Program to Focus on Alternative Journalism

Posted on April 23, 1998

While daily newspapers have been losing circulation for years, at least one segment of the print journalism is thriving: alternative weeklies. Circulation and revenue of the nation's alternative newspapers have more than doubled since 1990, according to a report cited recently in The Wall Street Journal.

What accounts for the success of these publications in the face of increasing competition from television and the Internet? What can the alternative newspapers teach mainstream journalists about news coverage, story angles and reaching readers?

To answer these and other questions, The Society of Professional Journalists is presenting a panel discussion on the state of alternative journalism in the Puget Sound area.

"What the Mainstream Misses: Alternative Journalism in the Seattle Area" features three of the best-known journalists from the area's top weekly publications. Panelists are Knute Berger, editor of The Seattle Weekly, Charles Cross, author and editor of The Rocket, and Dan Savage, associate editor of The Stranger and nationally syndicated sex advice columnist. Doug Underwood, associate professor of communication at the University of Washington, will moderate.

The program will be held Thursday, April 30 at The Mountaineers Building, 300 Third Ave. West. Registration and social hour begins at 6 p.m., with the program to follow at 7 p.m. Admission is $5, or free for SPJ members and students. The program is sponsored by the Western Washington Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. For more information contact Marty Wolk, 206/386-4848 or mhwolk@nwlink.com.