An unknown Republican senator has placed a secret hold on the Open Government Act, a bill supported by AAN that would improve the Freedom of Information Act. Although the OGA has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 308-117 and was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, this anonymous supporter of government secrecy is preventing the bill from reaching the Senate floor for a vote. AAN strongly encourages its members to join the Society of Professional Journalist's crowdsourcing effort to unmask the secretive senator.

Continue ReadingAAN Encourages Members to Unmask Anonymous Senator

That's the question that will be answered in a classified-track session led by Move.com’s Adam Fine, who will talk about how the web has reshaped the ways people think about buying, selling and valuing properties. Fine will also demonstrate how the web has made real estate a voyeuristic pastime.

Continue ReadingWhat’s Next In Real Estate Marketing?

The Bay Guardian ran an ad for Coors Light earlier this month and faced the wrath of local progressives, who have boycotted the company since 1974 due to its anti-union and anti-gay policies. "I wish they would not carry (the ad)," a representative of a local labor group tells the Bay Area Reporter. "I think they are mistaken to do so." Executive editor Tim Redmond tells the Reporter that the Bay Guardian will run any ad that's "not libelous, obscene, or consumer fraud" -- with the exception of cigarette advertising, which it no longer accepts**. "If every ad met my political correctness test, there would be no ads in the paper and I would be out of a job," Redmond says. **UPDATE: Redmond says the Bay Area Reporter got one detail wrong; the Guardian still takes cigarette ads. And he says we missed his most important quote: "I drink only Bud Light."

Continue ReadingRedmond Defends SFBG Advertising Policy

David C. Iglesias is the former federal prosecutor for the District of New Mexico whose revelation about receiving an improper phone call from Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) was the spark that ignited the scandal presently engulfing U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez and the Bush Administration. Iglesias will join us for lunch in Portland on Saturday, June 16, for our annual celebration of a free press, where he will be interviewed by Santa Fe Reporter editor Julia Goldberg. You've probably heard about Iglesias' role in the DOJ scandal, but did you know that the former United States Navy Reserve Captain was the basis for the character played by Tom Cruise in the movie A Few Good Men?

Continue ReadingFormer U.S. Attorney to Speak at First Amendment Lunch