The best Alt-Weekly Stories of 2013
This year, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia asked the editors of its member alternative newspapers to pick the best stories of the year. The resulting list was pretty long. Even though the economy hasn't been kind to newspapers, alternative or otherwise, there are still plenty of them around - and they do some pretty good work, pursuing leads other news organizations may not care about and offering the kind of perspectives that one may not find in "mainstream" media.
All of the articles presented are well worth reading. But, in this entry, I wanted to single out articles that I thought were especially interesting. I've tried to focus on articles that deal with issues and events that have impact beyond the communities the newspapers covered.
And so, in alphabetical order:
When Texas legislature tried (and ultimately succeeded) in imposing new restrictions on abortion providers, Austin Chronicle (of Austin, TX) was there to cover the events every step of the way
As snapshots from that week, we offer contributing writer Dan Solomon’s three-part, first-person account from the Capitol ("Let Her Speak!," "A Sunday at the Capitol," and "A Victory by the People,"), Managing Editor Kimberley Jones' post detailing how the paper adapted its cover image to the shifting news cycle, and News Editor Michael King’s column putting the week - what a week - in perspective.
Boise Weekly did a story on one Idaho military family's efforts to find answers when their daughter, US Air Force airman Kelsey Anderson, committed suicide on an air force base where she was stationed. Since that story was published, more information came out, filling in some blanks. But it's still not clear why Air Force was (at best) unusually secretive and (at worse) trying to cover something up.
Four female staffers for Creative Loathing (of Charlotte, North Carolina) a liberal newspaper in a conservative state, went to a shooting range. The women talk about their backgrounds, the factors that shaped their opinions on guns and how actually being at the shooting range affected their opinion. Regardless of how one feels about gun ownership and regulation thereof, it's a compelling read.
Around this time last year, Boston had two alternative newspapers - the Boston Phoenix and DigBoston. When Tsarnaev brothers set off the bombs at Boston Marathon finish line, only DigBoston remained. One month later, the newspaper gave a scathing look at how Boston Police Department (an US security agencies) ignored warning signs that should have put the brothers on their radar. And, in a more introspective piece, editor Chris Faraone compares his experiences during the attack on the World Trade Center and the Marathon bombings.
LEO Weekly (of Louisville, Kentucky) did a feature story on how the University of Louisville became "the most gay-friendly public university in the South." The article does more than just give an outline of historical events - it showed how students were impacted by actual policies, and how being gay-friendly actually helped the university recruit students. And according to editor Sara Havens, the issue where the article debuted was the most popular issue released this year.
Speaking of LGBT issues, Orlando Weekly reporter Billy Manes wrote about his "ugly, drawn-out battle" with his partner's family after his partner died and the family refused to accept his orientation. As my brother said earlier today, nothing breaks stereotypes quite like seeing minority groups as real, human beings. Stories like this go a long way toward helping the process along.
Philadelphia Weekly did a cover story on Professor Yaba Blay's book about the finer shades of racial stereotypes and preconceptions, interviewing African-Americans and mixed-race individuals with African-American heritage and examining how "their specific skin color, and its relationship to their lives, has shaped their unique identities."
And finally, Seven Days (of Burlington, Vermont) did an interesting feature story on religion in their state after a survey found Vermont to be the least religious state in USA. The story touches on major and less prominent religions alike, it offers a multifaceted perspective of what it means to have faith.
If you are interested in more articles like this, I encourage you to check the complete list of this year's standouts. Maybe you'll find something that may not seem interesting to me, but is pretty interesting to you.
All of the articles presented are well worth reading. But, in this entry, I wanted to single out articles that I thought were especially interesting. I've tried to focus on articles that deal with issues and events that have impact beyond the communities the newspapers covered.
And so, in alphabetical order:
When Texas legislature tried (and ultimately succeeded) in imposing new restrictions on abortion providers, Austin Chronicle (of Austin, TX) was there to cover the events every step of the way
As snapshots from that week, we offer contributing writer Dan Solomon’s three-part, first-person account from the Capitol ("Let Her Speak!," "A Sunday at the Capitol," and "A Victory by the People,"), Managing Editor Kimberley Jones' post detailing how the paper adapted its cover image to the shifting news cycle, and News Editor Michael King’s column putting the week - what a week - in perspective.
Boise Weekly did a story on one Idaho military family's efforts to find answers when their daughter, US Air Force airman Kelsey Anderson, committed suicide on an air force base where she was stationed. Since that story was published, more information came out, filling in some blanks. But it's still not clear why Air Force was (at best) unusually secretive and (at worse) trying to cover something up.
Four female staffers for Creative Loathing (of Charlotte, North Carolina) a liberal newspaper in a conservative state, went to a shooting range. The women talk about their backgrounds, the factors that shaped their opinions on guns and how actually being at the shooting range affected their opinion. Regardless of how one feels about gun ownership and regulation thereof, it's a compelling read.
Around this time last year, Boston had two alternative newspapers - the Boston Phoenix and DigBoston. When Tsarnaev brothers set off the bombs at Boston Marathon finish line, only DigBoston remained. One month later, the newspaper gave a scathing look at how Boston Police Department (an US security agencies) ignored warning signs that should have put the brothers on their radar. And, in a more introspective piece, editor Chris Faraone compares his experiences during the attack on the World Trade Center and the Marathon bombings.
LEO Weekly (of Louisville, Kentucky) did a feature story on how the University of Louisville became "the most gay-friendly public university in the South." The article does more than just give an outline of historical events - it showed how students were impacted by actual policies, and how being gay-friendly actually helped the university recruit students. And according to editor Sara Havens, the issue where the article debuted was the most popular issue released this year.
Speaking of LGBT issues, Orlando Weekly reporter Billy Manes wrote about his "ugly, drawn-out battle" with his partner's family after his partner died and the family refused to accept his orientation. As my brother said earlier today, nothing breaks stereotypes quite like seeing minority groups as real, human beings. Stories like this go a long way toward helping the process along.
Philadelphia Weekly did a cover story on Professor Yaba Blay's book about the finer shades of racial stereotypes and preconceptions, interviewing African-Americans and mixed-race individuals with African-American heritage and examining how "their specific skin color, and its relationship to their lives, has shaped their unique identities."
And finally, Seven Days (of Burlington, Vermont) did an interesting feature story on religion in their state after a survey found Vermont to be the least religious state in USA. The story touches on major and less prominent religions alike, it offers a multifaceted perspective of what it means to have faith.
If you are interested in more articles like this, I encourage you to check the complete list of this year's standouts. Maybe you'll find something that may not seem interesting to me, but is pretty interesting to you.