My Week at the Blue Angel is a collection of 10 essays, many of which were first published in CityLife, that uncover "the broken and disenfranchised side of the city."
The Arizona Newspapers Association recognized Tucson Weekly for General Excellence and reporter Jim Nintzel as Journalist of the Year, among other awards.
The Courthouse News Services reports that Andrew Diodati has sued the Weekly, publisher Tom Lee and a staff writer for allegedly defaming him in a July story in which a former client and her new lawyer accused Diodati of botching a fraud case and overcharging the government. Diodati claims the story spurred investigations by Pima County and the State Bar of Arizona, and that his "reputation has been severely damaged." He is seeking $2.75 million in damages to make up for what he says was the Weekly's "reckless disregard for the truth." Reached by email, attorney D. Douglas Metcalf, who is representing the paper, says they "have no comment other than to say that the Weekly intends to defend the suit vigorously."
L.A. Weekly led the large-circulation division for the second year in a row with four first-place wins, while Santa Fe Reporter led the small-circulation division, also with four first-place wins.
Between them, Phoenix New Times and the Tucson Weekly won 26 excellence in journalism awards in the Arizona Press Club's annual contest. New Times took home 19 awards, including first-place wins for Arts Writing or Criticism; Blogging; Children, Families and Seniors Issues Reporting; Features Column Writing; Growth and Development Reporting; Public Safety Reporting; and Sports Enterprise Reporting. The Weekly won seven awards, including a first-place finish in the Film, Video and Television Writing or Criticism category.
"It's a big deal for any business to survive for 25 years," editor Jimmy Boegle says. "But after looking at what the Weekly's accomplished over 2 1/2 decades, I can say this paper didn't just survive; as far as its content, it's thrived." To celebrate, the paper will release a 25th Anniversary issue on Feb. 26, launch a new website in March and host the 32nd Annual AAN Convention in June. "Seeing daily newspapers collapse all around us is unsettling," publisher Thomas P. Lee says. "But Tucson will have the Tucson Weekly to kick around for many years to come. We have our excellent staff, and our loyal readers, to thank for that."
Rand Carlson, whose cartoons have appeared in the Weekly for more than 20 years, talks to local TV station KVOA about why he loves his job. "It's like one constant joke after another," he says. "I keep experimenting, I keep twisting words around, seeing pictures in my head about what to make fun of."
The Weekly won five editorial awards in this year's Arizona Newspapers Association's Better Newspapers Contest, including first place finishes for Best Lifestyle Feature, Best News Story and Best Sustained Coverage.
The state's two AAN members were well-represented when the Arizona Press Club presented its annual awards on Saturday night. Phoenix New Times took home a total of 17 awards, including first-place wins in Arts Writing or Criticism; Children, Families and Seniors Issues Reporting; Environment and Science Reporting; Investigative Reporting; News Column Writing; and Politics and Government Reporting. Staff writer Sarah Fenske tied for first-runner up in the prestigious Virg Hill Journalist of the Year award. Tucson Weekly won a total of 16 awards, including first-place finishes in Business Reporting; Commentary/Analysis; Film, Video and Television Criticism; Personality Profile; Personality Profile Reporting; Public Safety Reporting; Sports Reporting; and Sustained Coverage.
