Hello Friends & Supporters,
We are planning some public engagements and events for the fall, and will have news for you on that front soon. For now, here are some updates, columns, and long reads that BINJ produced since our last newsletter …
UPDATES
Two columns produced by BINJ (which regularly run in DigBoston) fared extremely well at this year’s AAN Awards, the annual contest held by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia. AAN is made up of more than 100 local alt papers like the Dig in cities all over the country, as well as some national outlets, including Raw Story.
BINJ Network Director Jason Pramas’ column Apparent Horizon won first place in the Political Column category (circulation 40,000 & over). In a classic alt media approach, Pramas drills deep into complex political and economic issues that are either ignored altogether or covered with kid gloves by mainstream reporters. His submissions “General Electric Fail,” “The Vertex Shell Game,” and “Stop the Amazon Boston Deal” took particular note of huge giveaways—and proposals for more huge giveaways—by local and state government to major multinational corporations. A subject that tends to receive more blind praise from the Bay State press corps than the critical coverage it warrants.
Also props to BINJ Staff Writer Haley Hamilton, whose column, Terms of Service, covers nightlife and restaurants from the perspective of a service worker. Building on her own experience tending bar in Boston and on the relationships she’s made in her time mixing cocktails, Hamilton has produced work that’s both powerful and popular, qualities exemplified by our submissions on her behalf. Hamilton won second place in the Food Writing category (circulation 40,000 & over) for three stories: “Drunk Brunch Love,” in which she navigated a beloved industry tradition from an insider’s angle; “A Reckoning for Restaurants in Boston and Everywhere,” which took a harsh look at harassment, and “Ice Cold Democracy,” her intimate take on the worker-owned Democracy Brewing, which recently opened its doors in Downtown Crossing.
FEATURES
LIVING ON SCRAPS
Boston is aiming to achieve “zero waste,” which some say can create more living-wage jobs. Is part of this lofty goal rooted in the region’s dirtiest hypocrisy?
SPECIAL PHOTO FEATURE: SURVIVOR
Persia Lynette Brewer transitioned in the toughest conditions imaginable. Still she endures, using her experience to help others.
COLUMNS
APPARENT HORIZON
Scooter-sharing company litters Camberville with dangerous vehicles no one asked for
DIRTY OLD BOSTON
Is homelessness worse in Boston now than it was a century ago?