DesertNet and Index Publishing are pleased to announce four additional alternative news websites using the Foundation platform, two of which are AAN member publications:
* Arkansas Times - www.arktimes.com
* Creative Loafing - Atlanta - www.clatl.com

"Already it's proven to be a robust system that's both saving us time and enabling us to expand our community of readers," said Lindsey Millar of Arkansas Times.

Two additional recent launches include:
* Real Detroit Weekly - www.realdetroitweekly.com
* Urbanite Baltimore - www.urbanitebaltimore.com

Continue ReadingFoundation Launches Four New Publication Websites

Next week's Annual Convention in Toronto will feature two panels that emphasize intensive investigative reporting and practices.

On Friday afternoon, July 16, AAN continues its "How I Got That Story" Series with a panel featuring Houston Press staff writer Paul Knight and editor Margaret Downing. They will discuss Knight's investigation into the unintended acceleration of the Toyota Prius -- a piece published by Houston Press four months before a Toyota Lexus accelerated out of control in California and killed four people -- ultimately resulting in Toyota's recall of millions of cars. Attendees who would like to read Knight's piece, "Wild Rides," in advance of the panel, can find it here. The discussion will be moderated by Santa Fe Reporter editor and AAN Editorial Chair Julia Goldberg.

On Saturday, July 17, attendees will brainstorm investigative stories as a group during "Going Deep for a Baker's Dozen: 12 Quick Investigative Story Ideas," winner of AAN's 2010 editorial panel contest. The session will feature Chris Potter, the editor of Pittsburgh City Paper, Lisa Rab, a staff writer from New Times Broward-Palm Beach and Christopher Twarowski, a senior reporter/editor and investigative reporter at the Long Island Press. They'll share their thoughts and experiences with investigative projects, and then serve as judges as the audience generates their own ideas that can be shared across markets. Attendees should come ready to participate and compete (there will be prizes for the best ideas!).

Bradley Zeve, publisher and CEO of Monterey County Weekly, conceived the Saturday panel and will serve as its moderator. "Michael Hastings' investigative piece in Rolling Stone brought down the talkative General McCrystal," Zeve says. "It certainly was a powerful reminder of how potent the alternative press can be. I want to know what other investigative stories editors and reporters of AAN might pursue, and how we can learn from one another."

Continue ReadingEditorial Panels Will Dig Deep in Toronto

The Richmond, Va. based faux-alt Brick is closing its doors after four years of publication, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. One observer notes that the current issue has only one advertiser, a local horse-racing track.

Update: Style Weekly's Jason Roop first reported on Brick's imminent launching in April 2006 when he noticed a help-wanted ad for an "Alternative Weekly Coordinator" position. At the time, Roop reported that parent company Media General wasn't even sure whether its product would be news or advertising focused. One year later, Brick fired its editor as the paper attempted to expand from "a lifestyle and attitude publication" to an ill-defined broader market publication.

Continue ReadingVirginia Faux-Alt Folds

In an opinion column published yesterday, Boise Weekly editor Rachael Daigle affirms her paper's commitment to maintaining a wall between editorial and advertising. The column is in response to Chicago Reader publisher Alison Draper's recent declaration that her paper will "push" the line between the two. Daigle calls foul on the notion:

Blurring the lines between editorial and advertising is called advertorial. It's not journalistic, it's not ethical to pass it off as editorial content and it's the public that loses when editorial integrity is compromised.

No matter how bad business was at BW during the heaviest part of the recession, we never once considered chipping away at the wall that separates our editorial and advertising departments. The day BW Publisher Sally Freeman announces her intention to "push" the line between editorial and sales will be the day I'll hand her my resignation. Thankfully, Freeman is BW's biggest protector of that line.
It just so happens that AAN editors will be discussing this topic during a roundtable session next Thursday in Toronto.

Continue ReadingBoise Weekly Editor: ‘It’s Not OK’ to Mix Editorial and Advertising

In a detailed account of the San Francisco Bay Guardian's efforts to collect its court judgment against SF Weekly, California Lawyer delves into the behind the scenes legal maneuvering taking place as Bay Guardian attorney Jay D. Adkisson "search[es] for the end of the rainbow."

The story points out that cases are currently pending in three separate venues -- the First District Court of Appeal, the San Francisco Superior Court, and the state of Delaware -- and that the award settlement has grown from $16 million in 2008 to an estimated $22 million today. The article also explains that the Bay Guardian hired Adkisson for his expertise in both protecting and recovering assets. Speaking on the roadblocks they've encountered so far, Adkisson says, "We've got our hook into them, and they are one big fish. The closer we bring them to the boat, the more they wiggle."

Continue ReadingChronicling the Bay Guardian’s Efforts to ‘Chase the Money’