The AAN members collected honors in the 48th annual Katie Awards, handed out by the Press Club of Dallas to journalists and communications professionals in the Southwest. The Oklahoma Gazette landed laurels for Best Special Section and Best Writing Portfolio; The Fort Worth Weekly nabbed Best Series, Best Feature and Best Arts Feature; and the Dallas Observer was recognized for Best Humor and as the Best Major Market Special Interest Newspaper.

Continue ReadingThree Alt-Weeklies Among Best in Southwest (PDF)

Shabiroon Jumaralli (pictured) and Jarrett Keohokalole, recipients of 2006 AAN Diversity Internship grants, contributed far more to their papers than their names and the cachet of diversity. For two months, Jumaralli served as sole staff photographer while Atlanta's Creative Loafing was filling the position. And Keohokalole proved a journalist of all trades at the Honolulu Weekly, where he distinguished himself in articles capturing the distinct flavor of island politics. Both interns applied their educations not just on the job but on the run, learning things, as Keohokalole put it, that you can't learn in a classroom.

Continue ReadingInterns Render Mission-Critical Assistance

A 15-year veteran of D.C.-based publications, Davolt (pictured) will be responsible for the content of AAN.org and AltWeeklies.com. He served as a writer and editor at the Washington Business Journal from 1999-2005, followed by a stint at Employee Benefit News. Davolt is eager to bring his diverse experience to bear on his new job. "Given the forces of darkness arrayed against the free press right now, this is an exciting time to support alternative newsweeklies," he says.

Continue ReadingAAN Hires New Editor