In a live chat yesterday, Liz Garrigan discussed her recent Washington Post piece on Fred Thompson's presidential chances and briefly highlighted two elements of alt-weekly journalism. After she said Al Gore won't enter the 2008 race because "he's got swimming pools to heat," a reader complained about Garrigan's off-hand remark. "Snarky asides help to pay my bills," she replied. Later, when a reader asked if she "might want to at least appear objective," Garrigan took the question head-on. "Part of what distinguishes alt-weeklies from mainstream media is that we don't peddle objectivity (or even think it's possible)," she said. "We do value fairness and balance but in the context of point of view. But that's another chat."

Continue ReadingNashville Scene Editor Talks Fred Thompson, Alt-Weeklies in Chat

In the wake of Village Voice Media's sale of the East Bay Express, the Bay Guardian reports that Jody Colley is leaving to join the newly independent paper as its publisher. Colley previously worked in ad sales at Pitch Weekly when that Kansas City paper was owned by Hal Brody, one of the principal investors in the new Express.

Continue ReadingSan Francisco Bay Guardian’s Ad Director Heads Across the Bay

It's not too late to sign up for the 2007 Golf Outing on June 14. Registration is a snap: Simply send Willamette Week sales rep Andrew Shenker an e-mail and arrange payment in advance or for the day of the tournament. Join Andrew and Musicfest NW Director Trevor Solomon in the Hilton Portland (main building) lobby at 7 a.m. for your 8 a.m. tee time at either Eastmoreland or Heron Lakes Golf Course. The $75-per-person fee includes golf, lunch, refreshments and transportation.

Continue ReadingAttention Golfers

Earlier this month, syndicated cartoonist Lloyd Dangle released his latest collection of "Troubletown" comic strips, Troubletown Told You So: Comics That Could've Saved Us From This Mess. With an introduction by the Stranger's Dan Savage, the book "captures the current situation in America, a moment in time that will go down in history as our country's most boneheaded," Dangle says in a statement. "Crude comics full of insults and nasty takedowns are the only fitting way to explain it." First published in the San Francisco Bay Guardian in 1988, "Troubletown" now appears in over a dozen AAN member papers.

Continue ReadingAlt-Weekly Cartoonist Releases New Book