AAN News
Mayor Dogged by Jackson Free Press Sent to Jailnew
Mayor Frank Melton of Jackson, Miss., was jailed yesterday for violating the terms of his probation that were established last fall after he pleaded guilty to three gun charges. Stories by the Jackson Free Press led directly to those gun convictions, and last month, the alt-weekly broke the news that Melton had violated his probation by breaking midnight curfew. The Jackson Free Press' coverage also led directly to five felony charges Melton faces in April for allegedly leading police officers and juvenile friends on a warrantless raid.
Jackson Free Press |
03-08-2007 2:54 pm |
Industry News
House Committee Approves FOIA Reform Bill
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee approved H.R. 1309 this morning, just two days after it was reported out of subcommittee.
It's "the most comprehensive legislation to reform the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in a decade," says the Sunshine in Government Initiative, a coalition of media groups that includes AAN. The bill restores meaningful deadlines for government agencies; requires agencies to create hotlines and tracking systems for requests; creates an ombudsman to resolve disputes and avoid litigation; makes it easier to recover legal fees if a requester is forced to sue; and penalizes agencies for delays. H.R. 1039 is scheduled to hit the House floor next Tuesday. AAN members are encouraged to contact their representatives to voice support for the bill.
(FULL STORY)
Sunshine in Government Initiative Press Release |
03-08-2007 1:08 pm |
Press Releases
Former Alt-Weekly Reporter Heads to Prison Earlynew
Lacey Phillabaum, a former staff writer for The Source Weekly and C-Ville Weekly, entered a federal detention center in January, six months before she will be sentenced for her role in torching a $4 million University of Washington horticulture facility, the Hook reports. Phillabaum pleaded guilty to three counts of arson in October, and faces three to five years in prison. "She's really eager to put this behind her," says friend James Johnson. The Hook also reports that friends of Phillabaum have set up an informative website about her in part "to counter the radical left-wing blogs that have accused her of being a snitch."
The Hook |
03-08-2007 10:49 am |
Industry News
Tags: Editorial, Lacey Phillabaum
Surgeon General Urges Alcohol Ad Cutbacksnew
In a report (PDF file) released this week, the U.S. Office of the Surgeon General called on alcohol marketers to cut back on outdoor ads, end college-newspaper advertisings, and eliminate alcohol-sponsored events at colleges, Advertising Age reports. Beer Institute President Jeff Becker says brewers "wholeheartedly agree" with the recommendations, noting the industry already requires ads to be placed in media where 70 percent of the audience is 21 or older.
Advertising Age |
03-08-2007 9:02 am |
Industry News
Tags: Retail Advertising
Update: Subject of Nashville Scene Investigation to be Firednew
Robert Chavez's 90-day suspension from his post as president of the Tennessee Hispanic Chamber of Commerce "will become a permanent termination" at the next meeting of the chamber's board, the Scene reports. Chavez was suspended just two weeks ago, following a Scene article detailing his "nefarious business activities and poor chamber leadership." The Nashville alt-weekly also reports that Chavez has lost his attorney, Delain L. Deatherage, who had represented him since at least November.
Nashville Scene |
03-08-2007 7:59 am |
Industry News
IAB: Internet Ad Spending Grew 34% in 2006new
Online Media Daily |
03-08-2007 11:10 pm |
Industry News
Two Detroit Dailies Launch Click-to-Call Online Adsnew
Editor & Publisher |
03-08-2007 4:22 pm |
Industry News
Small Papers a 'Bright Spot in a Darkened Industry'new
The Washington Post |
03-08-2007 1:17 pm |
Industry News
Tags: Financial, Management
Want More Online Ads? Get Better Metricsnew
Adweek |
03-08-2007 10:32 am |
Industry News
Metro Times' Blowout Celebrates 10th Yearnew
The Detroit alt-weekly's annual music festival, which begins tonight, "is the area's biggest annual celebration of local music," featuring "more than 250 bands over four nights at 20 venues," the Detroit Free Press reports. During the past decade, the festival has featured Detroit acts like Eminem and the White Stripes before they became international stars.
The Detroit Free Press |
03-07-2007 5:00 pm |
Industry News
OC Weekly Continues to Remake Mastheadnew
The Stranger reports that Dave Segal, who has been with the Seattle alt-weekly since 2004, was hired yesterday as music editor of OC Weekly. Segal replaces Chris Ziegler, who left the Village Voice Media paper last month. The Southland alt-weekly also hired freelance film reviewer Luke Y. Thompson as a staff writer, according to Thompson's own blog. And OC Weekly's former feature editor and "Commie Girl" columnist Rebecca Schoenkopf writes that the paper recently lost managing editor Ellen Griley and staff writer Dave Wielenga. She broke the news in the comments section of the Boston Phoenix's recent story on VVM.
The Stranger | LYT's Weblog |
03-07-2007 12:08 pm |
Industry News
David Blum Says He Never Had VVM's Confidence as Voice Editornew
"My job as editor in chief of The Village Voice was not all spent putting out the newspaper, but also keeping people happy thousands of miles away," Blum tells the New York Observer. Blum says he received frequent calls and e-mails from VVM headquarters about running the paper. An unnamed Voice staffer tells the Observer it wasn't clear the j-school adjunct was "comfortable in the editor role," noting he was more at ease with recent hires from Columbia Univ. than with longtime Voice staffers.
The New York Observer |
03-07-2007 11:49 am |
Industry News
Willamette Week Story Leads to Pulitzer-Winning Reporter's Suspensionnew
Last week, the Portland alt-weekly revealed that The Oregonian's Tom Hallman Jr. was parking for free in a spot owned by a felon he once profiled. This week, Willamette Week reports that Hallman has been suspended for two weeks without pay, must undergo ethics training, cannot represent the Oregonian in public forums, and has been demoted from his current enterprise beat to a still-to-be-determined assignment.
Willamette Week |
03-07-2007 10:20 am |
Industry News
Tags: Editorial, Willamette Week
Santa Fe Reporter Garners a 'Laurel' from Columbia Journalism Review
Writing in this month's CJR, Gloria Cooper gives kudos to the alt-weekly for its "long-running series on the state of the health care system in New Mexico" that led to the termination of Wexford Health Sources' contract with the New Mexico Department of Corrections. The Reporter's series highlighted repeated abuses and systemic failures by the for-profit company formerly in charge of inmate care.
AAN News |
03-07-2007 9:17 am |
Industry News
Bay Guardian and Civil Rights Groups Seek Records on Immigration Raidsnew
The San Francisco alt-weekly joined the ACLU and the Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights in filing a Freedom of Information Act request for government records on the arrests of more than 800 illegal immigrants in Northern California, the San Jose Mercury News reports. The groups are trying to corroborate "abusive practices reported extensively in the press" including illegal searches and abusive treatment, according to an ACLU press release. "If the federal government is going to spend taxpayers' dollars on a very questionable enforcement action, the public has the right to know the details of how it was implemented," says Bay Guardian Editor Tim Redmond.
San Jose Mercury News |
03-07-2007 9:05 am |
Industry News
