Alternative newspaper

An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting local people and culture.

[citation needed] Many alternative papers feature an annual "best of" issue, profiling businesses that readers voted the best of their type in the area.

Styles vary sharply among alternative newspapers; some affect a satirical, ironic tone, while others embrace a more straightforward approach to reporting.

Quirky, non-mainstream comics, such as Matt Groening's Life in Hell, Lynda Barry's Ernie Pook's Comeek, Ruben Bolling's Tom the Dancing Bug, and Ted Rall's political cartoons are also common.

[4] The case was settled out of court with the two companies agreeing to make available the publishing assets and titles of their defunct papers to potential competitors.

[5] The deal was approved by the Justice Department and, on January 31, 2006, the companies merged into one, taking the name Village Voice Media.

Weekly, Creative Loafing, and Triad City Beat in North Carolina, the Austin Chronicle in Texas, The Stranger in Seattle, Washington, Artvoice in Buffalo, New York, the Aquarian Weekly in North Jersey, the Colorado Springs Independent, the Good Times in Santa Cruz, California, New Times in San Luis Obispo and the Sun in Northern Santa Barbara County, California.

Canadian examples of owner-operated, non-chain owned alternative papers include Vancouver's The Georgia Straight, Toronto's NOW Magazine, Edmonton's Vue Weekly and Halifax's The Coast.