Back on Mar. 9, The Pitch's Justin Kendall profiled David Owen, a man convicted of possessing child pornography who later found an unusual purpose in life -- lobbying to reunite the homeless with their families. Kendall detailed the confrontational and occasionally violent encounters Owen had with homeless men, to whom he would offer use of his cell phone. "He estimates that he's been beaten up three or four times. His glasses have been broken and his face bloodied. Owen says his father has bought him a burial plot in Cimarron in case a homeless man kills him," Kendall wrote. The Associated Press reports that "Owen's father was right to worry," because Owen's body was found July 2, and four homeless men have been arrested in his death. A July 13 follow-up story in The Pitch says, "Topeka's David Owen was annoying, but we hope he rests in peace."

Continue ReadingEccentric Topeka Sex Offender and Lobbyist Profiled by The Pitch Found Dead

After 46 years at the News-Press, Barney Brantingham resigned during a staff exodus last week; he explains why in the Santa Barbara Independent: "You can't do good journalism if you're worried about offending someone 'important.' This, coupled with pressure from the business side, has a chilling, intimidating effect," he writes. He calls the reign of owner Wendy McCaw "Amateur Hour." The Independent also announces that it has hired Brantingham as a regular columnist, calling him "perhaps Santa Barbara’s most beloved writer."

Continue ReadingVeteran Santa Barbara News-Press Columnist Moves to Independent

Program details are still being finalized for AAN's first-ever conference dedicated to electronic publishing, but the time and place have been set: October 5-7 at the Holiday Inn Golden Gateway in San Francisco. AAN editors, publishers and web personnel won't want to miss this opportunity to learn, strategize and discuss having a significant online presence and keeping up with the rapidly changing news business.

Continue ReadingSave the Date: Fall Web Publishing Conference

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Matt Bartel was invited to Katie Couric's town meeting despite a ban on media, because the local CBS affiliate that organized the event "apparently didn't recognize the name Bartel (ubiquitous in Twin Cities publishing circles)." AAN members may be familiar with Matt's uncle, City Pages Publisher Mark Bartel, or his parents Tom Bartel and Kris Henning, who co-founded City Pages as well as its competitor, The Rake. After learning that Matt Bartel had a blog, staffers confiscated his pen, but he reports that he wouldn't have used it anyway. "I didn't get anything out of it, which is exactly what the evening news is," Bartel says.

Continue ReadingBlogger Bartel Runs Into Trouble at Couric ‘Listening Session’