The Alternatives Press - Newsweeklies And Zines.
By Stephanie C. Ardito
An independent researcher, past president of the Association of Independent Information Professionals, and co-author of the CONFLICTED COPY RIGHTS column in ONLINE magazine, Stephanie Ardito has been online for over two decades.
The need for quality access to the alternative press-even for those working with mainstream, traditional companies-was brought home to me recently when a pharmaceutical corporate client asked me to gather information about Ralph Nader's advocacy organization, Public Citizen. The client requested a listing of Public Citizen's publications, and once she had reviewed these, asked me to search targeted newsletters, reports, letters, and press releases for details on a specific issue. Although the Public Citizen Web site (http://www.citizen.org) has a search engine, not all of the group's publications are available in full text. Since I knew I might overlook relevant materials, I resorted to finding what I could about the topic on the site. Then, using commercial databases, I ran a search in various newswire and trade publications. A "hit or miss" approach, I admit, but few options were available to me. Alternative newspapers and magazines are just not covered well in traditional indexes.
This research project came about just a few weeks after a discussion with DATABASE Editor Marydee Ojala about the continuing difficulty in accessing alternative press publications. In early 1997, she wrote about (and "applauded") the Internet for bringing alternative press source materials within the reach of information professionals [1]. At the same time, Marydee acknowledged that these publications might not be deemed "respectable" or "reliable." We both know from personal experience that alternative materials are needed on occasion by clients and library patrons to track public attitudes, political opinions, alternative perspectives, and counter-culture events. In this article, I have compiled a selective listing of Web-based, newspaper and magazine sources (with the exclusion of alternative medicine, since this topic was recently covered in DATABASE [2,3]).
ALTERNATIVES TO THE MAINSTREAM PRESS
A number of adjectives have been used to describe the alternative press-independent, underground, nontraditional, noncommercial, subversive, and fringe. At one time or another, I suspect that most of us have picked up alternative newspapers and magazines in bookstores, music stores, grocery stores, nightclubs, clothing stores, and on the street. Perhaps we had guests coming to town and wanted to find an unusual jazz club, art exhibit, or restaurant. Perhaps we felt strongly about a political issue in our community, and wished to read about a perspective different than what was being reported on in the mass media. When we choose to "cop an attitude," we read the alternative press.
Many of the alternative newsweeklies were initially published to protest the Vietnam War. Unlike the major daily newspapers, which have consolidated into large conglomerates or ceased publication, independent newsweeklies continue to proliferate. They survive by recognizing and catering to the interests of the baby boom generation and to the 18-to 34-yearold market. Since the beginning of the 1990s, the insatiable demand for book and film reviews, city cultural information, fashion trends, computer technology, health stories, political commentary, and personal ads has spurred a financially successful niche for the alternative press [4]. The industry has grown so substantially that major, "mainstream" publishers are showing an interest in the alternatives by attempting to buy them out.
ALTERNATIVE PRESS ASSOCIATIONS
In 1978, owners of metropolitan alternative weeklies met to form the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies (AAN). Calvin Trillin reported that the term "alternative" was coined as "an attempt at respectability" and as a means for the owners 'to distinguish their papers from the underground press." Of the 210 alternative newspapers estimated to be in circulation, 114 belong to the Association. Ad revenues are projected to be $345 million, with 69% of advertising supported by tobacco companies (other major sources of advertising revenue are alcohol and sex) [5]. The Alternative Weekly Network (http://www.awnetwork.com), an ad.plxacement service for print weeklies, expected advertising sales of $13 million in 1997, an increase from $250,000 reported in 1994 [6]. Circulation numbers are impressive as well. Combined circulation of the AAN member newspapers is 6.9 million, with an estimated weekly readership of 17 million people (http://aan.org/smartconf/advertising.phtml).
Three of the largest members of AAN are Alternative Media Inc. (http://www.washingtonwire.com/aboutami.htm), New Times Inc. (http://www.newtimes.com), and Stern Publishing (http://www.villagevoice.com/aboutus/stern.shtml). Alternative Media Inc. claims a weekly readership of more than 400,000 people. Starting out with a single paper, New Times now owns eight newsweeklies around the country. Stern Publishing was started by Leonard Stern, owner of the pet products company, Hartz Mountain Industries. Stern publishes one of the oldest newsweeklies, the Village Voice.
On the Internet, alternative publications are known as "zines." Variations on zines include fanzines (covering specific fields of interest), letterzines (exchanges among writers), prozines (pieces written by professional writers), and clubzines (fan club magazines) [7]. R. Seth Friedman, publisher of FactSheet Five, an industry watchdog since 1982, estimated that in 1995, 20,000 to 50,000 zines were in print worldwide, "with circulations ranging from one to 50,000." Like the newsweeklies, many of the zines are earning enough respectable attention to be viewed as serious competitors by mainstream publishers. One example is a zine called 2600, started in 1984 as a photocopied publication for those with an interest in computer hacking. Today, 2600 claims a circulation of 50,000 "hackers and phone phreaks" [8].
ALTERNATIVE PUBLICATIONS IN TRADITIONAL PRINT INDEXES AND COMMERCIAL DATABASES
Out of curiosity, I checked the traditional index/database coverage of eleven independently owned magazines mentioned frequently in the literature [9]. Each title was searched in the 1999 edition of Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory or on the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies Web site (http://aan.org/smartconf/members_directory.phtml). In addition to identifying coverage, I pulled circulation figures for each publication. The results of my informal survey were unexpected. It did not surprise me that six of the eleven magazines are not indexed in "mainstream" or high-subscription database services (A. Magazine, Bay Guardian, Chocolatier, Creative Loafing, The Source, and Wired), but I was startled at the indepth coverage of five of the publications (Mother Earth News, Mother Jones, New Republic, Utne Reader, and Village Voice). This exercise forced me to think about two questions related to our topic of identifying sources that list alternative newspapers and magazines. First, when do "alternative" publications become "mainstream" works? Second, when and how do database producers/indexing services decide to cover alternative press titles?
Two sets of guidelines might be found in the membership requirements of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies (AAN) and the Selection Criteria published by the Alternative Press Index (see descriptions for these two organizations later in this article). To join AAN, the owner of an alternative title must be an independent publisher, and cannot rely on a major publishing company for funding. The Village Voice, which many of us might now consider to be a mainstream publication, is a member of AAN. The Alternative Press Index "includes popular and scholarly magazines and journals which cover the practices and theories of cultural, economic, political, and social change." The types of articles that are indexed include "article[s] of five paragraphs or more, bibliographies, directories and lists of resources, editorials, foreign language articles that are not also printed in English, indexes, interviews, obituaries, regular columns, reprints from other sources, reviews, [and] speeches" (www.altpress.org/criteria.html)
As far as indexing of alternative titles, neither circulation nor readership demand seems to be a factor. The Source (370,000 circulation) is not indexed, and Wired (400,000 circulation) appears in only two databases. Yet, two publications with a lower subscriber base, Utne Reader (260,000 circulation) and the Village Voice (248,000 circulation), appear in several sources.
I doubt that the age of the publication is one of the criteria. Although the Village Voice has been published since 1955 and the Utne Reader since 1984, Wired is now six years old, and The Source is in its 11th year, certainly enough time to evaluate several issues for inclusion in print and electronic indexes.
The subject matter and geographical scope do not seem to be necessary for indexing. Wired has broad appeal, since its emphasis is on the computer industry. In comparison, one could argue that the Village Voice has limited audience and regional appeal. It is considered the New York magazine for opinion pieces and cultural events within the City, but it is well-indexed. On the other hand, the Bay Guardian is indexed in only one database, despite the fact that it is similar in content and age (published since 1966) to the Village Voice.
CRITERIA IN SELECTING THE WEB-BASED SOURCES
In preparing a list of "respectable" Web sites, I first ran a literature search, looking for overview articles describing the alternative press industry, from which I established associations and directory publishers. This was followed by a search on Yahoo!, in which I selected the terms "alternative press" and "alternative media." As I reviewed each site, I kept certain criteria in mind to determine the quality and usefulness of the sites. These included the history of the Web site owner, the number of years in business, the comprehensiveness and accuracy of the listings, the ease in searching the sites (i.e., indexing by categories and the availability of search engines), and appeal to information professionals.
Alternative Press Center (APC) http://www.altpress.org/index.html
Publishers of the Alternative Press Index since 1969, APC is "a nonprofit collective dedicated to providing access to and increasing public awareness of the alternative press." APC's Web site is outstanding. The Directory of Alternative & Radical Publications Online Version lists nearly 300 publications, including subscription information, email addresses, and URLs. A list of approximately 425 subscribing libraries (mainly universities, many of which are American Research Libraries institutions) and their addresses is organized by state and country. APC also provides links to over 330 alternative resources available on the Internet. Although APC "maintains a collection of the publications indexed in the Alternative Press Index," the organization recommends that users order documents through interlibrary loan departments. To expedite the borrowing process, APC provides OCLC numbers, marks periodicals available through the UnCover document delivery service, and suggests contacting Haworth Press for document de livery of this publisher's journals.
Association of Alternative Newsweeklies (AAN) http://aan.org/
The AAN site does not include a search engine, but the home page is laid out well and simply. You can Select a Website or Directory Page for any of the 114 members that publish "non-daily" newspapers. The Directory is broken down alphabetically by title and by geographic location (Northeast, Midwest, Southeast, Southwest, West, California, and Canada). Both the electronic and print versions of the member directory contain detailed reader demographics, circulation figures, and contact information about each AAN member publication. Links to full-text articles about the alternative media industry are also available on the site. Membership criteria are fairly strict (http://aan.org/smartconf/membership.phtml). An alternative newspaper must exist for six months before applying for membership, must publish at least 24 issues a year, and cannot be owned by any daily newspaper publishing company or its affiliate [10]. To join AAN, a newsweekly must complete an application form, provide a statement of the paper's mission, and submit three consecutive issues. "Special interest publication[s] with a narrow concentration on subjects including, but not exclusively, music entertainment, religion, the environment, or a political party or organization" are not accepted for membership. Only general interest publications can apply for membership.
The Book of Zines: Readings from the Fringe http://www.zinebook.com
If you click on The Zine and E-Zine Resource Guide, you will find a significant amount of information about the world of alternative presses. I was especially impressed to see a category called Libraries, which lists one article titled "Libraries Preserve the Latest Trend in Publishing: Zines" (by Ron Chepesiuk and published in American Libraries); a list of "Libraries That Accept Zine Donations;" and "Zines in Public Libraries: Considerations & Suggestions." The site also maintains a list of Internet discussion groups.
Editor & Publisher http://www.mediainfo.com
Covering both the traditional and alternative press industries, Editor & Publisher provides Media Links to newspaper, magazine, radio, television, association, city guide, and syndicate Web sites. One can search by geographic location or by media type, or use the Advance Search engine. Editor & Publisher produces the monthly magazine, Free Paper Publisher Magazine, "reporting on news about, and issues pertinent to, free community newspapers and shoppers." An annual subscription costs $24.
The Etext Archives http://www.etext.org
The home page describes the site as "Home to electronic texts of all kinds, from the sacred to the profane, from the political to the personal. Our mission is to provide electronic versions of texts without judging their content." Six major categories are listed on the home page: Ezines (periodicals), Politics, Fiction, Religion, Poetry, and Quartz ("Quartz.rutgers.edu was a popular archive site that existed in the pre-WWW days, 1990-1994"). Within each category, you can browse an alphabetical list of titles.
Ezines Database http://www.dominis.com/Zines
As of June 1998, 3,000 publications were listed on this site. You can search by nearly 45 categories, or conduct a keyword search using the site's search engine. Each zine listing includes a description of the publication, frequency, and cost. The Ezines Database also provides three lists: Monthly Top 5 Zines, 100 Hot Zines, and 100 Popular Zines. The site is maintained by Dominis Interactive, an electronic service similar in concept to Amazon.com, but not quite as sophisticated.
Factsheet Five http://www.factsheet5.com
This site is undergoing several positive changes, so it is wise to check in regularly to see what new material is being added. Several features make this a unique site. There is an annotated list of the top 25 zines; a FAQ page that provides a fascinating article called "A Brief History of Zines; and numerous zine reviews, reprinted from the hardcopy version of Factsheet 5. To my delight, the Resource Center page links to three copyright sites that I have often cited in my articles: Terry Carroll's "Copyright FAQ," the U.S. Copyright Office's "Copyright Basics," and Brad Templeton's "10 Big Myths About Copyright Explained."
For those interested in the print version of Factsheet 5, this indexed, bimonthly publication organizes zines into 25 categories, including Grrrlz ("feminist ideas from a wide range of women"), Fringe ("people with strong opinions who aren't afraid to print them"), and Sex ("zines that cover and uncoverit all"). The subscription information is quite unusual: "the regular rate [$20] gets you each issue sent via third class bulk mall. The F5 Friend rate [$40] gets you special treatment like immediate handling, first class mailing in a protective envelope, and our eternal gratitude. All organizations, corporations, institutions, and libraries are required to subscribe at this rate."
Institute for Alternative Journalism (IAJ) http://www.igc.org/an/related.html
The opening page of this Web site furnishes links to Alternative News Services; Alternative Print Media Associations; Independent Radio; Independent Television/Film/Video; Journalist and Writer Organizations; Media Literacy Organizations; Media Policy & Universal Access (such as the American Civil Liberties Union, Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Libraries for the Future); Publications Online (only eight titles, including the Utne Reader); Further Sources for the Web-hungry; and Democracy Works (representative titles feature Aether Madness: The Right Wing, Hate-Watch, and the Institute for First Amendment Studies).
The major source of information from IAJ is AlterNet, the Alternative News Network (http://www.alternet.org). "Since 1988, AlterNet has served as a national news and information service working to support the alternative press around the country..., serv[ing] as an information clearing-house for journalists, advocacy organizations, and activists combatting right-wing efforts to censor art and media, influence government and schools, and restrict abortion and civil rights." One can view News & Features (a wide range of cultural and political topics); MediaCulture Review; Essays, Columns & Opinions; Shorts; Arts & Entertainment; and Books & Authors. About 45 stories a week (and some cartoons, too), selected from over 200 alternative sources and including original works from "regular columnists," are featured on AlterNet's Web site. Major subscribers to the service include weekly newspaper publishers, Web magazine publishers, and public interest groups.
Institute for Global Communications (LGC) http://www.igc.org/igc
Founded in 1986, IGC "is a nonprofit organization that provides alternative sources of information as well as online access and comprehensive Internet services for progressive individuals and organizations." Over 15,000 international members belong to IGC. The organization manages several networks, including PeaceNet, EcoNet ("environmental preservation"), ConflictNet, LaborNet, and WomensNet.
The home page includes three search options. One can click on the Issues Directory at the top of the screen to select from a number of topics, key terms to search the entire site for information, or browse the Members Directory (especially useful for finding detailed descriptions of alternative press publishers and links to their Web sites). IGS also offers a subscription-based, news alerting service via email.
John Labovitz's E-zine List http://www.meer.net/-johnl/e-zine-list/keywords/
Labovitz's site is considered a major resource by many of the sites reviewed earlier. Hundreds of zines are broken down by Top 80 Keywords (ranging from advertising to youth), All Keywords, and Obscure Keywords (examples are Brussels lace, Call of Chulthu, dharma, wreck diving, and Yang style).
Mining Co. http://altmedia.miningco.com/
Some unusual links are provided on this site. I especially liked the NetLinks to Alternative Publications, Alternative Zines, and Media Criticism. An article titled, "The Writing on the Wall: What Is Alternative Media?," is an interesting read, and I was amused by the link to Adhusters (http://www.adbusters.org/information/foundation.html). A creative 404 error message pops up, but do not be deterred. If you keep clicking on each subsequent page, you will be led to the site, produced by Media Foundation. Useful background information is available about alternative advertising techniques, and the reporting about national ad campaigns might be helpful to marketing departments in developing promotional strategies.
REFERENCES
(1.) Ojala, Marydee. "Holes in the Net and its Web." Searcher, 5 No 1 (January 19971: p. 32.
(2.) Snow Bonnie. "Alternative Medicine Information Sources." DATABASE, 21 No 3 (June/July 1998): pp. 18-29.
(3.) Snow, Bonnie. "Internet Sources of Information on Alternative Medicine," DATABASE. 21 No 4 (August/September 1998): pp. 65-73. (http://www.onlineinc.com/database/DB1998/snow8.html).
(4.) Avis, Ed. "Established Alternatives; Publishers of Alternative Publications," The Quill, 83 No 1 (January 1995): pp. 30-33.
(5.) Bates, Eric. "Chaining the Alternatives; How Alternative Newspapers are Changing their Focus to Achieve Financial Success," The Nation, 266 No 23 (June 29, 1998): pp. 11-18.
(6.) Giman, Wendy. "National Web Ad Network for Alternative Weeklies; National Advertisers Can Now Purchase Banner Ads on 70 Weeklies' Web Sites in a Single. Discounted Transaction," Editor & Publisher, 130 No 37 (September 13, 1997): pp. 32-34.
(7.) Plat, Jean-Luc. "Desktop Publishing Has Led to Zineomania," The Gazette, Books Section, Speaking of Language, (May 1,1993): p. K2.
(8.) Moskowitz. Eric. "The Rise of the 'Zine,'" The Christian Science Monitor," (July 26. 1995): p. 1.
(9.) Kerwin, Ann Marie; Warner, Melanie. "Check it Out (10 independently published periodicals with over 50,000 circulation)," Inside Media, (May 25, 1994): p. 48.
(10.) Giman, Wendy. "'Sexier' and Better Looking: Association of Alternative Newsweeklies Panelists Say Dailies Are Losing Ground to Their Better Packaged, More Colorful Weekly Competitors," Editor & Publisher. 130 No 30 (July 26, 1997): pp. 10-11.
Sampling of Large Alternative Magazine (95,000 + Circulation)
Title Subject Circulation A. Magazine Asian American Culture and Lifestyles125,000 Chocolatier Desserts 150,000 Creative Loafing (Atlanta) Local News and Events/Film/Play/Book Reviews 170,000 Mother Earth News Country Lifestyles 400,000 Mother Jones Politics 148,000 New Republic National Issues 95,260 (San Francisco) Bay Local News and Events/ 153,000 Guardian Film and Play Reviews The Source Music, Culture, and Politics 370,700 Utne Reader Opinion and Lifestyles 260,000 Title Index/Database A. Magazine Ethnic NewsWatch [*] Chocolatier Not Indexed Creative Loafing (Atlanta) Not Indexed Mother Earth News Academic Index Consumers Index Health Index IAC Business A.R.T.S. IAC Magazine Database Periodical Abstracts PlusText Reader's Guide Mother Jones Abstracts of Popular Culture Alternative Press Index Academic Index Book Review Index Chicano Index/Database [**] Current Christian Abstracts Current Literature in Family Planning Energy Information Abstracts Environmental Abstracts IAC Business A.R.T.S. IAC Magazine Database Magazine Index Media Review Digest Periodical Abstracts PlusText Philanthropic Studies Index Popular Periodical Index Public Affairs Information Service Reader's Guide Women's Studies Abstracts New Republic Academic Index America History & Life Arts & Humanities Citation Index Book Review Index Energy Information Abstracts Environmental Abstracts Film Literature Index IAC Business A.R.T.S. IAC Magazine Database Magazine Index Media Review Digest Periodical Abstracts PlusText Political Sciences Abstracts Reader's Guide Social Sciences Citation Index Social SciSearch (San Francisco) Bay Chicano Index/Database [**] Guardian The Source Not Indexed Utne Reader Academic Index Alternative Press Index Book Review Index Current Christian Abstract Energy Review Village Voice News and Opinions/Film/Play/Book Reviews 247,502 Wired Computer/Communications Technologies and Lifestyles 400,000 IAC Business A.R.T.S. IAC Magazine Database Magazine Index Periodical Abstracts Plus Text Reader's Guide UnCover Village Voice Book Review Index Children's Book Review Index Dow Jones Interactive Film Literature Index LEXIS-NEXIS Media Review Index Music Index Periodical Abstracts PlusText Wired Current Christian Abstracts Microcomputer Index(*.)Ethnic NewsWatch is a database produced by SoftLine information, also the publishers of GenderWatch and Alt Health Watch (www.softlineweb.com/). Ethnic News Watch is not listed in Ulrich's as an abstract & index database nor is Softline listed as an online vendor, yet the database indexes 200 publications, provides the fulltext of 400,000+ articles published from 1990 to the present, and is available on heavily used online systems (Dow Jones interactive, UMI's Pro Quest, and NEXIS).
(**.)The Chicano index/Database is produced by the University of California, Berkeley. Available as a CD-ROM product and print index, coverage of Mexican-American topics extends back to 1989. in 1992, the Chicano Database expanded its scope to include literature on Puerto Rican, Cuban American, and Central American experiences (http://clnet.ucr.edu/library/csl/csl.ucb.pub.html).
Chickens, Eggs, and Indexing
Carrying forward Stephanie's musings on when does the alternative press become mainstream and how is it deemed worthy of inclusion in online databases, DATABASE phoned several producer companies for their criteria. Not surprisingly, the first thing we were told was that the choice is up to the customer. "If enough people ask for a title, we'll probably add it. We are always open to content suggestions from our customers," is the typical response. UMI's Vince Price relies on referrals from librarians. "These are all logged and go on a target list. We also use advisory boards and focus groups to help us choose titles for our databases." Deborah Loeding, H.W. Wilson's Vice President for Product Management, notes that H.W. Wilson has a slightly more structured procedure. "There is a voting list and if enough librarians express interest, we'll add the title."
Each database has its own particular editorial criteria. Alternative press titles are likely to be added to databases covering general interest publications, such as Wilson's Reader's Guide. Loeding notes that a combination of factors influence the inclusion of a title in the database. "It needs to have national appeal, even if the title sounds local. It should have a large enough following. We also look at what libraries have in their collections." Rivkah Sass is responsible for Magazine Index, the most likely Gale Group database to include alternative press. "We strive for a balance between what people want and broad coverage. We usually require a title be published for at least a year before we add it to the database, to publish on a regular basis (if it says it's monthly, we expect 12 issues), and to have a reasonably large circulation.
Another consideration for Sass is the degree of authoritativeness of the publication. Ed Smith, Editor of UMI's Periodical Abstracts, has a slightly different cut. "Longe vity is not an issue, but we do look to see if a title is mentioned in the news. Take George, for example. As a new title, it received a lot of publicity, unlike some other titles." Echoing Loeding, Smith says, "If a title is too local, we probably won't take it-unless a local consortia has strong feelings that we should." Smith added that, as editor of a database that includes abstracts as well as full text, he looks at whether a meaningful abstract can be written.
Vince Price raised one other concern, not just about alternative press titles, but any new title. "We have to have the ability to get full-text rights." This would be true for other full-text database producers as well. Overall, database producers are open to the notion of adding some alternative press titles to their databases, hut will do so only when and if there is a groundswell of demand from their customers.
Database, Vol.22, No.3
DATABASE June/July 1999 PP 14-22.