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?