Scott Foundas has been named the new associate program director of The Film Society of Lincoln Center, where he will work on series and event programs, including the New York Film Festival. "Scott's writing is an exhilarating dialogue with artists and audiences alike," society executive director Mara Manus tells Variety. "It is this vibrancy, along with Scott's deep film knowledge, that will contribute greatly to our growing organization, ensuring we continue to offer a vital place of serious film culture." IndieWire's Anne Thompson says Foundas' move is another nail in the coffin for the "dying art" of film criticism. "As one of the best critics working today, Foundas should be anticipating a long and happy career," she writes. "He's giving it up to program movies. This should not happen."

Continue ReadingL.A. Weekly Film Critic and Editor Leaves for Film Society

"Memphis magazine publisher Kenneth Neill somehow managed to convince the company's board members to invest in an idea he had: a free weekly tabloid that would be called the Memphis Flyer," editor Bruce VanWyngarden writes in an introduction to the paper's 20th anniversary issue. "The first issue hit the streets in February 1989." In another column, Neill explains why the paper didn't celebrate the actual anniversary back in February. "February 2009 did not seem a particularly good time for a 20-year celebration," he writes. "The economy was in the toilet, and our spirits weren't far behind."

Continue ReadingMemphis Flyer Celebrates 20th Annivesary

In a Q&A with The Onion's AV Club, Hodgman, the comedian who is probably best known as the PC in the ubiquitous Apple ads, discusses his lack of sports knowledge. He says he understands the "comforting" aspect of "watching millionaires hit balls with sticks," but offers the example of others who provide similar comforts. "Why isn't there a ticker-tape parade for the freelance magazine writers? Where's the ticker-tape parade for the guy whose movie review you read in the alt-weekly every week, and who lives down the block from you, and who gets drunk in the same bar as you, and, like you, will never go anywhere in his life?," Hodgman asks. "That guy gives you comfort as much as the millionaire who hits the ball with a stick or kicks it."

Continue ReadingJohn Hodgman: Alt-Weekly Writers Should Get Their Own Ticker-Tape Parade

Last month it was revealed that the Cook County state's attorney subpoenaed emails, grades, and notes and recordings of witness interviews from students at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism who were investigating a 1978 homicide case for the school's Innocence Project. Today, AAN sent a letter to the state's attorney citing "grave concerns" about her actions and urging her to reconsider the subpoenas. "Our members are concerned whenever the values of a free press are threatened," reads the letter, written by AAN First Amendment chair Tim Redmond, "and we believe the actions by your office do just that."

Continue ReadingAAN Urges State’s Attorney to Reconsider Medill Subpoenas

Village Voice Media CEO Jim Larkin tells Forbes that for web revenues, the company is continuing to focus on its "Voice Local Network," which sells ads on niche websites that partner with VVM. Larkin also says that VVM is on track to pull in $120 million in ad revenue this year (down from $141 million last year), and that the company is running at a profit.

Continue ReadingVVM Building Web Revenues by Collecting Niche Partners

The new feature, which Twitter hopes to roll out in the next few weeks, will allow mobile phone users to include precise locations -- via GPS -- with each tweet they send. On the other end, users will be able to limit their searches to messages from any particular location, which could help news organizations that are trying to curate local tweets. "Proximity can be this proxy for relevance," Twitter's Ryan Sarver tells the New York Times. "We are about delivering the right information to the right people."

Continue ReadingTwitter to Unveil Geolocation Feature