SF Weekly is San Francisco's smartest publication. That's because we take journalism seriously, but not so seriously that we let ourselves be guided by an agenda. In fact, we cherish our political independence: We've taken on the powerful unions that helped elect the leftist majority on the Board of Supervisors and the downtown business interests that financed the campaigns of former Mayor Gavin Newsom.

In 2010 we delved into city problems, and possible solutions, in our "Worst Run Big City in the U.S." series about the dysfunction and unaccountability in city government. This occasional series still appears in our paper today.

Our blogs cover S.F.'s news, music, food, and arts scenes. The Snitch, All Shook Down, SFoodie, and the Exhibitionist each bring readers cutting-edge news on what's happening down the street and across the city. Our news blog, the Snitch, was awarded second place in the best blog category at the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies awards in 2011.

Over the past decade, we've earned numerous regional and national journalism awards. In 2002, SF Weekly won a prestigious George K. Polk award for our investigative series "Fallout," which documented the U.S. Navy's remarkably careless handling of nuclear waste at the Hunters Point Shipyard. In 2009, the Association of Alternative Newseeklies named "Snitch," our heartbreaking feature about one woman's decision to cooperate with police in a murder case in the projects, the best long-form news story in the country.

We also like to laugh, and our lighthearted, bar-scene column, Bouncer, took first place in the humor category for publications with a circulation of more than 100,000 from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists in 2009.

In addition to our public-interest stories and humor columns, SF Weekly offers San Franciscans comprehensive arts, culture, and entertainment coverage which reaches a loyal readership of active, urban professionals, an audience as diverse as the city we cover.