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A weekly newspaper is a general-news or current affairs publication that is issued once or twice a week in a wide variety broadsheet , magazine , and digital formats. Similarly, a biweekly newspaper is published once every two weeks. Weekly newspapers tend to have smaller circulations than daily newspapers, and often cover smaller territories, such as one or more smaller towns, a rural county, or a few neighborhoods in a large city. Frequently, weeklies cover local news and engage in community journalism .

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43-466: The Amsterdam News (also known as New York Amsterdam News ) is a weekly Black-owned newspaper serving New York City . It is one of the oldest newspapers geared toward African Americans in the United States and has published columns by such figures as W. E. B. Du Bois , Roy Wilkins , and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. , and was the first to recognize and publish Malcolm X . It operated from

86-407: A CD-ROM or Zip disk , or sent to the printing press (either located at the newspaper office or an off-site publication plant) by e-mail or FTP site. Often, the staff of a weekly newspaper is smaller, with employees having several duties. For instance, a news editor may also sell advertising, while reporters could also be photographers. The size of the news staff varies, depending on the size of

129-448: A municipality or other government body must designate a newspaper of record . The official newspaper is decided based on geographical area, and often more than one newspapers are given this designation. Official newspapers receive the government's public notices, and since they are considered advertising, it can be a source of revenue for newspapers. Weekly newspapers often have one or more advertising sales representatives whose job it

172-468: A Town all Shook Up", printed by Amsterdam News in 1962, Hicks described the events leading up to James Meredith 's reported visit to the Ole Miss campus as "chaos and bedlam". Despite the possession of valid press credentials, the black press members, including Hicks, were denied access to the campus and were only able to cover the story from outside the school gates. Because of his inability to access

215-467: A companion web site and online edition, amsterdamnews.com, in 2009. In October 1930, it became the second Black newspaper to be admitted to the Audit Bureau of Circulation . At its height in the 1940s, newspaper had a circulation of 100,000 and was one of the four largest African American newspapers in the United States. As of 2015, it circulates nearly 15,000 copies of the paper weekly. In 1979,

258-523: A consequence, the paper is one of the most frequently quoted black newspapers in the world. The Amsterdam News has had many significant innovations. It was the second black newspaper, after the Chicago Defender , to be admitted to the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) in October 1930, of which it is still a member. In 1936, it became the first and, to this day, the only—black newspaper that

301-1227: A coverage area. The publication dates of weekly newspapers in North America vary, but often they come out in the middle of the week (Wednesday or Thursday). However, in the United Kingdom where they come out on Sundays, the weeklies which are called Sunday newspapers , are often national in scope and have substantial circulations (20 to 50% higher on average than their daily sister publications). Other types of news publications come out weekly on newsprint but are not considered general newspapers. These cover specific topics, such as sports (e.g., The Sporting News ) or business (e.g., Barron's ), and have larger circulations and cover much larger geographic-coverage areas. Alternatively, other news publications come out weekly on magazine-style print but are still considered general newspapers (e.g. The Economist ). The first weekly newspapers were Relation and weekly newspaper Aviso , which were published at beginning of 17th century. The Relation started around 1605 in Straßburg by Johann Carolus and

344-585: A per-story rate. Many weekly newspapers started as family-owned businesses, covering one or two communities and handling all editorial and business functions. The Tribune Newspaper in Humble, Texas is one example. Typically all business functions, along with the editor-in-chief would be family members, while non family members would assume reporting positions. Another example is the Campbell County Observer published in N.E. Wyoming. The owner

387-760: A private in the U.S. Army , and during his service in New Guinea he was awarded three battle stars and promoted to captain. In an interview for the documentary, Eyes on the Prize , Hicks claimed that his time spent in the military, among many other black veterans', heavily influenced his activist role when he returned to the United States. Hicks said of the beginning of his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement , "I spent three years overseas in New Guinea and I became an officer during that period. I had been eager to exercise authority, so when we got out it

430-476: A program such as Adobe Photoshop . After the copy and advertisements have been placed on the page, the editor will print out a proof and make any changes, if necessary. Sometimes, they will consult with reporters on such things as double-checking facts, proofreading headlines and other copy, or writing cut-lines for photographs. Once everyone is satisfied, a final proof is printed out and prepared for publication. The pages can be placed on dummy sheets, burned to

473-623: A publisher overseeing several newspapers, with a specific editor for each newspaper. Generally speaking, the staff of corporate-owned chain weeklies do not have deep connections into the communities and do not prioritize accountability for local governments. The switch from locally owned weekly newspapers to corporate chains, which is often driven by the loss of advertising revenue , is associated with increases in taxes, reduced involvement by citizens in local government , fewer citizens voting in elections, more wasteful spending, and even higher levels of corruption . At Christmas Day, depending on

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516-451: A sports reporter takes great ownership in a specific team and writes stories containing detailed accounts of games. Several photographs of the games may accompany the story. Other stories preview games, usually between traditional rivals, to build interest. Family news pages include announcements of births, engagements, weddings, landmark birthdays and anniversaries, and obituaries . In the past, correspondents often submitted stories along

559-539: A story he wrote for Amsterdam News on September 28, 1957, Hicks states, "After we were safely out of the mob area, reports came over the radio that we had been sent to the school as 'decoys' to the mob so that they would not notice the Negro children when they slipped in. This is actually what happened but it certainly was not in our plan." In Hicks' story, "On the Mississippi Warfront: Oxford's

602-466: A weekly newspaper receives most of its revenue from display advertising and classified advertising . Most weekly newspapers are laid out one or more days before the publication date. Sometimes, the layout of pages is staggered, to allow for multiple deadlines. Like larger newspapers, most weekly newspapers these days are paginated (or laid out) using computer software, using programs such as Adobe PageMaker , Adobe InDesign or Quark Xpress . Layout

645-400: Is the appearance of the page and includes photographs (along with cutlines, or captions identifying the photograph's content and people), copy (the text and its typefont), headlines and white space. At many newspapers, photographers, reporters and editors use digital cameras to take photographs and download selected photographs using a card reader. The photographs are cropped and edited using

688-522: Is the publisher who also performs advertising sales, writing, distribution, books, and other duties that may be required. His wife, Candice, is an advertising saleswoman, his nine-year-old and four-year-old children are the insert stuffers, and they all are door-to-door subscription salespeople. As newspapers became more expensive to operate and family members declined to join the business, many weekly newspapers were purchased by larger chains of weeklies. Some family-owned newspapers are operated as chains, with

731-422: Is to sell display advertisements. Most advertisements are from local businesses (although some larger companies from outside the coverage area may advertise). Other advertisements are called classifieds , which are placed by people who want to buy or sell something (such as a car or real estate), employers who have job openings, or property owners who have rental property available. Along with paid subscriptions,

774-800: The New York Voice . Hicks also held positions in public relations for the National Urban League and as the assistant commissioner of the New York State Division of Human Rights . Hicks was the first black member of the State Department Correspondents Association and the first black journalist cleared to cover the United Nations ; for this he is labeled by some as a "pioneer in the field". Hicks' coverage of

817-557: The Amsterdam News becoming the first unionized black paper. The strike ended on December 24, 1935, when the paper's bankruptcy receiver Laurence H. Axman, Newspaper Guild president Carl Randau , and businessmen Dr. C. B. Powell and Dr. Phillip M. H. Savory reached an agreement that saw the locked-out employees receive a 10% wage increase, a five-day, 40-hour work week, two weeks of annual vacation time, three-month dismissal notices for employees with more than 10 years of service,

860-406: The Amsterdam News into one of New York's largest and most influential Black-owned-and-operated business institutions, and one of the nation's most prominent ethnic publications. It was later reported that James Henry Anderson published the first copy: "...with a dream in mind, $ 10 in his pocket, six sheets of paper and two pencils." The Amsterdam News was one of about 50 black-owned newspapers in

903-487: The Amsterdam News is black-oriented, it has always been aware of the fact that it serves a multiracial community and recognized other ethnic groups. On November 26, 1963, The New York Times credited the Amsterdam News with inspiring a crackdown on vices and other ills in the village of Harlem: "The Amsterdam News has always had a great deal of persuasive power in Harlem and other black communities." From 1972 to 1979,

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946-627: The Aviso started in January 1609 in Wolfenbüttel . Many weekly newspapers in North America follow a similar format: News coverage usually focuses on local events such as car accidents or house fires, plus local government meetings, such as city councils or school boards, and police blotters. A weekly newspaper often covers sports teams from one or more area schools (mostly high schools ), communities, or professional teams if any exist. Often,

989-589: The New York Amsterdam News Building on Seventh Avenue in Harlem from 1916-1938. The building is a National Landmark. The Amsterdam News was founded on December 4, 1909, and is headquartered in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan . The newspaper takes its name from its original location one block east of Amsterdam Avenue , at West 65th Street and Broadway . An investment of US$ 10 in 1909 (equivalent to $ 339 in 2023) turned

1032-560: The 2000 Spring issue of Archipelago Vol. 6, No. 1 . On January 20, 2003 the documentary “ The Murder of Emmett Till ” was broadcast by “American Experience” and PBS . The book Why It’s Unlikely the Emmett Till Murder Mystery Will Ever Be Solved by authors David T. Beito and Linda Royster Beito include references to Hicks' role in events surrounding the trial of Bryant and Milam. In 1957, Hicks, alongside several other representatives of

1075-745: The Emmett Till murder trial was published as a series of installments in dozens of newspapers including the Baltimore Afro-American , the Cleveland Call and Post , and the Atlanta Daily World . His investigative journalism uncovered the identities of two key witnesses to the murder, who Hicks believed, would have led to the prosecution of the accused, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam. The witnesses, Leroy "Too-Tight" Collins, and Henry Lee Loggins, had been seen riding in

1118-526: The United States at the time it was founded. It was sold for 2 cents a copy (equivalent to $ 1 in 2023) from Anderson's home at 132 West 65th Street, in the San Juan Hill section of Manhattan's Upper West Side. With the spread of Blacks to Harlem and the growing success of the paper, Anderson moved the Amsterdam News uptown to 17 West 135th Street in 1910. In 1916, it moved to 2293 Seventh Avenue, and in 1938, it moved again, to 2271 Seventh Avenue. In

1161-677: The back of J.W. Milam's truck with Emmett Till the night he was murdered. Hicks and his colleague, L. Alex Wilson, continued to track down these witnesses well after the trial had ended and this investigative work was featured in the documentary, " The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till " produced by Keith Beauchamp . Articles by Hicks written for the Cleveland Call and Post are found in Christopher Metress's The Lynching of Emmett Till: A Documentary Narrative ( University of Virginia Press , Sept 2002). These were published in

1204-414: The black press, Earl Davy, Moses Newson , and L. Alex Wilson, attended the integration of nine black students into Little Rock Central High School. When the black reporters arrived on the scene they were beaten and chased by a mob, which was protesting the integration outside the school. After the students gained entry to the school, the mob accused the black reporters of being a decoy for the students. In

1247-474: The campus, Hicks followed the mob to stay close to the story of James Meredith's arrival. In order to keep James Meredith, a black student attempting to integrate Ole Miss, out of Oxford, the town "massed every law officer the state of Mississippi could produce", and hoped this would convince Meredith not to return. Hicks described the town as a "mess". Hicks died in Manhattan, New York, on January 16, 1986 at

1290-648: The community). Others may be recent college graduates early in their career, and are trying to gain experience and/or clips. Many newspapers have at least one news clerk or editorial assistant who is responsible for typing family news and obituaries , as well as news releases announcing upcoming events. A circulation manager keeps track of subscribers (this can range from only a couple hundred to tens of thousands of subscribers), and may also be in charge of classified advertising . As well as full-time staff reporters and photographers, many weekly newspapers also employ correspondents (sometimes called stringers), often paid on

1333-425: The day of the week that Christmas Day is on, weekly newspapers would change the day in many countries. For example, Sunday newspapers are moved to Christmas Eve or Saturday when Christmas Day is on Sunday, and other weekly newspapers are expected to change their day at Christmas to save outlets and businesses from opening on Christmas Day by law. James L. Hicks James L. Hicks (May 9, 1915 – January 16, 1986)

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1376-413: The early 1940s, the paper relocated to its present headquarters at 2340 Eighth Avenue (also known in Harlem as Frederick Douglass Boulevard). Not soon after the death of Edward Warren, one of the early publishers, Anderson sold his stock in the paper. On October 9, 1935, the paper's editorial employees went on strike. It was the first time the staff of a black-owned newspaper had gone on strike and led to

1419-425: The editor , written by readers on a specific topic. The public-record section usually includes summaries of police-incident reports, fire-department calls and court dispositions (or, the outcome of a criminal proceeding). Many newspapers also publish a list of building permits that have been issued in its circulation area. Public notices typically fall into one of two categories: Laws in many US states dictate that

1462-454: The establishment of a guild shop, and the removal of strike-breaking staff. The paper was taken over by Powell and Savory following bankruptcy proceedings by the paper's three largest creditors. Dr. Powell assumed the role of publisher. During Powell's stewardship, the Amsterdam News not only took on local news, but national news as well. Much of the paper's strength was based on its shaping the advancement and realization of Black aspirations. As

1505-403: The family business operating weekly newspapers in multiple towns. The chain newspapers can be either regional or national chains. Sometimes all advertising functions are combined, with a weekly newspaper containing both ads for local businesses and for businesses in the chains area. This larger circulation can assist in bringing in national advertising to weeklies. Weeklies in chains may also have

1548-545: The lines of "Mr. and Mrs. John Jones had company from out-of-town last week", although these types of stories – commonly called "Neighborhood News" or some similar name – are largely a thing of the past. Larger weeklies, especially those that are part of chains, also offer lifestyle features, reviews of local theater and arts, restaurant reviews and a food section that may concentrate on local recipes. Like daily newspapers, weekly newspapers often have an editorial page. Editorial pages also include letters to

1591-570: The local, national and international communities. In July 1996, Tatum bought out the last remaining investor, putting the future of the paper firmly in the hands of the Tatum family. In December 1997, Tatum stepped down as publisher and editor-in-chief and passed the torch to his daughter, Elinor Ruth Tatum, who at the age of 26 became one of the youngest newspaper publishers in the United States. Tatum died in 2009. Elinor Tatum currently serves as publisher, editor-in-chief, and CEO. The newspaper launched

1634-643: The newspaper and its circulation area. Some papers have a staff of several reporters , with each reporter having a specific beat (much like a daily newspaper, with beats including schools, local government, business, police, etc.). Many smaller newspapers, however, may have as few as one reporter to cover the entire circulation area, meaning they are responsible for the entire content of the newspaper (e.g., government, business, schools, crime, features, etc.). The experience of weekly newspaper reporters varies. Some may have years of experience (either they are satisfied where they are employed, and/or may be well-established in

1677-662: The newspaper began an art review column written by Gylbert Coker to cover African American art exhibitions and the African American artists. In August 1982, Wilbert A. Tatum, chairman of the AmNews Corporation's board of directors and the paper's editor-in-chief, became publisher and chief executive officer. Under Tatum's leadership, the Amsterdam News broadened its editorial perspective, particularly in international affairs. This expanded thrust has produced considerable interest and readership from all sectors of

1720-409: The newspaper changed from broadsheet to tabloid format. Its editor and publisher is Elinor Tatum , daughter of Wilbert "Bill" Tatum (1933—2009), who has served as the newspaper's editor, publisher, chairman and CEO. Weekly newspaper Most weekly newspapers follow a similar format as daily newspapers (i.e., news, sports, obituaries , etc.). However, the primary focus is on news within

1763-738: Was a member of the black press from 1935 to 1977. He wrote a column for the Baltimore Afro-American advocating opportunities in the U.S. Army. Hicks covered school integration in Little Rock, Arkansas and Oxford, Mississippi, and his coverage of the Emmett Till murder trial in Sumner, Mississippi. Hicks was born in Akron, Ohio, on May 9, 1915. He was educated at the University of Akron , Ohio, and Howard University . Hicks enlisted as

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1806-795: Was just one more step towards saying, 'look, we aren't going to take this anymore'." Hicks began his career in journalism as a reporter for the Cleveland Call and Post in 1935. After his stint in the war, he joined the Baltimore Afro-American , and in his time there became the Washington Bureau Chief for the National Negro Press Association . He served as the executive editor for the New York Amsterdam News during 1955–1966, and again 1972–1977. In 1977, he became editor for

1849-819: Was unionized in all departments by the Newspaper Guild of New York, Local 3. By 1961, the New York Amsterdam News had become the largest weekly community newspaper in the nation. On May 1, 1971, Dr. C. B. Powell announced his retirement and sold the Amsterdam News to the AmNews Corporation, its present owner. Over the years, many important figures in journalism have been editors of the paper, including T. Thomas Fortune , George W. Harris, Obie McCollum, John Lewis Clarke, Earl Brown, Dan Burley , Julius J. Adams, Thomas Watkins, S. W. Garlington, Stanley Ross, T. J. Sellers , Dr. G. James Fleming, James L. Hicks , Jesse H. Walker, and Bryant Rollins. While

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