Association News

Next week's Annual Convention in Toronto will feature two panels that emphasize intensive investigative reporting and practices.

On Friday afternoon, July 16, AAN continues its "How I Got That Story" Series with a panel featuring Houston Press staff writer Paul Knight and editor Margaret Downing. They will discuss Knight's investigation into the unintended acceleration of the Toyota Prius -- a piece published by Houston Press four months before a Toyota Lexus accelerated out of control in California and killed four people -- ultimately resulting in Toyota's recall of millions of cars. Attendees who would like to read Knight's piece, "Wild Rides," in advance of the panel, can find it here. The discussion will be moderated by Santa Fe Reporter editor and AAN Editorial Chair Julia Goldberg.

On Saturday, July 17, attendees will brainstorm investigative stories as a group during "Going Deep for a Baker's Dozen: 12 Quick Investigative Story Ideas," winner of AAN's 2010 editorial panel contest. The session will feature Chris Potter, the editor of Pittsburgh City Paper, Lisa Rab, a staff writer from New Times Broward-Palm Beach and Christopher Twarowski, a senior reporter/editor and investigative reporter at the Long Island Press. They'll share their thoughts and experiences with investigative projects, and then serve as judges as the audience generates their own ideas that can be shared across markets. Attendees should come ready to participate and compete (there will be prizes for the best ideas!).

Bradley Zeve, publisher and CEO of Monterey County Weekly, conceived the Saturday panel and will serve as its moderator. "Michael Hastings' investigative piece in Rolling Stone brought down the talkative General McCrystal," Zeve says. "It certainly was a powerful reminder of how potent the alternative press can be. I want to know what other investigative stories editors and reporters of AAN might pursue, and how we can learn from one another."

For many years, AAN editors have traded information on the editorial listserv about staff sizes, freelance rates and other nitty gritty information. In Toronto, editorial staffers will really get down to brass tacks by reviewing the results of an editorial standards survey that will ultimately be collated to create a benchmark document for AAN editorial departments. The survey will be available following the convention in the AAN resource library.

Whether you are attending the convention or not, filling out the survey will only add to its usefulness. If you are heading to Toronto, be sure to attend the Editorial Standards session from 3:45-4:45 pm on Saturday, July 17, which will be moderated by Editorial Committee members Jimmy Boegle, editor of Tucson Weekly, and Hank Sims, editor of North Coast Journal. The session will consist of a lively free-wheeling discussion about how editors are using their budgets and staff -- and hopefully generate new ideas and inspiration.

CLICK HERE FOR THE SURVEY LINK (Must be logged in to your AAN account)