The OC Weekly staffer and "¡Ask a Mexican!" columnist, who received a master's degree from UCLA in 2003, will be the keynote speaker for the university's June commencement ceremony. "Gustavo Arellano is a keen observer of life in America — in particular the culture and diversity of Southern California," says Judith L. Smith, dean and vice provost for undergraduate education in the UCLA College of Letters and Science. "He explores today's issues of diversity and ethnicity with incisive commentary and a sharp wit that punches holes in traditional thinking about race and stereotypes." On the OC Weekly blog, Arellano pulls out some of the "flattering reactions" to the decision, like this one from one Tweeter: "That's the weakest thing ever."

Continue ReadingGustavo Arellano Will Keynote UCLA Commencement Ceremony

An advertisement in this week's City Pages that shows an apparently suicidal man with a gun to his head has upset some readers and advocacy groups. Critics say the ad, for R.F. Moeller Jeweler, treats mental illness as a punch line rather than a serious illness. The ad was created by columnist T.D. Mischke, who puts together a different ad for the jeweler, a column sponsor, each week. "Certainly I'm sorry to the people who were hurt by it," he tells KSTP-TV. "I'm not in the business of going out to hurt people so anytime I hurt somebody I have to apologize for that." MORE from MinnPost.com and the Consumerist.

Continue ReadingAd in City Pages Comes Under Fire

From The Pope to The Situation, from Glenn Beck to Tiger Woods, the Phoenix has rolled out its annual list of the year's 100 unsexiest men. "Nike's robotically perfect pitchman took that whole 'Just Do It' slogan a smidge too literally -- with virtually any hooker, cocktail waitress, golf groupie, substitute teacher, den mother, and rodeo clown within a chip shot of his 5-iron," the Phoenix says of Woods, who took top honors this year. "Making matters worse, to repair his nuked image, he hired evil former Bush White House press secretary Ari Fleischer as his public-relations caddy."

Continue ReadingBoston Phoenix Unveils This Year’s 100 Unsexiest Men

Foundation says Raleigh/Durham's Independent Weekly, Indianapolis' Nuvo and the Nashville Scene have recently launched new sites on the Foundation platform. These three papers join 21 others on the content management system, which is specifically geared toward AAN papers.

Continue ReadingFoundation Adds Three New AAN Clients

Twenty-five arts journalists have been chosen to participate as fellows in the sixth NEA Arts Journalism Institute in Theater and Musical Theater at USC Annenberg, and six of them come from alt-weeklies. Philadelphia City Paper critic Mark Cofta, San Antonio Current arts and online editor Sarah Fisch, San Francisco Bay Guardian critic Nicole Gluckstern, LA Weekly critic Mayank Keshaviah, Oklahoma Gazette critic Larry Laneer and Eugene Weekly performing and visual arts editor Steffen will all take part in May's institute, a rigorous 11-day program which includes writing workshops and one-on-one master classes.

Continue ReadingSix Alt-Weekly Writers Heading to USC Annenberg’s NEA Arts Institute

A San Francisco Superior Court judge last week granted a motion by the San Francisco Bay Guardian to set a hearing to determine if Bank of Montreal, the lead bank for SF Weekly, should be held in contempt of court for telling the Weekly's advertisers that it has first right to that paper's money. The Guardian contends that the March ruling allowing the Guardian to take half of the Weekly's ad revenue means it has first right to any money from the Weekly, not the bank. The hearing is set for April 30.

Continue ReadingJudge Sets Hearing on Bay Guardian’s Contempt Claim Against Bank

Continuing a trend from previous suveys, more than 70 percent of respondents in the 2010 PRWeek/PR Newswire Media Survey indicate a heavier workload as compared to last year. The survey finds the workloads being driven up by web reporting and social media, with 62 percent of respondents now required to write for the web, and 37 percent of the American respondents required to maintain a Twitter account.

Continue ReadingSurvey: Web Updates, Social Media Equal Heavier Workloads for Journos