High Plains Reader

Infobox Newspaper
name = High Plains Reader


caption =
type = Alternative weekly
format = Tabloid
foundation = 1994
ceased publication =
price = free
owners =
publisher = Raul Gomez, John Strand
editor = John Strand
language =
circulation = 20,000-30,000
headquarters = 322 Broadway, Suite C
Fargo, ND 58102
ISSN =
website = [http://www.hpr1.com/ www.hpr1.com] The High Plains Reader is an alternative newspaper serving the Fargo and Grand Forks metropolitan areas, with an estimated readership of 20,000 to 30,000 weekly between print and online readers. The tabloid was founded in 1994 by Ian Swanson, Peter Ryan, and Len Schmid in Grand Forks, North Dakota and is currently owned by Raul Gomez and John Strand who purchased the paper in late December 1996. After a flood and fire destroyed their Grand Forks office, the "Reader" moved its office to Fargo, while still covering both Fargo and Grand Forks. In 2004, the "Reader" celebrated its 10th anniversary in different venues in the Fargo-Moorhead area, including Ralph's Corner Bar.

Features

The paper features reviews of bands, movies, and theater in Fargo-Moorhead, plus a calendar of weekly events. Its editorials generally take a more leftist tack than those of "The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead".

Recurring portions of the "High Plains Reader" include the weekly editorial, generally written by editor John Strand; the "Dear John" section for letters to the editor; the cover story; a theater column; movie reviews, one by writer Greg Carlson, who covers current movies, and one by Christopher Jacobs, who often writes about his own film productions and DVD releases of rare and classic movies, a Best Bets section, generally giving brief synopses of upcoming events, focusing mostly on local musicians; and a calendar section, a detailed list of daily events for the upcoming week.

Controversy

Regular columnist Ed Raymond withdrew his "The Gadfly" column after the "Reader" began carrying Allison Moorhead's sex column in late 2004, which had a controversial and short (two column) run at North Dakota State University's newspaper "The Spectrum".

The column was not in a question-and-answer format, but rather, offered general information about sexual activities, including accounts of the writer's own. Critics saw little more than shock value in the column.

Moorhead stopped writing for the "Reader" in early 2005. Ed Raymond returned to writing his column the following June.

External links

* [http://www.hpr1.com/ "High Plains Reader" website]
* [http://fargofilmmaking.wikia.com/wiki/High_Plains_Reader High Plains Reader] article at the Fargo Filmmaking Wiki
* [http://fargofilmmaking.wikia.com/wiki/Greg_Carlson Greg Carlson] article at the Fargo Filmmaking Wiki
* [http://fargofilmmaking.wikia.com/wiki/Christopher_Jacobs Christopher Jacobs] article at the Fargo Filmmaking Wiki