Kristie Hannon, publisher of the free Denver Daily News, was surprised as anyone to discover there was a Web site calling itself the Denver Daily News that was publishing local news stories.
What's worse, this faux Denver Daily News site was taking stories from other Denver publications and randomly changing words, sort of like the game Mad Libs, where players randomly change words in a story or song.
The Denver alt-weekly Westword gave this example. A Denver Post story originally reported this: "A sexual assault on a 13-year-old girl and a subsequent attack on her brother has resulted in multiple charges against the suspect."
The fake Denver Daily News site reported it this way: "A passionate conflict upon a 13-year-old lady as well as a successive conflict upon her hermit has resulted in mixed charges opposite a suspect."
Hannon has sent an e-mail to the site, which is registered in Denmark, telling it to stop. The fake site is violating both the Denver Daily News trademark as well as the copyright on the stories it is lifting and changing.
Covering the emerging free daily newspaper industry
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Free-Daily.com's purpose is to report on the emerging free daily newspaper industry. While many experts have written off print media, free dailies are a promising concept that works on a number of levels. Tabloid-size free dailies are more widely read by young readers, giving them the news they need to lead their lives. Reaching this demographic is essential to advertisers. Free dailies are also an outlet for quality journalism.
While Free-Daily.com wants to see this industry developed, this site isn't about cheerleading. We report the bad news as well as the good, and we publish editorials highlighting problems and solutions.
E-mail free-daily@hotmail.com with tips, comments or criticisms.
About editor Clyde Davis.
Two other sites to visit:
• Free Daily Association of North America, where this blog can also be found along with contributions of many others.
• Newspaper Innovation, a comprehensive look at the worldwide free daily industry compiled by Amsterdam University associate professor Piet Bakker.
Here's our RSS link.
While Free-Daily.com wants to see this industry developed, this site isn't about cheerleading. We report the bad news as well as the good, and we publish editorials highlighting problems and solutions.
E-mail free-daily@hotmail.com with tips, comments or criticisms.
About editor Clyde Davis.
Two other sites to visit:
• Free Daily Association of North America, where this blog can also be found along with contributions of many others.
• Newspaper Innovation, a comprehensive look at the worldwide free daily industry compiled by Amsterdam University associate professor Piet Bakker.
Here's our RSS link.
54 U.S./Canadian Free Dailies
- amNewYork
- Aspen Daily News
- Aspen Times
- Aurora (Colo.) Sentinel
- b (Baltimore)
- Berlin (N.H.) Daily Sun
- Boston Metro
- Briefing (Dallas)
- Calgary 24 hours
- Calgary Metro
- Cape Cod (Mass.) Day
- Colorado Daily (Boulder)
- Colorado Springs Ink
- Conway (N.H.) Daily Sun
- Denver Daily News
- East Valley Tribune (Mesa, Ariz.)
- Edmonton 24 hours
- Edmonton Metro
- Glenwood Springs (Colo.) Post Independent
- Halifax Metro
- Jackson Hole (Wyo.) Daily
- Kitsap (Wash.) Free Daily
- Laconia (N.H.) Daily Sun
- Marco (Fla.) Daily Eagle
- Montreal 24 heures
- Montreal Metro
- New York Metro
- Ottawa 24 heures
- Ottawa 24 hours
- Ottawa Metro
- Palo Alto (Calif.) Daily News
- Palo Alto (Calif.) Daily Post
- Philadelphia Metro
- Portland (Maine) Daily Sun
- RedEye (Chicago)
- San Francisco Examiner
- San Mateo (Calif.) Daily Journal
- Santa Barbara Daily Sound
- Santa Monica (Calif.) Daily Press
- Sky-Hi Daily News (Granby, Colo.)
- Starkville (Miss.) Dispatch
- Steamboat Springs (Colo.) Today
- Summit Daily News (Breckenridge, Colo.)
- Tahoe Daily Tribune (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.)
- tbt* (Tampa Bay, Fla.)
- Telluride (Colo.) Daily Planet
- Toronto 24 heures
- Toronto 24 hours
- Toronto Metro
- Toronto t.o.night
- Vail (Colo.) Daily
- Vail (Colo.) Mountaineer
- Vancouver 24 hours
- Vancouver Metro
- Washington Examiner
- Washington Express