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Read more about the article Alternative Takes on Sept. 11 Anniversary

It's the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, and the nation is in a period of mourning and memories. Some alternative weeklies are pointedly eschewing additional coverage, but most are taking a special look back at the day that changed everything. Their viewpoint, of course, is quite different from the largely sentimental outpourings of the mainstream media. Alt-weeklies look at Sept. 11 and see lost civil liberties, Muslim communities under siege and Americans who are confused, angry, sad and at times uplifted. Here is a sampling of the alternative view of Sept. 11.

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One phrase that has not been synonymous with Sept 11 is "civil liberty." The one-year anniversary not only marks a significant day in history but also the continuation of an assault on the Bill of Rights. "The U.S. Department of Justice continues to wage its own war to keep Americans in the dark about its vast incursions into their civil liberties — including secret arrests and deportations, lowered barriers to covert searches, and a 'don’t ask, won’t tell' attitude toward public scrutiny," Richard Byrne writes in the Boston Phoenix.

Continue ReadingGovernment Recall: Civil Liberties

Greek shipping heir Taki Theodoracapolus, who writes Taki's Top Drawer for New York Press, is providing the financial backing for The American Conservative, a new magazine platform for Pat Buchanan's species of conservatism. The new magazine will be printed bi-weekly on newsprint, in a format similar to The Nation, and mailed to likely subscribers.

Continue ReadingNew York Press Columnist Launching New Mag

Preview Connecticut, a free monthly magazine, will be devoted to a first look at Connecticut arts events rather than reviews, says New Mass Media Inc. in a news release. New Mass Media also publishes four AAN-member alt-weeklies, Hartford Advocate, New Haven Advocate, Valley Advocate and Fairfield County Weekly. The glossy magazine will appear the first week of every month and will be distributed statewide.

Continue ReadingNew Mass Media Launches Arts Mag
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On the eve of the Sept. 11 anniversary, Naureen Shah reflects on being an American, in Fort Worth Weekly. The question many Muslim Americans, no matter their ethnicity, are asking is, "Do I belong here now, or did I ever?" Shah writes. For her, being a Pakistani-American means "being simultaneously bombarded with the American Dream (if you work hard like us and become a doctor then maybe you'll own a BMW like we do) and the Pakistani Dream (get married to a good Muslim and have four kids, preferably three boys and one girl)."

Continue ReadingBeing Muslim in America

The Fifth Estate, one of the oldest and most radical underground newspapers in America, is pulling up its roots in Detroit and moving to the Pumpkin Hollow commune outside Nashville, Tenn., the Detroit Free Press reports. "Of the hundreds of underground papers that arose across the United States in the 1960s, the Fifth Estate is the oldest survivor," the daily reports. The 37-year-old anarchist paper, which has an international readership, once presented the severed head of a pig to the Wayne State University board of governors and published a picture of the event with the headline "Pig's Head Meets Head Pigs."

Continue ReadingVenerable Underground Paper Moves South

Knute "Skip" Berger signs on with Seattle Weekly after a two-year hiatus from his job as editor in chief. He says he brought over Chuck Taylor from Seattle Times as managing editor because he was so impressed with Taylor's work on the strikers' version of the daily in 2000-2001. Seattle native Berger says he's a "mossback with no intention of moving anywhere else," and glad to be back in the alternative world.

Continue Reading“I’m Here to Stay,” New (Old) Seattle Weekly Editor Says