AAN News
Isthmus' TheDailyPage.com Scoops Local Media and Shows Up on Fox News
Isthmus Press Release |
05-19-2008 12:34 pm |
Press Releases
Memphis Flyer Columnist's Use of 'HNIC' Creates a Stirnew
"Thanks primarily to a rather sensationalistic story on WREG Channel 3 Wednesday night, John Branston's City Beat column from this week's Flyer seems to be generating some controversy," writes editor Bruce VanWyngarden. In the column, Branston asks who should be "the HNIC" of Memphis City Schools, a term meaning "head [N-word] in charge" that refers to the film Lean on Me. VanWyngarden writes that, as editor, he takes responsibility for the column and the phrase. "I apologize to those who were offended by the use of the term in John's column. It was not intended as a racial slur but as a cultural reference to a very real and important decision facing our school board," he writes. "Lost in the controversy is the fact that in his column Branston asks some very pointed and relevant questions of potential superintendent candidates -- questions we ought to be asking." Nevertheless, the one source the TV station has that is upset about the whole thing is still calling for Branston to be fired.
The Memphis Flyer | WREG-TV |
05-16-2008 3:37 pm |
Industry News
Knoxville, Tenn., Embarks on Pilot News Box Programnew
"Following the lead in other cities, the [city's] administration has been working in voluntary cooperation with the News Sentinel [Metro Pulse's parent company] and other publications" to create Knoxville's first unified distribution center, replacing a string of existing news boxes, according to Metro Pulse. If the program goes well, the city is looking to expand it downtown. "Right now Knoxville has no ordinances or restrictions on placement of publication distribution boxes," Metro Pulse reports, but if the voluntary program doesn't work, the city has already examined legislation in other cities to emulate, if necessary.
Metro Pulse |
05-16-2008 2:08 pm |
Industry News
L.A. Weekly Wins Five Best of the West Awardsnew
The Weekly's winnings in the annual awards "designed to reward journalistic excellence" in the 13 states West of the Rocky Mountains included two first-place awards: Nikki Finke's "Deadline Hollywood" column in Special Topic Column Writing, and Tim Foley's "The Case of the Dogged Detective" in Illustration. "Nikki Finke is a badass. Period," say the judges comments. "Good stuff, written with passion and an utter disregard whether any of the studio heads, or anyone in 'the industry,' will ever buy her lunch." The judges say Foley's "stylistic comic book illustration, creative use of color and the comic book-like typography all worked so perfectly well together in this illustration ... Foley did a fantastic job of bringing it all together."
First Amendment Funding Inc. Press Release |
05-16-2008 9:34 am |
Honors & Achievements
Santa Barbara Independent Wins EPpy Awardnew
Independent.com has won the EPpy for the best weekly newspaper-affiliated website in the country, Editor & Publisher, which sponsors the contest with Mediaweek, reports. The winners of the annual awards honoring online work were announced yesterday in Las Vegas, and publisher Randy Campbell was there to accept, thanking his staff "for their hard work in taking the website from a skeleton to a fully operational daily source of news for the Santa Barbara community," the Independent reports. "There are no secrets to publishing, either online or in print, so I'm thrilled the hard work and commitment of our web team has been recognized on a national level," said Campbell back in April when the site was first nominated.
Editor & Publisher | Santa Barbara Independent |
05-16-2008 9:21 am |
Honors & Achievements
2008 Academy for Alternative Journalism Fellows Named
Ten fellows have been chosen from a field of about 330 hopefuls to attend the Academy for Alternative Journalism summer residency program at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, to be held June 22 to August 15. The academy trains young journalists in long-form feature writing with the aim of recruiting them into the alternative press. "This class has a lot of career-changers, including a flight attendant, a former truck driver and an elementary school teacher," says program director and Northwestern journalism professor Charles Whitaker. "It's one of the most diverse classes we've had in several years."
(FULL STORY)
AAN |
05-15-2008 1:15 pm |
Association News
The Other Paper's Managing Editor Moves into Politicsnew
Dan Williamson will take over as Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman's spokesman on June 2, according to Columbus Business First. Williamson, who the mayor called "one of the sharpest political observers and writers in Ohio," will oversee a two-member staff and coordinate communications for 13 departments in his new role.
Columbus Business First |
05-15-2008 9:06 am |
Industry News
AAN's Louisiana Contingent Piles Up the State Press Awardsnew
Both Gambit Weekly and The Independent Weekly went home last month with awards from The Louisiana Press Association. The Independent won a total of 38 awards in the editorial and ad/design competitions. These included first-place finishes on the editorial side in Community Service/Service to Readers
Website; Continuing Coverage of a Governmental Issue; Continuing Coverage of a Single News Event; Editorial Cartoon; Feature Story; Lifestyle Coverage; and News Coverage. On the ad/design side, the Independent won first in Ad Campaign; Black and White 1/2 Page or Under (Staff-generated); Black and White Over 1/2 Page (Staff-generated); In-Paper Promotion (Color); and Multiple Advertiser Page. Gambit Weekly took home a total of seven awards in the editorial competition, including a first-place finish in Regular Column.
Louisiana Press Association (PDF file) |
05-15-2008 8:59 am |
Honors & Achievements
Former Willamette Week Film Critic D.K. Holm Battles Cancernew
The Vancouver Voice |
05-15-2008 9:09 am |
Industry News
Tags: Editorial, Willamette Week
AAN and Medill Announce AltWeekly Awards Finalists
The finalists this year, selected from more than 1,400 entries and over 90 participating papers, run the gamut from investigations of errant public officials to stories about green living. L.A. Weekly leads the pack with eight winners. Washington City Paper and Santa Fe Reporter follow closely with six nominees each. The order of finish for the 13th annual AltWeekly Awards contest will be announced on June 7 in Philadelphia.
(FULL STORY)
AAN |
05-14-2008 5:29 pm |
Association News
Tags: Design & Production, Editorial
Houston Press Writer is 2008 Gerald Loeb Award Finalistnew
Todd Spivak is a finalist in the small newspapers category for his examination of shady rare-coin companies that were targeting elderly investors. The Loebs, which will be awarded on June 30 in New York, are "the highest honors in business journalism."
UCLA Anderson School of Management Press Release |
05-14-2008 3:54 pm |
Honors & Achievements
New Haven Tables News Box Legislationnew
"A City Hall proposal to group news boxes together in new kiosks ran into a barrage of criticism from media representatives and elected officials Monday night at the Board of Aldermen's Legislation Committee, which tabled the proposal," the New Haven Independent reports. New Haven Advocate publisher Josh Mamis spoke at the meeting, telling the committee that the proposal's prioritization of daily papers over weeklies is a restriction of freedom of speech, according to the Independent. He also complained about the way the city handled the issue, claiming that he wasn't even aware of news rack problems in New Haven. "I've never fielded a complaint," he told the committee. "If there are problems I'd love to hear about them." The ordinance will reportedly be revisited after more input from local media is obtained.
New Haven Independent |
05-14-2008 3:24 pm |
Legal News
Alt-Weekly Cartoonist Details Her Methods in New Booknew
Lynda Barry, who has been authoring "Ernie Pook's Comeek" for 30 years, explains her method of making drawings and stories in What It Is, which was released yesterday by Drawn and Quarterly. She talks to the New York Times about her work and her long career as a cartoonist. "It was a happy accident that Ms. Barry graduated [from college] just as alternative weeklies were springing up around the country and searching, as she put it, 'for oddball comics,'" the Times reports. "She soon became one of a small elite, her strip appearing with [Matt] Groening's 'Life in Hell' alongside the work of Jules Feiffer." Barry will be making some appearances on the East Coast in June and at Comic-Con in July, according to Drawn and Quarterly.
The New York Times |
05-14-2008 10:59 am |
Industry News
Tags: Design & Production, Management
Santa Barbara Independent Sales Manager to be Replaced by Two People
We're not sure how big they are, but after 15 years at the Santa Barbara Independent, Tom Morey has left two pairs of shoes to fill. According to a release from the paper, Jen Malkin and Robby Robbins will replace Morey by "dividing the awesome task of sales management." Robbins, who serves on the AAN Board as Classified Advertising Chair, "will concentrate on bringing sales in the door" while Malkin "lords over" production and marketing. And Morey isn't going anywhere: He will remain with the paper as part of the sales management team focusing on the local arts community.
(FULL STORY)
Santa Barbara Independent Press Release |
05-14-2008 10:25 am |
Press Releases
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
