Edwin Decker Fouls His Own Easter Basket Again
Or, The Association of Alternative Newsweeklies [AAN] hates me
Back story: In 2002 the magazine that runs my column, San Diego CityBEAT, was up for admission into the AAN network. The AAN group (Association of Alternative Newsweeklies) is the definitive network of alternative weeklies around the country.
You’re really not considered legitimate until this organization accepts your paper. You have to meet certain criteria when you apply to AAN such as quality of coverage and size of distribution etc. When the publisher feels his or her paper meets the AAN standards, they apply for admission. Then the AAN committee reads the paper for a few months, votes to reject or accept, then posts an article explaining their decision. CityBEAT was accepted with flying colors. They had only one complaint about the magazine. It was a unanimous rail against one of the writers. Can you guess who?
POSTED ON JUNE 6, 2003:
2003 Admissions Committee Recommendations
San Diego CityBeat
San Diego, California
9 yes; 2 no.
The Committee recommends admission:
Despite being just a 10-month-old puppy, this paper clearly fits the AAN mold. The Committee noted how well the Beat tackles serious issues and puts the work into covering them competently. Theirs is a tight little package, attractively presented and well balanced. With the exception of Edwin Decker (a Beat opinion columnist unanimously targeted by the AC for immediate extermination; “Retaining Decker, said one member, “is like fouling your own Easter basket”) the Beat staff is to be congratulated for getting this paper from zero to 60 in near-record time.
Committee comments: To get this much news out of San Diego, a notoriously soft news town, is really admirable. The writing and reporting in the paper is good. Overall the paper is going after the things it should be going after and doing a good job. Very nicely done, as one would expect from a company that publishes two other alt-weeklies. A lively read, with strong story selection in the front of the book. The staff loves getting down to details, and is doing a lot of heavy-lifting when it comes to quite a few topics. It’s usually interesting to read what they’ve discovered. Listings are complete to the point of excess.
This paper combines an alternative approach to its subjects with maturity and professionalism. They seem to have a firm handle on everything they cover and the writing and editing quality is top notch. Some parts of this paper really sing Weekly Noise rates as one of my favorite features. It’s quick, witty, informative, delivers a lot of punch quickly. Despite the fact that they are relying almost entirely on freelancers, there’s a distinct voice. I didn’t know San Diego could sound so cool.
