AAN News
Masquerading Media Men Manage Maine Music Magnew
The Falmouth Forecaster, a community paper in Portland, Maine, reports that Face -- owned by the publishers of Portland Phoenix, Providence Phoenix and Boston Phoenix -- regularly runs articles by writers using pseudonyms. Among them is Sam Pfeifle, editor of both Face and Portland Phoenix, who has written numerous articles as "Simon Peterson." He explains: "It's meant to be a way to have some fun and allow ourselves creative outlets." The report also notes that Face's "masthead offers few clues to who is real and who is make-believe," with job titles "arranged as if the writers and ad reps are members of a band." (Chris Busby, the author of the piece, is the former editor of the now-defunct Casco Bay Weekly, which competed against Portland Phoenix.)
Falmouth Forecaster |
01-21-2005 11:56 am |
Industry News
Boston Phoenix Article Ruled Libelousnew
The Boston Globe reports that a jury awarded $950,000 to plaintiff Marc Mandel, a Maryland prosecutor, in his suit against the alt-weekly. In January 2003, Mandel was involved in a bitter custody dispute when the Phoenix published an article detailing allegations that he had sexually abused children from two marriages. He sued for libel in April of that year. According to his attorney, the jury found two of Mandel's claims actionable, one of which was a subheadline reading, "Losing custody to a child molester." Phoenix editor Peter Kadzis says the paper plans to appeal.
Boston Globe |
12-20-2004 3:19 pm |
Industry News
Boston's Phoenix and Weekly Dig Set to Tanglenew
Steve Bailey of the Boston Globe looks at the impending battle between Boston Phoenix and Boston's Weekly Dig. He writes that "others have tried to take on [Phoenix publisher Stephen] Mindich and failed," and that the owners of Boston and Philadelphia magazines "have bought the five-year-old Weekly Dig with plans to pour in the resources and turn up the heat on the Phoenix." Bailey paints a picture of Old Guard vs. Youth Movement, of Champion vs. Challenger, before surmising, "More newspapers are better than fewer newspapers."
Boston Globe |
11-19-2004 1:28 pm |
Industry News
Phoenix Articles Lead to Newly Released Book
09-21-2004 2:50 pm |
Press Releases
Tags: Editorial, Boston Phoenix
Unmasked by the Phoenix, Anonymous Goes Unnamed in Major Dailiesnew
In the July 2 edition of the Boston Phoenix, reporter Jason Vest revealed the identity of Anonymous -- author of "Imperial Hubris: Why the West Is Losing the War on Terrorism" -- as CIA analyst Michael Scheuer. Other print and online media outlets have since published his name. Writing for Slate, Jack Shafer then wonders why the Washington Post and the New York Times continue their attempts to perpetuate Scheuer's deflated anonymity. Writes Shafer, "James Risen reports in the Aug. 5 New York Times that Anonymous is 'known publicly only as Mike,' which is true if the definition of the public doesn't include the readership of the Phoenix."
Slate |
08-17-2004 4:04 pm |
Industry News
Tags: Boston Phoenix, Jason Vest
Boston Phoenix Media Blogger Explains What Wakes Him before 6new
Dan Kennedy tells PR Week he gets up so early to read The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald and The New York Times, plus Romenesko, Slate, Salon, Instapundit, Kausfiles, Drudge and other bloggers on the Web. But, he confesses, "I do not watch as much television as I should." The blog is an ill-defined part of his job done primarily for self-entertainment, he says in a Q&A interview.
PR Week |
07-26-2004 4:32 pm |
Industry News
Tags: Boston Phoenix, Dan Kennedy
The Boston Phoenix Offers Convention-Goers' Guide on Webnew
There's no need to wait until Thursday to get an alternative view of the Democratic National Convention. The Boston Phoenix is providing daily updates and a listing of convention events on its Web site. It also has a city guide for protesters, delegates and anyone else who's in Boston for the convention this week. Media columnist Dan Kennedy is writing a media log, which today includes coverage of a tribute to the late Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone.
Boston Phoenix |
07-26-2004 3:44 pm |
Industry News
Tags: Boston Phoenix
Boston Phoenix Reveals Identity of "Anonymous" CIA Officernew
The unidentified author of "Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror" is Michael Scheuer, a CIA analyst based in Langley, Va., according to Jason Vest. The freelance writer reports in the Phoenix that Scheuer doesn't want to be anonymous at all but is compelled to keep his identity secret because of arcane classified regulations. Vest earlier wrote an article about a secret memo on Iraq that appeared in dozens of AAN papers.
Editor & Publisher |
06-30-2004 6:04 pm |
Industry News
"Savage Love" to Appear in Boston Phoenix
06-03-2004 10:14 am |
Press Releases
The Boston Phoenix Offers Text-Messaging Flirtation Servicenew
The alt-weekly has been advertising a text-messaging application known as txt2flirt, which is intended to appeal especially to young adults, Jennifer Saba reports in Editor & Publisher. Those who register can ask to be matched with someone else nearby and then tap out messages to communicate with a prospective friend or date. Each message costs 50 cents to send, and a share of the resulting income goes to the paper. The company that develops and handles the technology, g8wave, is a division of Tele-Publishing International, which is a division of Phoenix Media/Communications Group. The group owns The Boston Phoenix.
Editor & Publisher |
05-26-2004 10:33 am |
Industry News
Bush Administration Slowly Reversing the Freedom of Information Actnew
In a cover story for The Boston Phoenix, contributors Harvey A. Silvergate and Carl Takei examine the history of the Bush administration's efforts to classify a wider range of government documents. According to the authors, even before the introduction of the Patriot Act, the administration was working to reduce public access permitted by the Freedom of Information Act while, at the same time, declassifying selected documents from the Clinton administration in an effort to embarrass the former president. Now, they claim, under the umbrella of national security, the rise of governmental secrecy is adversely affecting not only the 4th Estate, but basic First Amendment rights and Civil Liberties.
Tags: Boston Phoenix
Boston's Weekly Dig Satirizes Its Larger Rivalnew
The new issue of the Dig looks a lot like The Boston Phoenix, with bylines that are plays on the names of Phoenix staff writers. The Boston Globe Names columnists Carol Beggy and Mark Shanahan report that the parody is the latest episode in a dispute over advertising tactics (third item). Dig publisher Jeff Lawrence has challenged Phoenix publisher Stephen Mindich to a one-mile footrace on April 19, with the loser required to make a donation to charity. Mindich hasn't responded.
Boston Globe |
03-30-2004 11:54 am |
Industry News
What Ralph Nader Is Doing to the Greensnew
The media has already discussed the ways in which Nader's decision to run as an independent candidate for U.S. president could hurt presumed Democratic Party candidate John Kerry. Now Adam Reilly of The Boston Phoenix looks at how Nader could damage the Green Party he put on the political map when he ran in 2000. That year he gave the Greens ballot status for the first time in seven states and boosted the third party's registration nationwide. If the Greens choose to run their own candidate this year, they'll be drawing on the same pool of progressive voters as Nader and could end up losing ballot status in some states, Reilly writes. He quotes Green-Rainbow co-chair Grace Ross, who says, "Divisiveness for a young party is not helpful."
Tags: Boston Phoenix
Religious Demonstrators Argue Both Sides on Same-Sex Marriagenew
Depending on your religious beliefs, the Massachusetts high court's ruling opening the door for gays and lesbians to marry can be seen as "an attack against civilization" or a welcome step forward in the civil rights struggle. Boston Phoenix writer Dan Kennedy listens to Catholics and Unitarians outside the Massachusetts State House while, inside, legislators debate whether the state constitution should be amended to ban such matrimony. "As the great political philosopher Jon Stewart has observed, making gay marriage legal doesn't make it mandatory," Kennedy writes.
Tags: Boston Phoenix
