of an Juan Mendoza Farias' life. Farias, an inmate, died last December after an altercation with 11 jail guards, as the paper reported last month. New Times first filed a request for the video in July, but the paper has been stonewalled. The suit alleges that the withholding "is without merit, speculative, made in bad faith and insufficient as a matter of law to avoid compliance with the Arizona Public Records Law." The sheriff has 20 days to file a legal explanation for not releasing the records.
Phoenix New Times |
10-08-2008 9:14 am |
Legal News
Police Department 'Reviewing' Phoenix New Times Photosnew
Local law enforcement authorities want to determine whether to open an child pornography investigation as a result of photos published in the paper's current issue and on its website, according to the East Valley Tribune. The nude photos of artist Betsy Schneider's children accompany a story about her art, which is featured in a photography show that opened last week in downtown Phoenix. A spokesman in the Maricopa County Attorney's Office and an assistant city attorney in Phoenix's civil division confirm that the police have referred the case. The city attorney says the photos are unlikely to be found illegal, but adds that if they are, "Everybody who picked up one those issues (of the New Times) could be prosecuted for possessing child pornography."
East Valley Tribune |
08-19-2008 12:16 pm |
Industry News
Phoenix New Times Receives First Amendment Award from APnew
The Associated Press Managing Editors association selected winners for its annual awards this week in New York, and the group cited New Times in the First Amendment category for "for aggressively investigating and reporting on grand jury subpoenas seeking notes, tapes and confidential sources related to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, an investigation that expanded to other citizens." The awards will be presented during the group's September conference in Las Vegas.
The Associated Press |
06-27-2008 8:09 am |
Honors & Achievements
Attorney Wants Phoenix New Times Suit Against Him Thrown Outnew
Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas asked a federal judge last week to dismiss the lawsuit from New Times accusing him, Sheriff Joe Arpaio and attorney Dennis Wilenchik of violating the constitutional rights of the paper, its owners and its readers, the East Valley Tribune reports. Thomas claims he has "absolute immunity" from such cases while in office. Arpaio and Wilenchik have also asked the court to throw out the lawsuit for similar reasons. In addition, Wilenchik has asked that the suit be moved from county to federal court because it deals with civil rights issues. Michael Manning, the attorney for New Times, says the change of venue means the case will likely move more slowly, but added that "we're happy in either place."
The East Valley Tribune |
06-06-2008 10:07 am |
Industry News
Tags: Management, Phoenix New Times
L.A. Weekly and Phoenix New Times Win Maggie Awardsnew
The Maggie Awards, presented annually by the Western Publications Association, honor publishing excellence among magazines in the Western U.S. L.A. Weekly was selected as the best tabloid/consumer publication for its Sept. 7 issue, and also prevailed in two other categories: Best Fiction in the Trade & Consumer category for "One Hundred Percent," and Best News Story in the Consumer category, for "The End of Murder." Phoenix New Times won for Best Public Service Series or Article in the Trade & Consumer category for its investigations into Maricopa County's "assault" on the paper.
Western Publications Association |
05-22-2008 9:41 am |
Honors & Achievements
Alt-Weeklies Pick Up 33 Arizona Press Club Awardsnew
The state's two AAN members were well-represented when the Arizona Press Club presented its annual awards on Saturday night. Phoenix New Times took home a total of 17 awards, including first-place wins in Arts Writing or Criticism; Children, Families and Seniors Issues Reporting; Environment and Science Reporting; Investigative Reporting; News Column Writing; and Politics and Government Reporting. Staff writer Sarah Fenske tied for first-runner up in the prestigious Virg Hill Journalist of the Year award. Tucson Weekly won a total of 16 awards, including first-place finishes in Business Reporting; Commentary/Analysis; Film, Video and Television Criticism; Personality Profile; Personality Profile Reporting; Public Safety Reporting; Sports Reporting; and Sustained Coverage.
The East Valley Tribune |
05-14-2008 8:31 am |
Honors & Achievements
David Carr Weighs in On Phoenix New Times Arrests and Lawsuitnew
"Reporters have ended up in handcuffs in the United States before -- some have gone to jail to protect the identity of sources -- but it is a rare moment when someone here is imprisoned for the crime of typing," Carr writes in today's New York Times. He details how the tumultuous relationship between New Times and Sheriff Joe Arpaio ultimately led to the arrest of the paper's founders last year for disclosing a grand jury probe of the paper and its readers. Jim Larkin and Michael Lacey recently sued the sheriff and other officials for the debacle. "Suing people is not the core of what we do, but our arrest was just the culmination of an ongoing reign of terror that is still continuing," Lacey says.
The New York Times |
05-12-2008 9:46 am |
Industry News
Four Alt-Weekly Journalists Named Livingston Award Finalistsnew
The Dallas Observer's Megan Feldman and Jesse Hyde, Phoenix New Times' John Dickerson, and Washington City Paper's Dave Jamieson are among this year's Livingston Award finalists. The contest awards three $10,000 prizes for Local, National, and International Reporting to journalists under the age of 35. The winners will be announced on June 4.
The Livingston Awards |
05-05-2008 8:25 am |
Honors & Achievements
Sheriff Joe Arpaio on New Times Suit: 'I Welcome Being Sued'new
The Maricopa County sheriff "reacted with bluster" to the news that he was named in a suit filed yesterday by Phoenix New Times, the Arizona Republic reports. "They can't take their own medicine, so they have to be like crybabies and file a lawsuit against the sheriff and the county attorney," Arpaio says. "So you know what? I welcome the lawsuit. I welcome being sued. They're going to have to answer a lot of questions." Arpaio also defended the rationale behind the original probe. "It became a problem when they put my name illegally on the web," he says. "And that became a problem for me and my family. A big problem." New Times founder Michael Lacey defended the suit, calling the actions of Arpaio and the other defendants "unprecedented. ... They locked up journalists for something they've written, not for something they've withheld," he says.
The Arizona Republic |
04-30-2008 11:29 am |
Industry News
Phoenix New Times Files Suit Over Last Year's Grand Jury Debacle
The lawsuit, filed today in Maricopa County Superior Court, says defendants Sheriff Joe Arpaio, County Attorney Andrew Thomas, lawyer Dennis Wilenchik and two county agencies subverted "the grand jury process" and committed other wrongdoing in their probe of New Times, which led to the arrests of the paper's founders. The 34-page lawsuit also accuses the defendants of retaliatory conduct in falsely arresting Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin and in maliciously prosecuting New Times. The lawsuit does not ask for a specific amount of money, but seeks general and punitive damages, and requests a jury trial. Read more on the Phoenix New Times' blog.
(FULL STORY)
Phoenix New Times Press Release |
04-29-2008 11:28 am |
Press Releases
Phoenix New Times Account Exec. Wins $1 Million in Rafflenew
Ted Myers learned earlier this month that he was the grand prize winner for the Health & Wealth Raffle and would be awarded a home, a 2008 Mercedes and $100,000 -- a total package valued at more than $1 million, the Arizona Republic reports. Myers, a 22-year-old recent college grad who lives with his parents, must now choose between accepting the house and the car or taking the cash equivalent by Thursday. He's leaning towards the cash, in part to help his band record its first full-length. "I don't think I could afford to live in the house," he says. "I don't think I could afford the electric bill or have the furniture to put in it."
The Arizona Republic |
04-22-2008 12:06 pm |
Industry News
Michael Lacey Responds to Brouhaha Over Commentsnew
"My invoking the argot of Black artists achieved a level of insensitive stupidity almost galactic in scale," writes the Village Voice Media executive editor in a blog post. "Whatever discussion lingers about the use of the words 'bitch' or 'ho' in hip-hop, comedy, film or literature, there is no question about the N-bomb coming out of the mouth of a 59-year-old white man." Lacey's post includes a link to Friday night's error-riddled FOX News segment from Hannity & Colmes about the incident.
Phoenix New Times |
04-14-2008 3:58 pm |
Industry News
Michael Lacey's Statement to the Society of Professional Journalists
Michael Lacey |
04-11-2008 3:59 pm |
Industry News
Fallout from Michael Lacey's Comments Continuesnew
The Village Voice Media executive editor's Friday night utterance of the "n-word" continues to be discussed in media circles and on the internet. Maricopa County attorney Andrew Thomas, who may be sued by Phoenix New Times soon, criticized Lacey's comments at a press conference on Tuesday, saying "this should be the Don Imus moment for
Arizona's media," KTVK-TV reports. KTVK-TV also has the full video of the
acceptance speech in which the offending comment was made. And Philadelphia City Paper publisher Paul Curci is weighing in as well, calling Lacey's comments "vicious and hateful" in an incensed letter to AAN News.
KTVK-TV |
04-10-2008 1:33 pm |
Industry News
