In a letter published in this week's New Yorker, Richard Karpel tells the magazine that Louis Menand was bizarrely off the mark when he claimed in his recent story on The Village Voice that "after 1970, the alternative press died out" when "mainstream publications moved into the field." Karpel writes: "The progenitors of the alternative press ... were founded by trailblazers so far out of the mainstream that forty years later even a scrupulous publication like The New Yorker seems to have forgotten that they exist," MORE: Texas Observer managing editor Brad Tyer weighs in on Menand's piece on his blog.

Continue ReadingAAN’s Executive Director Lets The New Yorker Know We’re Here

The Tulsa World agreed yesterday to drop Urban Tulsa Weekly and its editor and publisher Keith Skrzypczak from a libel suit filed last week against the publication and columnist Michael Bates, who remains the lone defendant in the suit. Executives from the World say the Weekly acknowledged it had published incorrect information about the daily newspaper's circulation in Bates' column. "We now understand the legitimate concerns of the Tulsa World and appreciate the chance to sit down with its representatives, review their information and correct the record," Skrzypczak says in a letter to readers.

Continue ReadingTulsa Daily Drops Alt-Weekly From Libel Lawsuit

The plot of Lynn Shelton's Humpday centers on two straight college friends who decide to make a movie for HUMP!, the real-life amateur porn contest produced each year by The Stranger. "It's about the limitations and occasional absurdity of straightness, specifically male straightness," Shelton tells The Stranger. "These two guys try to 'outdude' each other by trying to 'do' each other, which is kind of ironic." Salon critic Andrew O'Hehir says Humpday -- which found a distributor this week -- is an "early candidate for Sundance breakout hit." MORE: Read an interview with Shelton at IFC.com.

Continue ReadingFilm That Uses Alt-Weekly Porn Festival as Plot Conceit Hits Sundance

The Tulsa World sued AAN member Urban Tulsa Weekly and columnist Michael Bates for libel yesterday, citing what it says was Bates' false claim that the World misled advertisers about the newspaper's circulation. In a Jan. 15 column, Bates alleged that a 2006 report by the Audit Bureau of Circulation "suggests the World was inflating its circulation by as much as 20 percent." Editor and publisher Keith Skrzypczak tells AAN News that the Weekly hasn't seen the suit yet. "We understand a lawsuit was filed yesterday afternoon, but as of right now, we have not seen a copy of the complaint, and we simply cannot comment on something we haven't seen," he says. "We will be happy to comment on the suit after we have had the chance to review the allegations. In the meantime, Urban Tulsa will be taking steps to talk to the Tulsa World to try to work toward a resolution of the matter." MORE: Slate columnist Jack Shafer says the World will regret the suit.

Continue ReadingTulsa’s Daily Sues the City’s Alt-Weekly

Washington's only alt-weekly is putting on a full-court press as the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama draws closer. The City Paper released a 120-page special inauguration issue this week that also featured "The Obama Reader," a 16-page insert from sister paper the Chicago Reader, which has been covering Obama since 1995. (The insert was also published in the Windy City.) Publisher Amy Austin says City Paper will be doing extensive online reporting over the next several days on its inauguration aggregation page. AAN members who want a web icon to link to the ongoing inaugural coverage should email Austin at aaustin (at) washingtoncitypaper.com.

Continue ReadingWashington City Paper Capitalizes on Inauguration Fever

At his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday, Eric Holder said he supports the idea of a shield law that would allow journalists to protect secret sources by refusing to testify before courts and grand juries. The legislation has been stalled due to protests from the Bush administration Justice Department. Holder also said he would work to reverse the Bush administration policy of withholding federal records from the public if there is any plausible reason to do so. He said he favors a Clinton administration policy to release documents unless there is evidence that disclosure would harm a government agency or the public.

Continue ReadingAttorney General-Designate Backs Shield Law

Average pre-roll ad rates for online video in the fourth quarter dropped 25 percent from the year-earlier period and 12.5 percent from the prior quarter, according to a report from ad network BrightRoll. But the report notes that the drop in prices isn't all bad. "Fundamentally, online video ad inventory has been (and continues to be) overpriced," the report says. "There has been significant pressure (and success) in pushing online video CPMs to converge with rates paid on television. We believe this is good for the category, as it will bring significantly more total dollars into the medium."

Continue ReadingReport: Online Video Ad Rates Fell 25 Percent In Q4