The University of Arkansas has named Max Brantley the recipient of the 2009 Ernie Deane Award. "I am surprised, honored and pleased to learn I've been chosen to receive the Ernie Deane award," Brantley says. "I realized when (Larry Foley, a professor of journalism and Ernie Deane committee member) called and gave me the news I may not have sounded very gracious. My first thought was surely there was someone better." He will receive the award at a ceremony this fall.

Continue ReadingArkansas Times Editor Wins Award ‘For Valor in Journalism’

Lafayette's The Independent Weekly won 29 awards and New Orleans' Gambit Weekly won 10 in the Louisiana Press Association's annual contest. The Independent snagged first place for Editorial Cartoon, Feature Story, Lifestyle Coverage, Multimedia Element, Web Project and six advertising awards. Gambit won firsts for Regular Column and online advertising. The two papers tied for first place in Community Service/Service to Readers.

Continue ReadingLouisiana Alt-Weeklies Grab Dozens of State Press Awards

The Boston Phoenix and its sister publications are the latest alt-weeklies to cut expenses as the media industry struggles through the recession. The parent company laid off six employees, suspended its 401K matches and cut salaries across the board, with the highest-paid employees giving up considerably more than the lowest.

Continue ReadingPhoenix Media Tightens Belt

The Detroit alt-weekly took 10 awards, including three first-place finishes, in the Detroit chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists' Excellence in Media competition. Metro Times has also hired Travis Wright as its arts editor, and promoted features editor Brian Smith to managing editor.

Continue ReadingMetro Times Wins SPJ Awards, Announces Job Moves

Communications consultant Michael Stoner spoke with Seven Days political columnist Shay Totten after following Totten's work during the same-sex marriage debate in Vermont. "There are always aspects of a story that can't be easily told in 140-character bursts," Totten says. "Tweets are components of a narrative, not the complete narrative. While I try to provide context while I live-Twitter, it's more appropriate to provide such contexts in a long form."

Continue ReadingHow Does Twitter Fit Into an Alt-Weekly Writer’s Arsenal?

Mike Menza, who had been at the L.A. Weekly for more than 19 years, died on Tuesday after battling cancer. "Menza led a tireless staff in one of publishing's crucial but little-known fields, one requiring physical stamina, intimate demographic intelligence and a head for quick calculation," the Weekly's Steven Mikulan writes. "Mike was our secret weapon," Weekly editor-in-chief Laurie Ochoa says. "One of the big reasons we're still alive and kicking, even [in] this economy, is Mike's genius at knowing exactly where we need to be on the streets -- and how to keep readers hungry for the paper."

Continue ReadingL.A. Weekly and OC Weekly Circulation Director Dies

"In the early years, SN&R was panned, dissed, scoffed at and boycotted. We were also loved and welcomed," founding editor Melinda Welsh writes. "Somehow -- story by story, column by column, brainstorm by brainstorm -- the paper managed to take root and gain ground." The alt-weekly celebrates the anniversary this week with a special issue featuring pieces from a wide variety of folks involved with the paper over the years.

Continue ReadingSacramento News & Review Celebrates 20th Anniversary