FFWD
Encyclopedia
Fast Forward Weekly is a news and entertainment weekly which provides news, alternative viewpoints, entertainment information, review articles and specialized advertising. It is distributed throughout Calgary, Banff
and Canmore
. It is owned by Great West Newspapers, LP. With an assessed readership of 70,000 upon a distributed circulation of 30,000, the paper is one of the most widely circulated and well-respected alternative newspapers in Canada.
The paper originated in December 1995 as the city's first alternative weekly publication. As of 2007, it is the only freely distributed weekly newspaper of its type in the city, having outlasted a number of competitors including a short-lived Calgary edition of The Georgia Straight
from 1997–2002, the long-running Calgary Mirror (which folded in 2001), and the Mirror's successor, FYI Calgary In-Print, which ran for only five months in 2001. The founding editor, Ian Chiclo, is now the paper's publisher.
While the paper was initially arts-focused, in recent years it has been covering more news stories and social issues.
Recently the paper has been criticized over publishing a controversial article quoting Calgary Conservative
MP Lee Richardson on comments regarding immigrants and crime which he later stated he regretted; clarifying he was referring only to youth gangs in the city. Canada's Prime Minister
Stephen Harper
called the reporting "gotcha journalism
" for taking his comments out of their intended context, while other party leaders called for his resignation.
One of Fast Forward's most popular editions is its annual Best of Calgary readers' poll. For this, readers voluntarily submit their responses to a large variety of questions, indicating their favourite (or least favourite) aspects of Calgary, including its food, people, culture, infrastructure, political leadership and more.
Banff, Alberta
Banff is a town within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately west of Calgary and east of Lake Louise....
and Canmore
Canmore, Alberta
Canmore is a town in Alberta, Canada, located approximately west of the City of Calgary near the southeast boundary of Banff National Park. It is located in the Bow Valley within Alberta's Rockies. The town shares a border with Kananaskis Country to the west and south and the Municipal District of...
. It is owned by Great West Newspapers, LP. With an assessed readership of 70,000 upon a distributed circulation of 30,000, the paper is one of the most widely circulated and well-respected alternative newspapers in Canada.
The paper originated in December 1995 as the city's first alternative weekly publication. As of 2007, it is the only freely distributed weekly newspaper of its type in the city, having outlasted a number of competitors including a short-lived Calgary edition of The Georgia Straight
The Georgia Straight
The Georgia Straight is a free Canadian weekly news and entertainment newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia, by the Vancouver Free Press Publishing Corp...
from 1997–2002, the long-running Calgary Mirror (which folded in 2001), and the Mirror's successor, FYI Calgary In-Print, which ran for only five months in 2001. The founding editor, Ian Chiclo, is now the paper's publisher.
While the paper was initially arts-focused, in recent years it has been covering more news stories and social issues.
Recently the paper has been criticized over publishing a controversial article quoting Calgary Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
MP Lee Richardson on comments regarding immigrants and crime which he later stated he regretted; clarifying he was referring only to youth gangs in the city. Canada's Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
called the reporting "gotcha journalism
Gotcha journalism
Gotcha journalism is a term used to describe methods of interviewing which are designed to entrap interviewees into making statements which are damaging or discreditable to their cause, character, integrity, or reputation...
" for taking his comments out of their intended context, while other party leaders called for his resignation.
One of Fast Forward's most popular editions is its annual Best of Calgary readers' poll. For this, readers voluntarily submit their responses to a large variety of questions, indicating their favourite (or least favourite) aspects of Calgary, including its food, people, culture, infrastructure, political leadership and more.