Detroit host Assoc. of Alternative News Media convention #AAN2012 #TellUsDetroit

By Abenaah Ezrah/Tell Us Detroit

DETROIT (Tell Us Det) – Hundreds of participants in alternative news media gathered at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel, for the 35th Annual Association of Alternative News Media convention. As its first year in Detroit, news Professionals were taken back by the city’s profound jewels and commended organizers’ on its first day success.

Larry Alexander, president and CEO of the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, struck a similar note: “Downtown is undergoing a complete transformation, becoming an incubator for new businesses that are bringing thousands of new employees and amenities. We’re proud to have the opportunity to showcase this to such an influential and large group of media.”

And AAN Executive Director Tiffany Shackelford underscored the synergy between the association and the city: “Much like alternative weeklies, the city strives for change and rebounds with new ideas and the motivation to fulfill them. This makes it the perfect host city for AAN’s 35th Annual Convention.”

The Association of Alternative Newsmedia is made up of 130 alternative news organizations covering every major metropolitan area and a number of smaller markets across the United States and Canada, with combined weekly circulation of more than 6.5 million, and a print readership of nearly 17 million active, educated and influential adults. Additional millions view AAN-member content via the web and mobile devices.

Conventioneers will hear from major voices in the industry on topics from investigative reporting to the science of measuring online audiences. And they’ll hear from a range of Detroit-rooted speakers including legendary MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer, Detroit activist Grace Lee Boggs and University of Pennsylvania historian Thomas J. Sugrue, a Detroit native well known for his Detroit-centered work.

Metro Times, founded in 1980, is among the oldest members of what began as the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies (until its name changed last year). To meet the association’s rigorous membership standards, weekly newspapers must demonstrate that they produce high-quality journalism that offers a valuable alternative to the mainstream media in their area. Metro Times remains the only AAN paper in metropolitan Detroit and one of two in the state of Michigan.
For more information about the convention, see aan.org.