Writing film criticism for an alt-weekly in an area with a highly educated population allows Godfrey Cheshire to write without dumbing down his work. His three award-winning reviews for The Independent Weekly analyze films created by an American, a Russian and an Iranian. This is the 22nd in a "How I Got That Story" series highlighting the AltWeekly Awards' first-place winners.

Continue ReadingGodfrey Cheshire: Daring to Write for Sophisticated Filmgoers

When he covered media for the Dallas Observer, Eric Celeste wanted to do more than deliver "bee stings" to the local daily. He wanted to delve into the paper's inner workings. His award-winning article, "At the Ripping Point," examined a newspaper consulting company's role in the decline of The Dallas Morning News. This is the 21st in a "How I Got That Story" series highlighting the AltWeekly Awards' first-place winners.

Continue ReadingEric Celeste: Unveiling the Inner Workings of a Daily

When Steve Billings thought about what kind of food reviewer he wanted to be, he knew one thing. He didn't want to write dish-by-dish accounts of dining out. Instead, in his award-winning column for Metro Santa Cruz, he writes of the philosophy behind making sauerkraut, the goals of an organic farmer and other topical subjects. This is the 19th in a "How I Got That Story" series highlighting the AltWeekly Awards' first-place winners.

Continue ReadingSteve Billings: It’s Not Just About Food

One of the secret weapons in Betty Brink's reporting arsenal is the way she looks. Because she cuts a grandmotherly figure, people can't help but confide in her. The reporter who started out at an underground paper in college now does award-winning news reporting for Fort Worth Weekly. This is the 17th in a "How I Got That Story" series highlighting the AltWeekly Awards' first-place winners.

Continue ReadingBetty Brink: Going From the Underground to the Alternative Press

Harvey A. Silverglate brings to his commentary on legal issues for The Boston Phoenix an impressive background. He is not only a journalist but a practicing lawyer, one with an acute sense of the failings of the criminal-justice system. His political column, Freedom Watch, won a 2005 AltWeekly Award. This is the 14th in a "How I Got That Story" series highlighting the AltWeekly Awards' first-place winners.

Continue ReadingHarvey A. Silverglate: Railing Against Injustice

When Lisa Sorg found out a Federal Communications Commission panel had scheduled a hearing in San Antonio, she wanted her community to be well prepared to talk about how media ownership affects what news they hear -- and don't hear. So the editor of the San Antonio Current and her small staff tackled the issue of conglomerates taking over the airwaves, turning out a two-part, multi-story series that won an AltWeekly Award for Media Reporting/Criticism. This is the 12th in a "How I Got That Story" series highlighting the AltWeekly Awards' first-place winners.

Continue ReadingLisa Sorg: Taking on Mainstream Media Conglomerates

People who don't know Jennifer Loviglio's work sometimes say, "Oh, you write a 'mommy column.'" Far from it. Even when Loviglio is writing about her kids, her City Newspaper column, The XX Files, makes important political and cultural points. In between columns, she's always looking for an issue that will raise her hackles. This is the third in a "How I Got That Story" series highlighting the AltWeekly Awards' first-place winners.

Continue ReadingJennifer Loviglio: Finding a Voice

The editor-in-chief of the Jackson Free Press never intended to write the story that won her a 2005 AltWeekly Award for Feature Story. She'd assigned it to another writer. And then she ran into one of the subjects of the piece, they got to talking, and over the next six months she developed her heart-rending account of a family that suffered at the hands of a priest. This is the second in a "How I Got That Story" series highlighting the AltWeekly Awards' first-place winners.

Continue ReadingDonna Ladd: Reporting Her Face Off in Mississippi