On Friday, a revised bill strengthening the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) passed the Senate by a voice vote, according to the Associated Press. The bill makes minor revisions to previously passed legislation to meet concerns of the House of Representatives, which could take it up this week before adjourning for the year. It creates an independent ombudsman to resolve citizen disputes and help agencies strengthen FOIA, creates tracking systems so the public can easily track the status of requests and lets requesters more easily recover legal costs when agencies improperly deny requests. The Sunshine in Government Initiative, of which AAN is a member, urges the House to take action and pass its version of the bill.

Continue ReadingSGI Applauds Senate Passage of FOIA Bill, Urges Speedy House Action

The paper lost electricity early on Monday, Dec. 10, just hours before the always-hectic press day. But this week's issue still came out, thanks to the hard work of Gazette employees ... and a generator. "We were first in line for a [generator] rental but weren't fully functional until nine hours later," associate publisher Jeffri-Lynn Dyer says. "We aren't returning it, though. With the next storm coming, we might need it next press day!" According to the latest forecast, a new storm is expected to bring two to four inches of snow heading into this weekend. The Gazette's rented generator is on standby in the paper's parking lot.

Continue ReadingOklahoma Gazette Loses Power, Publishes With Help of Generator

In the first year-over-year comparisons using its monthly chart of the most popular newspaper websites, Editor & Publisher reports that Village Voice Media grew its traffic 127 percent from Nov. 2006 to Nov. 2007. Over the same period of time, total minutes spent on the company's sites increased by 89 percent. VVM's network of sites ranked 10th in traffic last month, with a total of 2,774,000 unique visitors, according to E&P.

Continue ReadingVillage Voice Media Web Traffic Up 127 Pecent From Last Year

The paper has dropped its lawsuit asking a federal judge to declare the law that makes it a crime to publish the addresses of certain people on the internet unconstitutional, the Arizona Business Gazette reports. The statute was the one that began the recent grand-jury investigation of New Times and the arrests and controversy that followed. Since the threat of prosecution against the paper had been dropped, "it made no sense to tilt at windmills," Village Voice Media executive editor Michael Lacey tells the Gazette. However, since the case was dismissed "without prejudice," the paper could reinstate its case if there is any subsequent investigation. Lacey says he would hope all the publicity surrounding the case would convince the county attorney not to try to enforce that law against New Times or any other publication.

Continue ReadingPhoenix New Times Drops Challenge of Law on Publishing Addresses