AAN will no longer accept ads from non-members in the “Help Wanted” section of its Web site following a recent decision by the association’s executive committee.

Prior to the committee’s decision, AAN charged non- members $150 to post recruitment ads on its Web site. Through the first 10 months of the present fiscal year, AAN had sold five help-wanted ads to non-member publications.

The new policy won’t affect AAN members, who will continue to be able to post recruitment ads on the Web site for free.

The policy review was prompted when a daily newspaper contacted AAN to place an ad for an editor. Several committee members raised concerns about enabling daily competitors to raid member- papers’ staffs through AAN’s own Web site.

“For what it’s worth, the Phoenix has twice encountered situations where a daily refused our ads because we were hiring in their markets,” says Clif Garboden, executive editor for Phoenix Media Communications and AAN President.

Garboden is a member of the association’s executive committee, along with Vice President Andy Newman, Pittsburgh City Paper, and Treasurer Mark Bartel, City Pages. Immediate Past President Bill Towler, City Newspaper, also participated in the e-mail exchange that resulted in the new policy.