from this time period, including Zaitchik, went on to work at The eXile. Harry Siegel became the paper's editor in August 2005, bringing along with him three editors and writers (Tim Marchman, Jonathan Leaf and Azi Paybarah). He directed the Press to a greater focus on local politics. In February 2006 all four men resigned from the paper, after the publisher rejected a planned cover story that would have shown the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons from the controversy in Denmark. Siegel was replaced for a short time by Steve Weinstein, former editor of the New York Blade. In 2006, Adario Strange, former editor of The Source, became the new editor. A year later, in 2007, Strange left the paper to return to film directing. After being promoted to publisher, Nick Thomas named Jerry Portwood, former arts and entertainment editor, as editor of the Press. On July 31, 2007, the paper was acquired by Manhattan Media, the owner of Avenue magazine and a small stable of New York community weekly newspapers. One of those weeklies, Our Town Downtown, was initially merged with the New York Press. It was revived independently as the Press replacement in August 2011. In September 2007, David Blum was named editor-in-chief of the New York Press. A former contributing editor of New York magazine and Esquire, Blum had previously been editor-in-chief of the Village Voice. In June 2008, Blum left the New York Press to assume another the editorship of 02138, a new Manhattan Media acquisition. Blum was replaced by Jerry Portwood. From 2005 to 2007, the Press ran regular columns by Amy Goodman and Ed Koch (former Mayor of New York City), among others. In 2013, Manhattan Media sold its Our Town downtown and NYPress.com to Straus News. Other contributors Matt Taibbi was a contributor in the early 2000s until August 2005. An occasional arts and entertainment critic, and author of the "Slackjaw" column, staff writer Jim Knipfel was one of the paper's mainstays for more than thirteen years. "Slackjaw" ran in the Philadelphia Welcomat for five years before it was picked up by the Press in 1993, where it continued through June 2006. Later, Knipfel worked as the Press head writer. Stephanie Sellars wrote the Lust Life column in 2006–2007, which featured stories about sex from the perspective of a bisexual polyamorist. See also Media in New York City The eXile References External links Russ Smith's