Three AAN members took home plenty of awards in this year's New England Newspaper and Press Association Better Newspaper Contest. Boston Phoenix staff writer Mike Miliard was named Weekly Journalist of the Year (judges said he was "obviously a very versatile and talented journalist") as part of the Phoenix's haul of 18 total awards, including 11 first-place wins. Worcester Mag took home nine awards, with five first-place finishes, while Burlington's Seven Days finished first in three categories and won seven total awards.

Continue ReadingAlt-Weeklies Nab Dozens of New England Press Association Awards

The Sex-Positive Journalism Awards have announced the winners of the 2009 Sexies, the annual awards that go to stories that "improve the quality of dialogue around sex and create a more well-informed reading public." Seven Days' Judith Levine took home a first-place win in the Opinion category, where she also tied for second place with a Village Voice piece by Tristan Taormino. Amanda Hess of Washington City Paper picked up a third-place win in the Columns category for "The Sexist," while in the News/Features (Alt-Weeklies, Monthlies) category the Alibi's Marisa Demarco placed third and Rich Kane (OC Weekly) and Michael J. Mooney (New Times Broward-Palm Beach) both were named runners-up.

Continue ReadingAlt-Weeklies Pick Up Some Wins at the 2009 ‘Sexies’ Awards

John Weiss has been named the recipient of the Citizens Project's 2010 Divine Award, which is given each year to someone who "create[s] a vibrant democracy in which equal rights are protected and differences are respected." Weiss' "leadership has created a more diverse, progressive and green Colorado Springs over the last 27 years," the Project says.

Continue ReadingLocal Nonprofit Honors Colorado Springs Independent Publisher

Greg Harman's three-part Nukes of Hazard series has made On Earth magazine's "Best Environmental Journalism of 2009" list, along with several books, a series from the New York Times and pieces from prominent national magazines like The New Yorker, Mother Jones and Vanity Fair. "Harman shows readers what's at stake in the current industry campaign to create a 'nuclear renaissance' in Texas," Osha Gray Davidson writes. "Nukes of Hazard is exactly what alternative weeklies are supposed to provide but frequently don't: a powerfully written, in-depth piece about an issue that is most important to readers -- now that they've found out about it." On Earth is published by the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Continue ReadingSan Antonio Current Series Makes ‘Best Environmental Journalism’ List

Jason Sheehan's Cooking Dirty has been named one of TIME's Top 10 Nonfiction Books of 2009. "It's a paradox of the post-Bourdain era: chef memoirs are trendy, but none of the chefs writing them have the freakish combination of cooking and writing talent that made Anthony Bourdain a star," Lev Grossman writes. "But Jason Sheehan comes damn close, and he gives the genre his own distinctive seasoning." Sheehan recently made the move from Westword to the Seattle Weekly.

Continue ReadingAlt-Weekly Food Writer’s Book Makes TIME’s Year-End Top 10 List

The Pinellas County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union recently gave the Irene Miller Vigilance in Journalism award to Wayne Garcia for his work as political editor at Creative Loafing (Tampa). The chapter's board members unanimously chose Garcia, who left CL to teach at the University of Florida's College of Journalism and Communications this summer, for his "clear objective reporting of the actions of government," chapter president Thom Foley says. "As soon as the name was mentioned, it was like a ripple of 'Oh, that's perfect!' It was an instantaneous unanimous decision."

Continue ReadingEx-Political Editor Gets Local ACLU Award for Work at Creative Loafing

"Memphis magazine publisher Kenneth Neill somehow managed to convince the company's board members to invest in an idea he had: a free weekly tabloid that would be called the Memphis Flyer," editor Bruce VanWyngarden writes in an introduction to the paper's 20th anniversary issue. "The first issue hit the streets in February 1989." In another column, Neill explains why the paper didn't celebrate the actual anniversary back in February. "February 2009 did not seem a particularly good time for a 20-year celebration," he writes. "The economy was in the toilet, and our spirits weren't far behind."

Continue ReadingMemphis Flyer Celebrates 20th Annivesary