AAN News

Editorial Cartoonists Discuss Newspaper Cutbacksnew

"In spite of the bad news that keeps streaming out of newsrooms, editorial cartoonists are not giving up," USC Annenberg publication Neon Tommy reports. "Most of the small community of 300 editorial cartoonists is adapting, experimenting with new media and sharpening its business sense." Among those who discuss the industry's future with Kevin Douglas Grant are Steve Greenberg, who contributes to the Ventura County Reporter, and Matt Bors, whose "Idiot Box" comic appears in several alt-weeklies. "I have a 'last man standing' strategy," Bors says. "I'm living in a shitty apartment, sleeping on an air mattress. I can't go down any further. Or maybe I could, but I don't plan on it."
Neon Tommy  |  12-18-2009  10:23 am  |  Industry News

Congress Considering Federal Anti-SLAPP Legislationnew

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press  |  12-18-2009  10:40 am  |  Industry News

LEO Weekly Art Director Also Designs Posters for Marquee Indie Showsnew

In addition to his part-time work at LEO, Ron Jasin has over the past few years created gig posters for Shellac, My Morning Jacket, the Monsters of Folk, Band of Horses, and Connor Oberst. "This started out from staying up all night making flyers at Kinko's," he tells Louisville Mojo. "I feel really lucky to be able to do what I do for a living. In the end, I'm just a fan of the music like everybody else."
Louisville Mojo  |  12-17-2009  12:55 pm  |  Industry News

Chicago Reader Story on 'Charcuterie Underground' Leads to Raidnew

The Reader's Mike Sula wrote a story a few weeks ago about a pair of suburban stay-at-home dads who make and sell bacon and sausage without having proper USDA certification. This week, a restaurant that was mentioned in the piece was visited by inspectors from the Illinois Department of Agriculture, who confiscated 80 pounds of bacon that lacked a mark of inspection and some headcheese that had been inspected only by Wisconsin officials. The inspectors say their actions were prompted by the Reader's article. Meanwhile, the dads profiled in the original piece say they are ceasing operations until they can make their company "legally operational." Sula tallies up the score: "Nanny State: 2 Real food: 0." MORE from the Chicago Tribune.
Chicago Reader  |  12-17-2009  10:09 am  |  Industry News

News Organizations Support Bloomberg's Bailout Suitnew

AAN has joined 12 other media organizations in filing a friend-of-the-court brief that supports Bloomberg LP reporters who are trying to access public records related to last year's financial bailout. The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System argues that the records are exempt from disclosure under FOIA's exemption 4, which protects confidential financial information from disclosure. But the media organizations say the board hasn't met the burden of showing that disclosure is likely to cause substantial competitive harm.
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press  |  12-17-2009  9:25 am  |  Industry News

Study: Email Still Top Content-Sharing Optionnew

Online Media Daily  |  12-17-2009  9:27 am  |  Industry News

Call for Entries: 2010 AltWeekly Awards

The 2010 AltWeekly Awards is now accepting entries. The contest website opened this morning and will close on the contest deadline, Monday, Feb. 8, 2010 at 11 pm (EST). (FULL STORY)
AAN  |  12-15-2009  10:52 am  |  Association News

The Gambit: We've Had a 'Relatively Good Year'new

In a report on the newspaper industry's well-publicized woes, the New Orleans alt-weekly points out that "2009 has been a relatively good year for Gambit and many other locally owned, locally focused newspapers." The paper reports it avoided layoffs by decreasing its newsprint size and taking other cost-cutting measures and says it should fare well as the issues in the industry continue to shake out: "In the long run, the newspapers that survive will be those that have a special bond with their readers -- and we count ourselves among them."
The Gambit  |  12-15-2009  9:46 am  |  Industry News

Alt-Weekly Staffer-Turned-Politician's Atheism Becoming Hot Issuenew

The professed atheism of Cecil Bothwell, a former staff writer at the Mountain XPress who was elected to the Asheville City Council last month, is becoming an issue in North Carolina. Bothwell is facing a challenge that stems from an odd clause in the state's constitution, which bars politicians who deny the existence of God from holding office. Bothwell's opponents are considering a lawsuit over his being allowed to take office (he affirmed the oath of office last week), even though federal courts have ruled religious tests for public office are unlawful under the U.S. Constitution. Meanwhile, the case has gone nationwide, with the Associated Press, the Huffington Post and others weighing in. Last night, Bothwell appeared on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show.

Asheville Citizen-Times  |  12-15-2009  8:49 am  |  Industry News

East Bay Express Hosting Office Tour Prior to AAN West Conference

On Friday, Jan. 29 from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm, the East Bay Express will host a tour of its office in Oakland before the AAN West conference gets rolling later that day, walking attendees through the paper's production process as a way to start a discussion about creating an accurate and efficient operation. (FULL STORY)
AAN  |  12-14-2009  2:14 pm  |  Association News

San Diego CityBeat Debunks Investigative Institute's Reportnew

The Watchdog Institute, a newly formed investigative-journalism organization based in San Diego, recently published its first investigation, which looked at California's public list of registered sex offenders and mapped out how many in San Diego County currently live within 2,000 feet of a school or park. However, as CityBeat notes, the report -- which found that "more than 70 percent of registered sex offenders in San Diego County are violating a state law by living too close to schools and parks," was based on a flawed interpretation of Jessica's Law, the 2006 referendum that placed lifetime residence restrictions on California's sex offenders. The Watchdog Institute has thus far refused to issue a correction, so CityBeat's Kelly Davis launched a "Watchdog Watch" clock, timing how many days pass before the organization issues a correction.
San Diego CityBeat  |  12-14-2009  2:00 pm  |  Industry News

'How I Got That Story' Live Chat: Arkansas Times Writers on Media Reporting

David Koon and Gerard Matthews of Arkansas Times, who took home a first place AltWeekly Award for media reporting, were interviewed by Las Vegas Weekly editor Scott Dickensheets. (FULL STORY)
AAN  |  12-11-2009  2:51 pm  |  Association News

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