Read more about the article Center for Independent Media President to Kick off Web Conference

David Bennahum will kick off AAN's 2010 Web Publishing Conference with a keynote address on the rise of new media amidst the collapse of the newspaper industry. Bennahum has been following new media since 1994, when he began writing for Wired magazine; additional reporting of his on the rise of the internet and its impact on our culture has been published in The New York Times, New York magazine, and The Economist. His Center for Independent Media, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, publishes six public-interest news sites around the country (many of which feature alt-weekly alums as reporters). Bennahum's talk will be Thursday, Jan. 28 at 9:15 am, kicking off a day and a half of intensive web publishing programming. For more details on the conference, click here.

Continue ReadingCenter for Independent Media President to Kick off Web Conference

The Sex-Positive Journalism Awards have announced the winners of the 2009 Sexies, the annual awards that go to stories that "improve the quality of dialogue around sex and create a more well-informed reading public." Seven Days' Judith Levine took home a first-place win in the Opinion category, where she also tied for second place with a Village Voice piece by Tristan Taormino. Amanda Hess of Washington City Paper picked up a third-place win in the Columns category for "The Sexist," while in the News/Features (Alt-Weeklies, Monthlies) category the Alibi's Marisa Demarco placed third and Rich Kane (OC Weekly) and Michael J. Mooney (New Times Broward-Palm Beach) both were named runners-up.

Continue ReadingAlt-Weeklies Pick Up Some Wins at the 2009 ‘Sexies’ Awards

The News & Review has finally moved into the "leaky old supermarket" that it purchased a few years ago and then renovated to be as energy-efficient as possible. Co-owner Deborah Redmond looks back at the process and details some of the building's new green features (blue jean insulation, dual-flush toilets and lights that turn off automatically, to name just a few). "Several years ago, I was having green nightmares. Getting here was no easy task," Redmond writes. "Now, I'm inspired to explore ideas about how we can work in an even more sustainable manner."

Continue ReadingSacramento News & Review Settles into New Digs

Gimme Noise has put together a Feb. 6 concert to benefit victims of the Haiti earthquake. The show's co-headliners -- Mark Mallman and Solid Gold -- were both City Pages cover subjects last year. All proceeds from the show will be split evenly between the Red Cross Haiti Relief & Development Fund and Architecture for Humanity.

Continue ReadingCity Pages’ Music Blog Organizes Haiti Benefit Concert

In 2008, Teri Newman entered the Riverfront Times' "Ask a Cougar!" contest, which sought an older woman to pen an advice column of the same name. Now, the 51-year-old Illinois woman is running for the Republican nomination in that state's 12th U.S. Congressional District, and her primary opponent says the columnist bid raises questions about her character. But Newman defends her decision, saying she entered the contest at her husband's urging and her opponent's tactics show desperation. "The whole thing is crap-ola," Newman says. "A big bowl of crap-ola." The winner of the Feb. 2 primary will face off against longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello and Green Party candidate Rodger Jennings this fall.

Continue Reading‘Ask a Cougar’ Column Bid Becomes Issue in Woman’s Run for Congress

The Voice's blog post on the result of yesterday's special election for the Massachusetts Senate seat vacated by Ted Kennedy -- titled "Scott Brown Wins Mass. Race, Giving GOP 41-59 Majority in the Senate" -- was singled out by The Guardian's Michael Tomasky as the headline of the day. "Someone put their witty cap on today over there at the Village Voice," he writes.

Continue ReadingMichael Tomasky: Village Voice Scores ‘Headline of the Day’

Mirissa Neff is one of three reporters for the new PBS primetime series SOUND TRACKS: Music Without Borders. The pilot for the show, which aims to "[explore] the world, combining journalistic curiosity with the adventure of travel and the soul-satisfying, hip-shaking pleasures of great music," will be airing on PBS stations on Monday, Jan. 25.

Continue ReadingSan Francisco Bay Guardian Art Director Part of New PBS Music Show