Comings and goings

God Blog author and former LANGer Brad Greenberg is heading to UCLA Law School. In a Friday post, he says he plans to keep up with the blogging even as he studies the finer points of contract law and civil procedure in the Fall.

LA Observed notes that Las Vegas Sun reporter Alexandra Berzon, fresh off her Pulitzer Prize win, will head west to join the Wall Street Journal's Los Angeles bureau. Last month, Drex Heikes, Berzon's editor on the four-part series that won the award, announced that he would be leaving the Sun to take over as editor-in-chief of the LA Weekly in August.

Vacation

I've been on vacation the last week. Normal posting will resume Monday.

-- Post From Phone

New photo shop

Pro Photogaphy Network, LLC, a freelance shop run by former Los Angeles Times photogs, sent out a press release announcing that it's open for business. LA Observed has the release here: http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2009/07/ex-lat_photogs_hang_out_s.php

Here's a post from this blog from last month about the PPN and efforts by former Times writers and editors to start a freelance network for reporters: http://reporter-g.blogspot.com/2009/06/new-online-publication-brewing.html

-- Post From Phone

Let's be friends

Romenesko looked through emails uncovered by The State newspaper in its ongoing investigation of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's affair and disappearance and discovers some news outlets offered friendly ground for an interview.

From Romenesko:

The State on Monday received nearly 600 pages documents -- e-mails and phone call records -- related to Gov. Mark Sanford's disappearance. (The e-mails were sent before it was clear where he was or what he was doing.) The paper reports:
* A Fox News correspondent wrote to Sanford's communications director, Joel Sawyer: "Having known the Governor for years and even worked with him when he would host radio shows for me -- I find this story and the media frenzy surrounding it to be absolutely ridiculous! Please give him my best."
* OpinionJournal.com associate editor Brendan Miniter, in an e-mail to Sawyer, called the WSJ's first-day coverage bunk. "Someone at WSJ should be fired for today's story. Ridiculous."
* A Washington Times staffer wrote in an e-mail that "if you all want to speak on this publicly, you're welcome to Washington Times Radio. You know that you will be on friendly ground here!"

Read the entire post here: http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=45

Read The State story here: http://www.thestate.com/local/story/862957.html

-- Post From Phone

Freedom isn't always free

Freedom Communications, publisher of the Orange County Register, plans to charge $3.95 a month for an online-only subscription to its Valley Morning Star newspaper in Texas. Those without a subscription will be able to access the site for 75 cents a day.

This is the first time a Freedom paper has charged for online access. The plan is laid out in a story that seems like it was written by the PR department.

Here's the story: http://www.valleymorningstar.com/news/online-55592-access-star.html

-- Post From Phone

When no one speaks up

Washington Post ombudsman Andrew Alexander digs into the details behind the paper's unethical health care salons to find out how an obviously bad idea could have gotten so far. In simple terms: nobody spoke up.

The story is here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/11/AR2009071100290.html?sub=AR

-- Posted from phone