More and more Republican candidates are falling prey to "Google bombing' by liberal bloggers, according to the New York Times. The bloggers rack up slews of links to negative stories on candidates, which then pop to the top of Google searches. The Times offers as example an April 13 Phoenix New Times story about Senator John Kyl, charging that the Arizona republican neglected his constituents to serve the radical right. The Times' anecdotal lede underscores a harsh reality: the hard-hitting investigations of the alternative press can seem like powerful ammo when deployed against one's adversaries.

Continue ReadingHard-Hitting Alternative Weekly Stories Make Powerful ‘Google Bombs’

Bill Jensen is leaving Beantown to take command of Web operations for Village Voice Media. The math is simple: Jensen's departure is a loss for the Phoenix and a gain for VVM. "It's always a disappointment to lose solid talent,"says Peter Kadzis, executive editor of Phoenix Media/Communications Group. VVM Executive Editor Mike Lacey seems to have had his sights set on Jensen; according to the Phoenix, Jensen was offered, and declined, the job of editing the Village Voice earlier this year. “Like Vito Corleone, Mike Lacey must have made Bill an offer he couldn’t refuse,” Kadzis says. In a press release, Lacey and CEO Jim Larkin announce that Jensen's "arrival coincides with a major expansion of staffing as we move to hire a new group of dedicated Web editors and designers."

Continue ReadingBoston Phoenix Editor to Lead VVM Web Operations

Three AAN members in the Buckeye State recently collaborated on election coverage so each could benefit from the others' insight into their "hometown" candidates. In profiles that were published in successive months in all three papers, Cincinnati CityBeat wrote about Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Blackwell (pictured); Cleveland Free Times examined Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown; and The Athens NEWS took a close look at Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ted Strickland. CityBeat editor John Fox talks about how and why he and his fellow editors pooled their resources.

Continue ReadingOhio Weeklies Team up on State Candidates