In an interview with AAN, Tucson Weekly editor Jimmy Boegle describes the events of Jan. 8 and reflects on a period he calls, "the four most emotionally draining days of my journalism career."
The Arizona Newspapers Association recognized Tucson Weekly for General Excellence and reporter Jim Nintzel as Journalist of the Year, among other awards.
"SF Weekly has always been your essential guide for where to go, where to eat, and what to do," the paper says, "and now we have, well, an app for that." The free app features easily searchable event and restaurant listings as well as editorial coverage of nightlife happenings and slideshows.
New Times, which got its start in 1970 as a reaction to the Kent State shootings, hosted a party over the weekend to celebrate 40 years in existence. Native Arizonan and former alt-weekly writer and NPR editor Bill Wyman takes the anniversary occasion to look back and take stock of what New Times has built; it was the first paper started by Michael Lacey, who now oversees the Village Voice Media chain with business partner Jim Larkin. After saying he has "no reason to suck up" to Lacey and Larkin, Wyman concludes: "Aren't they everything we supposedly value about the press in the U.S.? They are idiosyncratic and uncorruptible, uncompromising and fearless; unlike a lot of places that adopt the motto, Lacey and Larkin really do print the news and raise hell. And as this troubled time for a troubled industry continues, they just may end up being the last men standing."
In a note to readers published last week in Phoenix New Times, Village Voice Media executive editor Michael Lacey and CEO Jim Larkin say that VVM is underwriting the cost of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona's forthcoming litigation against the state's new and controversial immigration law, would make the failure to carry immigration documents a crime and give police broad power to detain anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant. "Arizona has chosen to insist that all law enforcement in the state adopt the police-state tactics of infamous Sheriff Joe Arpaio," write Lacey and Larkin, who both have been the target of Arpaio, before inviting New Times readers to chip in to help the ACLU fight the new law. "We would like to extend an invitation to you, our readers, to join in this struggle against the cracker policies of Arizona politicians and certain elements within law enforcement typified by Sheriff Arapio."
The Reader's "Typo Patrol" is a contest of sorts for readers to spot typographical errors in the paper; each person gets $10 for each mistake they point out (capped at $300 a year per person). Publisher Jim Holman tells Copyediting.com that they pay out "between $100 and $200" per week to successful typo-catchers. He says there was a little trepidation when the Reader first rolled out the patrol, since it employs professional copyeditors and proofreaders. But Holman says those staffers haven't taken offense. "All of them see it as a challenge," he says, "to make sure there are no typographical errors."
"This issue marks my last as editor-in-chief of Worcester Mag," Jim Keogh writes. "After a year and a half at the helm, and 23 total years of pushing news for The Holden Landmark Corp., I'm stepping away from journalism and into a new career." The search is on for a replacement. "I leave here feeling proud to be a member of the continuum of reporters, editors, salespeople, designers and, yes, bean counters who have published Worcester Magazine, now 'Mag,' without fail since 1976," Keogh adds. "We do good work here, and the magazine will continue to thrive."
NUVO's Jim Poyser has a side project with longtime friend Michael Jensen, a website -- ApocaDocs.com -- that aims to bring humor to "the horror of environmental collapse." Now the duo have released a free book, Converging Emergencies: 2010-2020. "Global warming and industrial toxins are combining to create a fragile environment, yet in some parts of the world, the status quo still seems OK," a release announcing the book reads, "thus need to educate -- via entertainment -- about our planet-wide predicament." MORE: Poyser tells AAN News that the ApocaDocs are offering their weekly PANIQuiz feature, free of charge, to any AAN member papers who may be interested.
San Dieguito Printers has filed a lawsuit in San Diego Superior Court alleging that the Reader breached a contract between the two parties when it switched to a new printer at the beginning of this year. The printing company says it signed a 10-year contract to be the Reader's exclusive printer in 2005. The suit names Reader publisher Jim Holman -- both as a person and as a business -- as the defendant, rather than the Reader, as the printing company argues that the paper is being operated as a sole proprietorship.
In a message to all Village Voice Media employees sent out today, VVM CEO Jim Larkin and executive editor Michael Lacey say the ramifications of last week's court order that suggested the San Francisco Bay Guardian could seize assets from papers other than SF Weekly has been widely misunderstood. "[The order] simply says the Guardian can try and go after cash distributions New Times receives from its publications as a limited partner or member of the company," they say, pointing out that "the amount of those monies is zero," since the company's publications are "separately organized limited liability companies or limited partnerships that own, operate and publish in their respective communities." They say that as they continue their appeal of the original judgment, "our publications will continue to publish and conduct business as they have all along."
