Promoting the best of AAN

Today AAN launches two new features on its Web site — a section showcasing some of the best news features from member papers each week and an archive of all AAN coverage of the Sept.11 attacks and their aftermath.

“This Week in Alternative Weeklies,” which appears in the center of the main news section, features links to several AAN news stories each week from selections submitted for consideration by member papers or found through the AAN staff’s own searches.

The stories posted in this section are selected on the basis of original reporting and excellent writing, and, while they may involve local events, the articles must be of national interest.

“This new section of the Web site is intended to promote stories that fly below the national radar screen,” says AAN Executive Director Richard Karpel. “Bringing attention to our members’ best reporting will be one of the cornerstones of our effort to raise the profile of our industry.”

AAN has created an online form that will allow members to suggest articles for the “This Week in Alternative Weeklies” section. To complete the form — which is accessible from the “Suggest an Article” link in the “Tools” section of the navigation bar — members must provide a URL for the story along with a suggested headline and summary.

The “Post 9/11 Coverage” section is designed to become a comprehensive archive. Using the “Suggest an Article” link, members will be able to post links to their stories directly to the AAN Web site without mediation.

The “Suggest an Article” link will be activated later this week.