In an entry in his MSNBC blog on Monday, network newsman Brian Williams called Part 4 of Michael Tisserand's AAN-commissioned series on the evacuee experience, "a fine piece of journalism" and a "sobering and instructive piece of writing." Speaking of the displaced Gambit Weekly editor, in addition to producing fine journalism, he and some of his former neighbors recently started a new school for their children in New Iberia, La. In case you missed it yesterday on CBS' The Early Show, you can read about the Sugar Cane Academy here.

Continue Reading“Submerged” Gets Props From NBC News Anchor

Clare Nisbet sold over $16,000 of new business to run away with the AAN CAN "Back To School" sales contest that ended on Friday. As a result, both Clare and her classified manager, Penelope Huston Baer, will receive an Apple Prize Package consisting an Apple G4 iBook, a U2 Special Edition iPod, and 200 free downloads from iTunes.

Continue ReadingSanta Barbara Independent Rep Wins AAN CAN Sales Contest

Alternative Weekly Network executive director Mark Hanzlik reports that audited returns from a group of 96 Verified Audit Circulation clients, who are also members of AWN or Ruxton, have declined from 6.9 percent in 2001 to a current level of 5.7 percent. Hanzlik bases his findings on a spreadsheet analysis of recent VAC data, which he compares to a previous VAC report encompassing 76 alt-weeklies. "We sometimes use this return figure in conjunction with the circulation audit information and readership reports to reinforce the value of alternative newspapers on the street!" says Hanzlik. The spreadsheet can be downloaded by AAN members from this page in the AAN Resource Library.

Continue ReadingAlt-Weekly Returns Decline, According to AWN

The Ontario Court of Appeal ruled unanimously that a Canadian trial court erred when it exercised jurisdiction over the Post Co. in a defamation suit based solely on the availability of an article in the archives of Washingtonpost.com. The article in question was published in 1997, when the Post had only seven subscribers in Ontario, and had subsequently been downloaded from the Post's archives once -- by the plaintiff’s lawyer. Moreover, the plaintiff lived in Africa when the article was published and didn't become a Canadian citizen until four years later. AAN joined a coalition of over 40 media organizations and advocacy groups that intervened in the case following the trial court ruling. According to the Post's counsel, if the ruling had been allowed to stand and had been followed by other courts, it would have meant that "any publisher, broadcaster or online news organization can be subjected to suit anywhere in the world based solely on the availability of its content on the Internet." Read more about Bangoura v. The Washington Post Co., here and here.

Continue ReadingCanadian Court Rules in Favor of Washington Post in Bangoura Case