Phoenix New Times

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Phoenix New Times
Phoenix New Times Logo.png
Type Media company
Format Website / Weekly tabloid
Owner(s) Voice Media Group
PublisherKurtis Barton
EditorMatt Hennie
FoundedSeptember 1970;54 years ago (1970-09) (as New Times)
Headquarters1201 E. Jefferson
Phoenix, Arizona 85034, U.S.
Circulation Print: 30,000 (2023)
ISSN 0279-3962
Website phoenixnewtimes.com

Phoenix New Times is a free digital and print media company based in Phoenix, Arizona. PhoenixNew Times publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music, arts, cannabis, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue circulates every Thursday. The company has been owned by Voice Media Group since January 2013, when a group of senior executives bought out the founding owners. [1] [2] [3] Matt Hennie was named editor-in-chief of Phoenix New Times in 2022.

Contents

Founding

The paper was founded in 1970 by a group of students at Arizona State University, led by Frank Fiore, Karen Lofgren, Michael Lacey, Bruce Stasium, Nick Stupey, Gayle Pyfrom, Hal Smith, and later, Jim Larkin, as a counterculture response to the Kent State shootings in the spring of that year. Gary Brennan played a role in its creation. According to the 20th Anniversary issue of the New Times, published on May 2, 1990, Fiore suggested that the anti-war crowd put out its own paper. The first summer issues were called the Arizona Times and assembled in the staff's La Crescenta apartments across from ASU. The Arizona Times was renamed the New Times as the first college issue went to press in September 1970.

Arrest controversy

In October 2007, Maricopa County sheriff's deputies arrested Lacey and Larkin on charges of revealing secret grand jury information concerning the investigations of the New Times's long-running feud with Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio. In July 2004, the New Times published Arpaio's home address in the context of a story about his real estate dealings, which the County Attorney's office was investigating as a possible crime under Arizona state law. Special prosecutor Dennis Wilenchik served Village Voice Media with a subpoena ordering it to produce "all documents" related to the original real estate article, as well as "all Internet web site traffic information" to a number of articles that mentioned Arpaio. Wilenchik further ordered Village Voice Media to produce the IP addresses of all visitors to the Phoenix New Times website since January 1, 2004, as well as which websites those readers had been to prior to visiting. As an act of "civil disobedience", [4] Lacey and Larkin published the contents of the subpoena on or about October 18, which resulted in their arrests the same day. [5] On the following day, the county attorney dropped the case after declining to pursue charges against the two. [6]

Special prosecutor Dennis Wilenchik's subpoena included a demand for the names of all people who had read the Arpaio story on the newspaper's website. It was the revealing of the subpoena information by the New Times which led to the arrests. [7] Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas dropped the charges less than 24 hours after the two were arrested. [8]

In the weeks following the arrests, members of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, of which the Phoenix New Times is a member, provided links on their websites to places where Arpaio's address could be found. [9] This was done to show solidarity with the Phoenix New Times.

In February 2008, the paper filed a formal notice of claim, which is required by Arizona law before suing government officials. [10] [11]

In December 2013, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors agreed to pay Phoenix New Times founders Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin $3.75 million to settle their false arrest lawsuit against the county defendants. [12]

Restraining order controversy

On April 19, 2023, Senator Wendy Rogers obtained a restraining order against Camryn Sanchez, an Arizona state Senate reporter for the Phoenix New Times. [13] Rogers accused Sanchez of stalking her after seen she had shown up to two of her residences in Tempe and Chandler caught on her ring doorbell footage. [14]

Sanchez began investigating whether Rogers primary residence was in legislative district 7 after rumors had long circulated that Rogers allegedly did not live in her Flagstaff residence. [15] Rogers had also previously "dismissed" Sanchez after she had asked her a question and was banned from approaching her desk on the Senate floor. [16]

On May 10, 2023, a Flagstaff judge dismissed the restraining order against Sanchez citing that investigative reporting is a "legitimate purpose" and is protected by the First Amendment. [17]

Related Research Articles

Disbarment, also known as striking off, is the removal of a lawyer from a bar association or the practice of law, thus revoking their law license or admission to practice law. Disbarment is usually a punishment for unethical or criminal conduct but may also be imposed for incompetence or incapacity. Procedures vary depending on the law society; temporary disbarment may be called suspension.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arizona State Legislature</span> Legislative branch of the state government of Arizona

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Village Voice Media or VVM is a newspaper company. It began in 1970 as a weekly alternative newspaper in Phoenix, Arizona. The company, founded by Michael Lacey (editor) and Jim Larkin (publisher), was then known as New Times Inc. (NTI) and the publication was named New Times. The company was later renamed New Times Media.

Thomas Liddy is an American attorney in Maricopa County, Arizona. He is the son of the Watergate figure G. Gordon Liddy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Arpaio</span> American former law enforcement officer, politician (born 1932)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Thomas (American politician)</span> American politician

Andrew Peyton Thomas is an American politician, author and former attorney. He was the county attorney for Maricopa County in Arizona from 2004 until April 6, 2010. During his term in office, he was known for his anti-illegal immigrant policies. On April 10, 2012, Thomas was disbarred by a disciplinary panel of the Arizona State Supreme Court for his actions as county attorney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan R. Bolton</span> American judge (born 1951)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">G. Murray Snow</span> American judge (born 1959)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Townsend</span> American politician (born 1968)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Penzone</span> Arizona sheriff (born 1967)

Paul Penzone is a former American law enforcement officer. He was the sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. Penzone was elected sheriff in 2016, defeating longtime incumbent Joe Arpaio. Penzone is a former sergeant in the Phoenix Police Department.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Lacey (editor)</span> American journalist (born 1948)

Michael G. Lacey is an Arizona-based journalist, editor, publisher and First Amendment advocate. He is the founder and former executive editor of the Phoenix New Times, which he and his business partner, publisher Jim Larkin, expanded into a nationwide chain of 17 alternative weeklies, known as Village Voice Media (VVM).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Larkin (publisher)</span> Arizona journalist and publisher (1949–2023)

James Anthony Larkin was an American publisher and journalist in Phoenix, Arizona, known for his influence in the alternative newspaper industry. He was largely responsible, along with business partner Michael Lacey, for his work with the Phoenix New Times, also known as New Times Inc.

Thomas J. Agnos was an American law enforcement officer known for his time as the sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendy Rogers (politician)</span> American politician (born 1954)

Wendy Rogers is an American far-right politician of the Republican Party. First elected in 2020, she is the Arizona State Senator representing Legislative District 7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Maricopa County Attorney special election</span>

The 2022 Maricopa County Attorney special election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the County Attorney for Maricopa County, Arizona. The election was held concurrently with other federal and state elections, as well as a special election for District 2 on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. The special election was called due to the resignation of Allister Adel in March 2022.

References

  1. ↑ "Village Voice Media Holding's 13 Alternative Newsweeklies Sold to Newly Formed Voice Media Group". AltWeeklies. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Village Voice Alt-Weekly Chain Sold In Management Buyout". Forbes. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Westword ownership to be based in Denver, again, after Voice Media Group deal". Westword. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  4. ↑ Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin (October 18, 2007). "Breathtaking Abuse of the Constitution". Phoenix New Times. Archived from the original on October 20, 2007. Retrieved October 20, 2007.
  5. ↑ "Help Center - The Arizona Republic". help.azcentral.com.
  6. ↑ "No Charges for Execs Arrested in 'Phoenix Times' Case". Editor & Publisher . Associated Press. October 20, 2007. Retrieved October 20, 2007.
  7. ↑ Carr, David (October 19, 2007). "Media Executives Arrested in Phoenix". The New York Times. Retrieved October 20, 2007.
  8. ↑ Anglen, Robert (October 20, 2007). "Amid uproar, county attorney drops charges against 'New Times'". The Arizona Republic . Retrieved October 20, 2007.[ dead link ]
  9. ↑ "Action Taken in Solidarity with Phoenix New Times". Ithaca Times. October 26, 2007. Retrieved August 3, 2008.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. ↑ "Phoenix New Times Files Prelude to Lawsuit in Grand Jury Probe Fiasco". Association of Alternative Weeklies. February 21, 2008. Archived from the original on February 28, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2008.
  11. ↑ Kiefer, Michael (February 21, 2008). "'New Times' executives intend to sue Maricopa County over arrest". The Arizona Republic . Retrieved March 15, 2008.
  12. ↑ Lee, Michelle Ye Hee; Nucgaek Juefer (December 20, 2013). "Maricopa County supervisors settle lawsuits filed by 'New Times' founders, Stapley". AZCentral.com. The Arizona Republic. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Reporter investigating where state Sen. Wendy Rogers lives in Arizona hit with restraining order". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  14. ↑ Rogers, Wendy. "Creepy @azcapitoltimes reporter @CamrynSanchezAZ has been stalking me and my neighbors at my private residences with no explanation. A judge just issued a restraining order against her for her bizarre behavior. See photos". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  15. ↑ Times, Wayne Schutsky Arizona Capitol (April 20, 2023). "Rogers asks court to bar reporter from contacting her | Arizona Capitol Times" . Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  16. ↑ Duda, Jeremy (May 11, 2023). "Judge backs journalist by tossing Arizona Sen. Rogers' injunction". Axios Phoenix. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Judge dismisses injunction Sen. Wendy Rogers obtained against reporter". 12news.com. May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
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