Last weekend, the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) gave out their annual awards -- dubbed "Canada's only recognition for the best in investigative journalism across the country" -- and The Coast took home a first-place win in the Print Feature category. The award went to Matthieu Aikins' story "Unembedded in Afghanistan," and it was the second CAJ award that Aikins has won in two years. Coast editor Kyle Shaw tells AAN News that the paper's work was also a finalist in two other CAJ categories -- Open Newspaper and Award of Excellence for Student Work. Earlier in May, the Halifax alt-weekly took home four silver awards and one gold in the regional Atlantic Journalism Awards.

Continue ReadingThe Coast Picks Up National and Regional Journalism Awards

Gary Coleman, best known for his role on the TV sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, died on Friday at the age of 42. Many of his obituaries note that Coleman was an unlikely candidate for California governor in 2003, a piece of "political theater" the East Bay Express created. In a blog post, editor Stephen Buel explains the idea behind the idea. "We would point out the folly of replacing an imperfect but duly elected governor with an actor whose primary appeal appeared to be his fame. Of course, the actor we were wary of wasn't Gary, but Arnold," Buel writes. "But, of course, things didn't turn out like we planned. Far from provoking high-minded discussion about the perils of Hollywood populism, we helped propel the recall into altogether surreal territory. Although the world media lapped up the story, and Gary improvised his lines with sly humor, we soon realized there would be no larger point. Celebrity, it turned out, was the point."

Continue ReadingEast Bay Express Editor Remembers Gary Coleman Stunt

The California Superior Court has appointed a receiver to investigate the finances of SF Weekly and its parent company, with an eye towards developing a plan to pay the San Francisco Bay Guardian the $22 million it is owed in the predatory-pricing lawsuit. "This is a very significant step forward in our collection efforts," Guardian editor and publisher Bruce Brugmann says. The Weekly has said all along it won't pay any damages until it has exhausted its appeals. As we noted earlier in the week, the California Court of Appeals has scheduled a June 11 hearing to hear the Weekly's case.

Continue ReadingCourt Appoints Receiver to Investigate SF Weekly’s Finances in Bay Guardian Case

After several months of heavy reading and two rounds of evaluating nearly 1,100 entries, the judges of AAN's annual journalism and design competition have rendered decisions. The finalists for the 2010 AltWeekly Awards will be announced on Tuesday, June 1--with the final rankings to be revealed at the AltWeekly Awards banquet on July 16 during AAN's Annual Convention in Toronto.

Now in its 15th year, AAN's editorial awards contest expanded in 2010 to include three new online categories: Individual Blogger, Multimedia, and Music Blog. The awards luncheon in Toronto will be hosted by Gustavo Arellano, staff writer for OC Weekly and author of the nationally syndicated weekly column '¡Ask A Mexican!'.

Continue ReadingAltWeekly Awards Finalists to be Announced June 1

AAN prodigal son David Carr has been confirmed to speak at the the 2010 Annual Convention in Toronto. The former Washington City Paper editor will take time away from his prolific twittering and columnizing for the New York Times to explain how the rise of user-generated content and social media has changed the way readers, er, consumers obtain information. In a Saturday morning session, Carr will impart his wisdom on how to rise above the clutter (hint: teach your pet to play a musical instrument) and stay on top of the news feed.

Never one to shy away from new technology, Carr wrote in January that the yet to be unveiled iPad would be "an opportunity to renew the romance between printed material and consumer." So come renew the romance with AAN in Toronto and join this discussion about what new media and crowdsourcing--along with some brand-new terms that Carr will invent on the spot--mean for the future of professionally generated content.

Continue ReadingDavid Carr to Speak in Toronto

This week the Voice pays homage to the classic Al Jaffee fold-in back covers for MAD magazine -- but on the front cover. Designer Robert Newman guesses that it is "probably the first time" a fold-in has been on the front of a publication. The cover, put together by art director John Dixon and illustrator Jason Edmiston, poses the question "What's the scariest ride at Coney Island?" and once properly folded in, readers get to learn the answer.

Continue ReadingThe Village Voice Does a Fold-In Cover

Dresses made entirely of pages from the Sacramento News & Review were recently on display when the alt-weekly celebrated its 21st birthday and new green headquarters, as part of a Design Challenge the paper had put together. This comes on the heels of a LA Fashion Week show in March, "Paper Dresses," that featured clothes made out of the L.A. Weekly.

Continue ReadingMore Fashion Designers Turn Alt-Weeklies into Dresses

Designer Robert Newman leaves the mainland for his latest profile of compelling alt-weekly cover designers. He says Maui Time's Chris Skiles creates "bright, bold, passionate, provocative, and engaging" covers on an average budget of about $20 per issue. "Normally for each cover I have about a day or two to figure out what I'm going to do and execute," Skiles says. "I usually can pull off my covers without using any budget, so I try to save up those unused budgets to hire illustrators from time to time. But even then, it's a bit of begging and bartering to make it happen."

Continue ReadingMaui Time Art Director Creates Cool Covers on a Tight Budget