Editor & Publisher, in its annual feature “10 That Do It Right,” has commended the East Bay Express for its efforts at strengthening the local community and economy:

“I think we have cracked the code on community-building,” says Publisher Jody Colley — and she’s not bragging. The Express led a national movement among alt-papers last Christmas to encourage readers to stimulate their local economies by pledging to spend at least $100 on locally owned retailers, noting they keep dollars in the community longer than chains. It offered free weddings when same-sex marriage was briefly legal in California, and gathered dozens of bands to perform at a huge listening party. On the paper’s busy agenda are organizing urban farms in its Oakland/Berkeley market, ramping up the modest Oakland Film Festival and serving as consultants for local start-up businesses.