The Society of Professional Journalists announced the 2004 Green Eyeshade Award finalists yesterday, and AAN papers received 17 of the 27 nominations in the weekly/monthly division. According to SPJ, the Green Eyeshades "have honored the best in professional journalism in 11 southeastern states for 55 years." New Times Broward-Palm Beach and its sister paper, Miami New Times, did particularly well, receiving eight and five nominations, respectively. (NTBPB swept the nominations in the sports reporting category.) Independent Weekly's FEMA story, which ran in over 20 AAN papers this fall as part of an editorial joint project, was nominated in the investigative reporting category. Here's SPJ's announcement.
Spurred by the lobbying effort of Missoula Independent publisher Matt Gibson, a bill extending legal-notice advertising to free-circulation newspapers passed the Montana state legislature yesterday. The bill must now be signed by Governor Brian Schweitzer to become law. Ironically, Gibson's primary opposition was the Montana Newspaper Association, for which he serves as a member of the board of directors. According to Gibson, a former member of the AAN Board, "AAN publishers need to be alerted to the practical reality that a periodical mailing permit, as commonly required in legal notice statutes, accomplishes very little to protect the people’s right to know. It does not ensure minimum reach or distribution, nor does it require independent verification of circulation. It's superfluous, and legislators can be convinced to change to law."
Nader-supporting alt-weekly readers living in 10 swing states will see full-page ads next week urging them to vote Kerry in 2004. The ads promote a statement by more than 70 former Nader supporters -- including Noam Chomsky, Ben Cohen and Susan Sarandon -- who endorse voting for Kerry in states where he's running neck and neck with Bush. Colorado Springs Independent publisher John Weiss, who organized the campaign, says, "Our goal is to reach voters who have been almost entirely neglected in this campaign: swing voters on the left."
On Oct. 9, the Association of Food Journalists named winners in its 2004 AFJ Awards Competition -- and Association of Alternative Newsweeklies member papers came out looking like pigs in the "Under 150,000 Circulation" division. Willamette Week, Independent Weekly, Creative Loafing (Atlanta) and Cleveland Scene each took home an award, while Houston Press garnered a pair. According to the AFJ Web site, the awards "recognize excellence in reporting, writing, and photography in all media, and newspaper food section design and content."
They need to make a living but can't afford to let the conformity demanded by some day jobs sap their creative spirit. Independent Weekly's Leslie Land, Tucson Weekly's Marc Desilets and others explain the migration of musicians to the classified sales departments of alternative newsweeklies. What's the appeal? Good pay, good vibes -- altogether a decent daylight gig for a breed that Cincinnati CityBeat's Chuck Davis has dubbed "rawker-ad-hawkers."
After Colorado Springs Independent Publisher John Weiss received a Small Business Person of the Year award from the local Chamber of Commerce, an office-supply store owner named Ed Bircham took out newspaper ads questioning whether Weiss deserved it. Responding to allegations made in Bircham's ads, Weiss admits in his latest column that, yes, the Independent had indeed used profanity in the paper recently when it quoted what Vice President Dick Cheney said to Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy. Weiss also pleaded guilty to running same-sex personal ads in the paper. But the alt-weekly publisher didn't sound the least bit remorseful.
