Comment
Rate
Winners announced in the 2009 Newsroom Contest
The Inland Press annual contest recognizes editorial, visual excellence
Des Plaines, Ill. — The Inland Press Association sponsors five newsroom contests that are co-sponsored and judged by its esteemed university journalism school members: Front Page, Editorial Excellence, Community Leadership, News Picture, and Local News Writing.
[DOWNLOAD] Press Release
Front Page Contest Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University
Judges comments: We looked at story selection, quality of writing, presentation and design, always thinking of how well these characteristics serve readers. If you bore me, repeat exactly what others are saying, fail to address my local interests and what the news means on a personal level, I move on pretty quickly.
Less than 10,000 Circulation:
1st Place: The Carthage (Mo.) Press
Comments: The Carthage Press features sprightly writing on a broad selection of local topics and residents. Whether the paper is covering the arrest of a car thief, the efforts of a fourth-grade teacher to educate her students on economics, or assessing the failure of a school bond issue, the Press’s reporters know when to let their subjects’ voices take the lead and when to tell the story in their own voices.
When a huge story hits, the Press knows what to do, as evidenced by its coverage of the opening of a new high school building. Clearly there was nothing more important in town today, and the Press made it clear that its editors understood. It understood to whom the story was biggest: the students, 15 of whom were pictured and quoted on the front page.
2nd: The Lexington (Neb.) Clipper-Herald
Comments: The Lexington Clipper-Herald lives up to its tagline, “Your Source for Dawson and Goper County News,” with a broad array of topics and photos. An obituary may appear on Page One one day, a feature on a 108-year-old house another; in every case the stories are directly relevant, well illustrated, and clearly written. The “Around Town” feature is a chance for community members to use the paper to talk to each other each and every day.
10,000 -25,000 Circulation:
1st: The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, Cheyenne, Wyo.
Comments: The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle has a well-designed, easy-on-the-eyes front page that gives stories a clear hierarchy of importance. Big headlines, clean graphics, good use of color and crisp layout are the paper’s hallmarks. Commodity news that everyone reports is kept subordinate to the strong local story or the local angle on the national story. For example, the signing of the national stimulus bill was covered with a “how it would help you” in Wyoming package explaining the impact on paychecks, health insurance, local schools and local police. Locally written news is crisp, clear, direct and succinct. Reporters have an eye for color and an ear for the good quote that brings these stories to life.
2nd (tie): The Navajo Times (Window Rock, Navajo Nation, Ariz.)
Comments: knows its audience and this understanding drives its story selection, play and point of view. Here the election story wasn’t “Obama wins,” but “Most western Diné vote for Obama,” with a nice analysis of the difference in voting patterns of Arizona and Utah Navajos. The front page is a good mix of hard news, explanatory features (such as “Crackdown on feathers”) and lighter news-features (such as the one about the moms, mascots and fans who support the high school teams).
2nd (tie) The Daily Journal (Johnson County, Ind.)
The Daily Journal also has good audience-orientation, with local news and local angles on national stories usually driving its front page. Most days feature a strong local centerpiece on issues important to Johnson County readers, such as the buses running empty of passengers or local resources for workers displaced by the recession. The paper makes good use of reader-friendly breakout boxes, graphics and where-to-find rails and skyboxes.
25,001-75,000 Circulation:
1st: The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Comments: The Gazette’s front pages deliver substantive visual impact without sacrificing “word” information – often a tough balance to achieve. Successful front pages also enable readers to stop and look, or to scan and move, and the Gazette achieves that as well. Stories are clearly selected for local impact, be that geographical or personal relevance. We see much evidence that Gazette journalists strive for the “what does it mean to me” angle. Subtle use of “we” and “me,” and headlines and promos that speak directly to readers help create a feeling of a community of shared interests. Especially striking in the package submitted was a one-year-later front page where residents shared key memories of the devastating 2008 flood.
2nd: Northwest Herald, Crystal Lake, Ill.
Comments: This is another newspaper that captures critical moments with strong images, from the exultant victory of Barack Obama to a subdued Gov. Rod Blagojevich at his impeachment trial. There is a strong emphasis on local news that readers are unlikely to get elsewhere, in any media.
3rd: Victoria (Texas) Advocate
Comments: The Advocate isn’t the most beautiful or elegant of newspapers, but its front pages brim with energy and the local news is substantive. We specially liked the enterprise reporting on page one that looks out for people’s interests – for instance, a story and graphic that used a fatal commercial bus crash to illuminate loopholes in the law; and a package about the lead hazards in racing bikes and ATVs for children under 12.
More than 75,000 Circulation:
1st: The State, Columbia, S.C.
Comments: The State displays solid news judgment on all four submitted days, some of which required interesting judgment calls: Michael Jackson’s death in the context of the continuing Mark Sanford scandal, for instance. The photo editing and graphics treatments are memorable when needed, as in the Election Day and Inauguration Day issues, both of which bring local angles into play with prominent, carefully crafted refers.
On a day without a big story (Feb. 18), The State is unafraid to display a solid wire story along its own enterprise reporting on housing. Locally written reporting is engaging and direct, and the graphical treatment of the elements of what otherwise might be an incremental economy story at the top of the page turn it into something readers will consume gladly.
2nd: The Albuquerque (N.M.) Journal
Comments: The Albuquerque Journal does local extremely well, and varies its story count based on what will be compelling to its audience – often its own reporting on an Air National Guard unit or a columnist’s effort to bring attention to underreported, if not ignored, cases of missing women. The Journal threw out its normal skybox to give dramatic treatment to the death of Michael Jackson, and still had room for five strong local stories and more refers elsewhere on the page. The stories are well written and have good headlines that explain even to a reader who is parachuting into town just what is important today.
Editorial Excellence
William Allen White School of Journalism, University of Kansas
Less than 10,000 Circulation:
1st: Cape Coral (Fla.) Daily Breeze
Comments: All the editorials take strong, no-nonsense stands with strong support, which means each opinion is backed up with solid reporting and relevant facts and figures, especially those affecting taxpayers’ dollars.
2nd: The Salem (Ind.) Leader
Comments: Addressed issues that were vital to the community with a strong voice and pertinent facts and pithy explanations.
3rd: Lahontan Valley News (Fallon, Nev.)
Comments: Took folks to task who needed it and addressed issues that needed addressing in clear, no-chance-to-misunderstand terms.
10,001-25,000 Circulation:
1st: Logansport (Ind.) Pharos-Tribune
Comments: The research and reporting that came before this writer ever approached the column provided a valid foundation for effective editorial opinion. The writer convinced readers through information, evidence and logic. He also carried readers beyond recognition and toward a solution.
2nd: Times-Call (Longmont, Colo.)
Comments: The research and reporting are clear and seamlessly embedded. The editorials represent what all good editorials offer—insight within well-ordered arguments.
3rd(tie): Rio Grande Sun (Espanola, N.M.)
Comments: When emotion was needed, the editorials did it in an effective way. Emotional appeals are best when they use feeling, values and symbols and the Sun used them all well.
3rd (tie): Cleveland (Ohio) Jewish News
Comments: The writer included “added value” for the readers on the issues and often avoided the “single-truth” approach, instead guiding readers without preaching.
25,001-75,000/more than 75,000 Circulation (combined):
1st : The Journal Gazette, Ft. Wayne, Ind.
Comments: If one needs an example of a local newspaper editorial page that doesn’t pull its punches and knows how to make a strong argument in the community’s interest, it’s the Journal Gazette. Its editorials get to the point quickly and forcefully—yet take the time to carefully explain in some instances with original reporting—why an issue merits attention and what action should be taken. Reading these editorials was like listening to a friend who had a big brain with a heart to match.
2nd: The State, Columbia, S.C.
Comments: Calls for government reform are chestnuts of editorial pages, but the State’s editorial oozes passion for the subject, especially when it comes to the governor and state legislature. Its editorials aggressively identify the holes in arguments to maintain the status quo and give readers the facts to consider and force change.
3rd: Albuquerque (N.M.) Journal
Comments: Writing on a local jail release system and cuts to a program for the poor, the Albuquerque Journal put its big editorial voice into the shoes of the little guy. The editorials champion good causes and offer clear reasoning, common sense and clever writing.
Sweepstakes winner: The Journal Gazette, Ft. Wayne, Ind.
Comments: Reading these editorials was like listening to a friend who had a big brain with a heart to match.
Community Leadership
The Missouri School of Journalism, University of Missouri
Less than 10,000 circulation:
1st: The Tribune, Grand Haven, Mich.
Comments: Its been a year of hard times in Michigan, even in small resort communities like Grand Haven, where “The Face of Homelessness” series in the Tribune showed its readers stories about real people with real problems. Then before Christmas, the paper ran the “Giving Back” series and together, with other efforts from the newspaper, good things started happening, including the community foundation coming forward with a $150,000 gift. More money came in, a small emergency shelter was organized, and most importantly, the people of the community altered their views on helping the unfortunate.
10,000 to 25,000 circulation:
1st: The Daily Journal, Franklin, Ind.
Comments: It was a double tragedy when a 1,000 year flood swept through Johnson County: The flood and the economy, where many of the people who lost homes had already lost their jobs. The Daily Journal quickly switched from breaking news coverage to more issue-based reporting about the problems the people faced when the outside relief groups moved on. The newspaper did its job with a huge volume of stories and editorials that laid out the human sacrifices every where in the communities served, and brought forward the important information on home buyouts, home repairs and mental health services.
25,000 to 75,000 circulation
1st: Victoria (Texas) Advocate
Comments: A winner two years in a row. This time they took on the deadly challenge of illegal immigrants being lured to work, and losing their lives in horrendous ways. Through an amazing number of stories that were well documented, written, designed and illustrated, the people of the region got a true taste of what was going on and what was being done to correct a deplorable situation. The project was called the Fatal Funnel, and Advocate public service editor Gabe Semenza dug deep into the complexities of immigration, drug trafficking, law enforcement and opposition faced when people disagreed with potential solutions. The multi-media team covered the series in every imaginable way—online, films, print newspaper—even a mass and a special song.
75,000/More than 75,000
1st: Daily Herald, Arlington Heights, Ill.
Comments: Illinois has a long history of political corruption. It may have reached a new high—or low—depending on your perspective in the last year with the removal of the governor from office. The people at the Daily Herald had had enough and determined one solution lay in a coordinated effort involving traditional news coverage, editorial commentary and—perhaps most important—public involvement. With a steady stream of opinion pieces rolling out in the spring and summer, they urged specific changes and pressed lawmakers in Springfield to make critical changes. And they gave the public ways to assess the changes and how they were working. The big job isn’t over. In fact it has just begun, but this is a nice start by the Daily Herald.
News Picture Contest
School of Journalism, Indiana University
Overall comments: The judges on the photography categories said they saw too many multiple-picture stories that needed much tighter edits, but that overall the quality of submissions was good. They also remarked how strong the news category entries were and how extra effort had been required to capture all of the feature winners.
Photography
1st: Roger Darrigrand, Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass., “Duck Bridge”
2nd: Brian Ray, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, “Wedding Kiss”
3rd: Roger Darrigrand, Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass., “A Number One Dad”
HM: Aaron Ontiveroz, Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Cheyenne, Wyo., “Together Again”
HM: C. Aluka Berry, The State, Columbia, S.C., “Anita Blount”
Feature
1st: Gerry Melendez, The State, Columbia, S.C., “Race the Train”
2nd: Kim Foster-Tobin, The State, Columbia, S.C., “Newberry Opera House”
3rd: Jim Slosiarek, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, “Rain Delay”
Sports
1st: Michael Smith; Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Cheyenne, Wyo., “All Strung Up For CFD”
2nd: Jim Slosiarek, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, “Winning Run”
3rd: Jill Mott, Longmont Times-Call, Longmont, Colo., “Synchronized Swim Dad”
HM: Aaron Ontiveroz, Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Cheyenne, Wyo., “Hang in There”
HM: Joe Kline, Idaho State Journal, Pocatello, “Charged Up”
Portrait/Personality
1st: Andrew Laker, The Republic, Columbus, Ind., “Hero”
2nd: Tom Dominick, The State, Columbia, S.C., “Leopard Cubs”
3rd: Jim Rider, South Bend Tribune, Ind., “Homeless”
HM: Kim Foster-Tobin, The State, Columbia, S.C., “ Morihiko Nakahara”
HM: Liz Martin, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, “Master Painter”
Pictorial
Three entries. Images were combined with the Illustrative Category
Illustrative
1st: Doug Lindley, Idaho State Journal, Pocatello, Idaho, “Smoking Mad”
2nd: Doug Lindley, Idaho State Journal, Pocatello, Idaho, “Pill Roulette”
3rd: Joe Kline, Idaho State Journal, Pocatello, Idaho, “He’s Magic, Man”
Picture Stories and Essays
1st: Andrew Laker, The Republic, Columbus, Ind., “Channel Surfer”
2nd: Marla Brose, Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, N.M., “San Juan Diego Friary”
3rd: Shauna Stephenson, Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Cheyenne, Wyo., “Trapping Bears”
Picture Use
1st: Amanda Whitlock (photographer) and Craig Sterrett (designer), LaSalle, Ill., News-Tribune
Comments: A good collection of Images from Election Day. Good editing places places them into a story that moves from early in the day to the end of the election. Good coverage of an event that happens often, but does not always get covered well.
2nd: Bryan Eaton (photographer) and Jim Reily and Kristen Chevalier (designers), Daily News of Newburypor, Conn.
3rd: John Philippsen (photographer) and Johannah Pollert (designer), The Republic, Columbus, Ind.
Feature
Two entries
1st: Andrew Laker (photographer) and Amy Laker (designer), The Republic, Columbus, Ind.
2nd: Aaron Ontiveroz (photographer), Kiah Staley and Angela Brooks (designers), Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Cheyenne, Wyo.
Judges’ comments: Sometimes two photos are just enough. Each entry had a strong dominant image pared with a second image that provided either a nice detail or, in the case of the first-place page, an unexpected insight.
Lifestyle
One entry
1st: Aaron Ontiveroz (photographer), Kiah Staley and Angela Brooks (designers), Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Cheyenne, Wyo.
Sports
1st: C. Aluka Berry (photographer) and sports staff (designer), The State, Columbia, S.C.
Comments: Strong image paired with the essential statistics on the Masters Tournament makes a nice story with emotion and facts.
2nd: Tim Dominick, (photographer) and sports staff (designer), The State, Columbia, S.C.
3rd: Aaron Ontiveroz (photographer) and Adam Crowson (designer), Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Cheyenne, Wyo.
Local News Writing
School of Journalism and Telecommunications, University of Kentucky
Less than 10,000 Circulation:
I. Investigative Reporting
1st: The Daily Press, Ashland, Wis., “Quiet Rooms”
2nd: Greenfield Daily Reporter, Greenfield, Ind. “Betrayal of Trust”
3rd: The Carthage Press, Carthage, Mo.,
“Double Murder”
II. Explanatory Reporting
1st: The Daily Press, Ashland, Wis.,
“Biomass: A gold rush for wood?”
2nd: Paulding County Progress, Paulding, Ohio, “WWII soldier’s remains”
3rd: The Carthage Press, Carthage, Mo.
“R-9 School District’s bond issue”
III. Personality/Individual Profile Stories
1st: The Salem Leader, Salem, Ind., “Chasing her dream”
2nd: Cape Coral Daily Breeze, Cape Coral, Fla., “Papa’s legacy”
3rd: Paulding County Progress, Paulding, Ohio, “Marvin Kuhns: Horse thief, murderer and lifetime criminal”
10,000-25,000 Circulation:
I. Investigative Reporting
1st: The Republic, Columbus, Ind.,
“Irwin Financial’s decline”
2nd: Merced Sun-Star, Merced, Calif., “Councilman’s racist e-mails”
3rd: The Taos News, Taos, N.M., “New hospital CEO’s baggage”
II. Explanatory Reporting
1st: Idaho State Journal, Pocatello, Idaho, “Healing old wounds: Women inmates struggle with mental illness”
2nd: Merced Sun-Star, Merced, Calif., “Quest for a medical school”
3rd: The Republic, Columbus, Ind., “Flood recovery: Watershed year”
III. Personality/Individual Profile Stories
1st: News Tribune, LaSalle, Ill., “Profile of an accused killer”
2nd: Merced Sun-Star, Merced, Calif., “A Night to Remember”
3rd: Idaho State Journal, Pocatello, Idaho, “Bengals superfan”
More than 75,000 Circulation:
I. Investigative Reporting
1st: Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, N.M., “Richardson Shocker”
2nd: The State, Columbia, S.C., “Sanford AWOL”
3rd: The Daily Herald, Arlington Heights, Ill., “Seeing Red”
HM: The Blade, Toledo, Ohio “Uninsured America”
II. Explanatory Reporting
1st: The State, Columbia, S.C., “DHEC Under Fire”
2nd: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh, Pa., “Tikrit turnaround”
3rd: The Blade, Toledo, Ohio, “India: Driven to compete”
III. Personality/Individual Profile Stories
1st: The Daily Herald, Arlington Heights, Ill., “Five minutes that changed everything”
2nd: Albuquerque Journal, lbuquerque, N.M., “Confessions of a killer”
3rd: Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, N.M., “Miracle Recovery”
25,000-75,000 Circulation
I. Investigative Reporting
1st: The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa., “Student neglect probed”
2nd: Victoria Advocate, Victoria, Texas, “Does it pass the smell test?”
3rd: Belleville News-Democrat, Bellville, Ill., “Bridges of Death”
II. Explanatory Reporting
1st: The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa., “A Survivor’s Guide to the Recession”
2nd: The News-Times, Danbury, Conn., “Galante’s downfall”
3rd: The Journal Gazette, Ft. Wayne, Ind., “Mortgage Fraud: It’s so simple, it’s scary”
III. Personality/Individual Profile Stories
1st: The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.,
“A Friend of the Poor”
2nd: The Journal Gazette, Ft. Wayne, Ind., “Jumping into rhythm”
3rd: Jackson Citizen Patriot, Jackson, Mich., “Chosen for each other”
ABOUT INLAND
Founded in 1885, Inland Press Association is a not-for-profit newspaper association and foundation. Inland is dedicated to advancing the welfare of its 1,126 member newspapers across all 50 states, Canada and Bermuda. Inland’s goal is to enable newspapers to continue serving the people as a free, strong and responsible press. Inland specializes in high-quality, low-cost training options for all newspaper departments and it produces industry standard research in newspaper costs and revenues, as well as newspaper compensation and morale. Inland is located in Des Plaines, Ill., a suburb adjoining Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. For further information, visit InlandPress.org.
[DOWNLOAD] Press Release
Front Page Contest Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University
Judges comments: We looked at story selection, quality of writing, presentation and design, always thinking of how well these characteristics serve readers. If you bore me, repeat exactly what others are saying, fail to address my local interests and what the news means on a personal level, I move on pretty quickly.
Less than 10,000 Circulation:
1st Place: The Carthage (Mo.) Press
Comments: The Carthage Press features sprightly writing on a broad selection of local topics and residents. Whether the paper is covering the arrest of a car thief, the efforts of a fourth-grade teacher to educate her students on economics, or assessing the failure of a school bond issue, the Press’s reporters know when to let their subjects’ voices take the lead and when to tell the story in their own voices.
When a huge story hits, the Press knows what to do, as evidenced by its coverage of the opening of a new high school building. Clearly there was nothing more important in town today, and the Press made it clear that its editors understood. It understood to whom the story was biggest: the students, 15 of whom were pictured and quoted on the front page.
2nd: The Lexington (Neb.) Clipper-Herald
Comments: The Lexington Clipper-Herald lives up to its tagline, “Your Source for Dawson and Goper County News,” with a broad array of topics and photos. An obituary may appear on Page One one day, a feature on a 108-year-old house another; in every case the stories are directly relevant, well illustrated, and clearly written. The “Around Town” feature is a chance for community members to use the paper to talk to each other each and every day.
10,000 -25,000 Circulation:
1st: The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, Cheyenne, Wyo.
Comments: The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle has a well-designed, easy-on-the-eyes front page that gives stories a clear hierarchy of importance. Big headlines, clean graphics, good use of color and crisp layout are the paper’s hallmarks. Commodity news that everyone reports is kept subordinate to the strong local story or the local angle on the national story. For example, the signing of the national stimulus bill was covered with a “how it would help you” in Wyoming package explaining the impact on paychecks, health insurance, local schools and local police. Locally written news is crisp, clear, direct and succinct. Reporters have an eye for color and an ear for the good quote that brings these stories to life.
2nd (tie): The Navajo Times (Window Rock, Navajo Nation, Ariz.)
Comments: knows its audience and this understanding drives its story selection, play and point of view. Here the election story wasn’t “Obama wins,” but “Most western Diné vote for Obama,” with a nice analysis of the difference in voting patterns of Arizona and Utah Navajos. The front page is a good mix of hard news, explanatory features (such as “Crackdown on feathers”) and lighter news-features (such as the one about the moms, mascots and fans who support the high school teams).
2nd (tie) The Daily Journal (Johnson County, Ind.)
The Daily Journal also has good audience-orientation, with local news and local angles on national stories usually driving its front page. Most days feature a strong local centerpiece on issues important to Johnson County readers, such as the buses running empty of passengers or local resources for workers displaced by the recession. The paper makes good use of reader-friendly breakout boxes, graphics and where-to-find rails and skyboxes.
25,001-75,000 Circulation:
1st: The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Comments: The Gazette’s front pages deliver substantive visual impact without sacrificing “word” information – often a tough balance to achieve. Successful front pages also enable readers to stop and look, or to scan and move, and the Gazette achieves that as well. Stories are clearly selected for local impact, be that geographical or personal relevance. We see much evidence that Gazette journalists strive for the “what does it mean to me” angle. Subtle use of “we” and “me,” and headlines and promos that speak directly to readers help create a feeling of a community of shared interests. Especially striking in the package submitted was a one-year-later front page where residents shared key memories of the devastating 2008 flood.
2nd: Northwest Herald, Crystal Lake, Ill.
Comments: This is another newspaper that captures critical moments with strong images, from the exultant victory of Barack Obama to a subdued Gov. Rod Blagojevich at his impeachment trial. There is a strong emphasis on local news that readers are unlikely to get elsewhere, in any media.
3rd: Victoria (Texas) Advocate
Comments: The Advocate isn’t the most beautiful or elegant of newspapers, but its front pages brim with energy and the local news is substantive. We specially liked the enterprise reporting on page one that looks out for people’s interests – for instance, a story and graphic that used a fatal commercial bus crash to illuminate loopholes in the law; and a package about the lead hazards in racing bikes and ATVs for children under 12.
More than 75,000 Circulation:
1st: The State, Columbia, S.C.
Comments: The State displays solid news judgment on all four submitted days, some of which required interesting judgment calls: Michael Jackson’s death in the context of the continuing Mark Sanford scandal, for instance. The photo editing and graphics treatments are memorable when needed, as in the Election Day and Inauguration Day issues, both of which bring local angles into play with prominent, carefully crafted refers.
On a day without a big story (Feb. 18), The State is unafraid to display a solid wire story along its own enterprise reporting on housing. Locally written reporting is engaging and direct, and the graphical treatment of the elements of what otherwise might be an incremental economy story at the top of the page turn it into something readers will consume gladly.
2nd: The Albuquerque (N.M.) Journal
Comments: The Albuquerque Journal does local extremely well, and varies its story count based on what will be compelling to its audience – often its own reporting on an Air National Guard unit or a columnist’s effort to bring attention to underreported, if not ignored, cases of missing women. The Journal threw out its normal skybox to give dramatic treatment to the death of Michael Jackson, and still had room for five strong local stories and more refers elsewhere on the page. The stories are well written and have good headlines that explain even to a reader who is parachuting into town just what is important today.
Editorial Excellence
William Allen White School of Journalism, University of Kansas
Less than 10,000 Circulation:
1st: Cape Coral (Fla.) Daily Breeze
Comments: All the editorials take strong, no-nonsense stands with strong support, which means each opinion is backed up with solid reporting and relevant facts and figures, especially those affecting taxpayers’ dollars.
2nd: The Salem (Ind.) Leader
Comments: Addressed issues that were vital to the community with a strong voice and pertinent facts and pithy explanations.
3rd: Lahontan Valley News (Fallon, Nev.)
Comments: Took folks to task who needed it and addressed issues that needed addressing in clear, no-chance-to-misunderstand terms.
10,001-25,000 Circulation:
1st: Logansport (Ind.) Pharos-Tribune
Comments: The research and reporting that came before this writer ever approached the column provided a valid foundation for effective editorial opinion. The writer convinced readers through information, evidence and logic. He also carried readers beyond recognition and toward a solution.
2nd: Times-Call (Longmont, Colo.)
Comments: The research and reporting are clear and seamlessly embedded. The editorials represent what all good editorials offer—insight within well-ordered arguments.
3rd(tie): Rio Grande Sun (Espanola, N.M.)
Comments: When emotion was needed, the editorials did it in an effective way. Emotional appeals are best when they use feeling, values and symbols and the Sun used them all well.
3rd (tie): Cleveland (Ohio) Jewish News
Comments: The writer included “added value” for the readers on the issues and often avoided the “single-truth” approach, instead guiding readers without preaching.
25,001-75,000/more than 75,000 Circulation (combined):
1st : The Journal Gazette, Ft. Wayne, Ind.
Comments: If one needs an example of a local newspaper editorial page that doesn’t pull its punches and knows how to make a strong argument in the community’s interest, it’s the Journal Gazette. Its editorials get to the point quickly and forcefully—yet take the time to carefully explain in some instances with original reporting—why an issue merits attention and what action should be taken. Reading these editorials was like listening to a friend who had a big brain with a heart to match.
2nd: The State, Columbia, S.C.
Comments: Calls for government reform are chestnuts of editorial pages, but the State’s editorial oozes passion for the subject, especially when it comes to the governor and state legislature. Its editorials aggressively identify the holes in arguments to maintain the status quo and give readers the facts to consider and force change.
3rd: Albuquerque (N.M.) Journal
Comments: Writing on a local jail release system and cuts to a program for the poor, the Albuquerque Journal put its big editorial voice into the shoes of the little guy. The editorials champion good causes and offer clear reasoning, common sense and clever writing.
Sweepstakes winner: The Journal Gazette, Ft. Wayne, Ind.
Comments: Reading these editorials was like listening to a friend who had a big brain with a heart to match.
Community Leadership
The Missouri School of Journalism, University of Missouri
Less than 10,000 circulation:
1st: The Tribune, Grand Haven, Mich.
Comments: Its been a year of hard times in Michigan, even in small resort communities like Grand Haven, where “The Face of Homelessness” series in the Tribune showed its readers stories about real people with real problems. Then before Christmas, the paper ran the “Giving Back” series and together, with other efforts from the newspaper, good things started happening, including the community foundation coming forward with a $150,000 gift. More money came in, a small emergency shelter was organized, and most importantly, the people of the community altered their views on helping the unfortunate.
10,000 to 25,000 circulation:
1st: The Daily Journal, Franklin, Ind.
Comments: It was a double tragedy when a 1,000 year flood swept through Johnson County: The flood and the economy, where many of the people who lost homes had already lost their jobs. The Daily Journal quickly switched from breaking news coverage to more issue-based reporting about the problems the people faced when the outside relief groups moved on. The newspaper did its job with a huge volume of stories and editorials that laid out the human sacrifices every where in the communities served, and brought forward the important information on home buyouts, home repairs and mental health services.
25,000 to 75,000 circulation
1st: Victoria (Texas) Advocate
Comments: A winner two years in a row. This time they took on the deadly challenge of illegal immigrants being lured to work, and losing their lives in horrendous ways. Through an amazing number of stories that were well documented, written, designed and illustrated, the people of the region got a true taste of what was going on and what was being done to correct a deplorable situation. The project was called the Fatal Funnel, and Advocate public service editor Gabe Semenza dug deep into the complexities of immigration, drug trafficking, law enforcement and opposition faced when people disagreed with potential solutions. The multi-media team covered the series in every imaginable way—online, films, print newspaper—even a mass and a special song.
75,000/More than 75,000
1st: Daily Herald, Arlington Heights, Ill.
Comments: Illinois has a long history of political corruption. It may have reached a new high—or low—depending on your perspective in the last year with the removal of the governor from office. The people at the Daily Herald had had enough and determined one solution lay in a coordinated effort involving traditional news coverage, editorial commentary and—perhaps most important—public involvement. With a steady stream of opinion pieces rolling out in the spring and summer, they urged specific changes and pressed lawmakers in Springfield to make critical changes. And they gave the public ways to assess the changes and how they were working. The big job isn’t over. In fact it has just begun, but this is a nice start by the Daily Herald.
News Picture Contest
School of Journalism, Indiana University
Overall comments: The judges on the photography categories said they saw too many multiple-picture stories that needed much tighter edits, but that overall the quality of submissions was good. They also remarked how strong the news category entries were and how extra effort had been required to capture all of the feature winners.
Photography
1st: Roger Darrigrand, Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass., “Duck Bridge”
2nd: Brian Ray, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, “Wedding Kiss”
3rd: Roger Darrigrand, Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass., “A Number One Dad”
HM: Aaron Ontiveroz, Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Cheyenne, Wyo., “Together Again”
HM: C. Aluka Berry, The State, Columbia, S.C., “Anita Blount”
Feature
1st: Gerry Melendez, The State, Columbia, S.C., “Race the Train”
2nd: Kim Foster-Tobin, The State, Columbia, S.C., “Newberry Opera House”
3rd: Jim Slosiarek, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, “Rain Delay”
Sports
1st: Michael Smith; Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Cheyenne, Wyo., “All Strung Up For CFD”
2nd: Jim Slosiarek, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, “Winning Run”
3rd: Jill Mott, Longmont Times-Call, Longmont, Colo., “Synchronized Swim Dad”
HM: Aaron Ontiveroz, Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Cheyenne, Wyo., “Hang in There”
HM: Joe Kline, Idaho State Journal, Pocatello, “Charged Up”
Portrait/Personality
1st: Andrew Laker, The Republic, Columbus, Ind., “Hero”
2nd: Tom Dominick, The State, Columbia, S.C., “Leopard Cubs”
3rd: Jim Rider, South Bend Tribune, Ind., “Homeless”
HM: Kim Foster-Tobin, The State, Columbia, S.C., “ Morihiko Nakahara”
HM: Liz Martin, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, “Master Painter”
Pictorial
Three entries. Images were combined with the Illustrative Category
Illustrative
1st: Doug Lindley, Idaho State Journal, Pocatello, Idaho, “Smoking Mad”
2nd: Doug Lindley, Idaho State Journal, Pocatello, Idaho, “Pill Roulette”
3rd: Joe Kline, Idaho State Journal, Pocatello, Idaho, “He’s Magic, Man”
Picture Stories and Essays
1st: Andrew Laker, The Republic, Columbus, Ind., “Channel Surfer”
2nd: Marla Brose, Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, N.M., “San Juan Diego Friary”
3rd: Shauna Stephenson, Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Cheyenne, Wyo., “Trapping Bears”
Picture Use
1st: Amanda Whitlock (photographer) and Craig Sterrett (designer), LaSalle, Ill., News-Tribune
Comments: A good collection of Images from Election Day. Good editing places places them into a story that moves from early in the day to the end of the election. Good coverage of an event that happens often, but does not always get covered well.
2nd: Bryan Eaton (photographer) and Jim Reily and Kristen Chevalier (designers), Daily News of Newburypor, Conn.
3rd: John Philippsen (photographer) and Johannah Pollert (designer), The Republic, Columbus, Ind.
Feature
Two entries
1st: Andrew Laker (photographer) and Amy Laker (designer), The Republic, Columbus, Ind.
2nd: Aaron Ontiveroz (photographer), Kiah Staley and Angela Brooks (designers), Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Cheyenne, Wyo.
Judges’ comments: Sometimes two photos are just enough. Each entry had a strong dominant image pared with a second image that provided either a nice detail or, in the case of the first-place page, an unexpected insight.
Lifestyle
One entry
1st: Aaron Ontiveroz (photographer), Kiah Staley and Angela Brooks (designers), Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Cheyenne, Wyo.
Sports
1st: C. Aluka Berry (photographer) and sports staff (designer), The State, Columbia, S.C.
Comments: Strong image paired with the essential statistics on the Masters Tournament makes a nice story with emotion and facts.
2nd: Tim Dominick, (photographer) and sports staff (designer), The State, Columbia, S.C.
3rd: Aaron Ontiveroz (photographer) and Adam Crowson (designer), Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Cheyenne, Wyo.
Local News Writing
School of Journalism and Telecommunications, University of Kentucky
Less than 10,000 Circulation:
I. Investigative Reporting
1st: The Daily Press, Ashland, Wis., “Quiet Rooms”
2nd: Greenfield Daily Reporter, Greenfield, Ind. “Betrayal of Trust”
3rd: The Carthage Press, Carthage, Mo.,
“Double Murder”
II. Explanatory Reporting
1st: The Daily Press, Ashland, Wis.,
“Biomass: A gold rush for wood?”
2nd: Paulding County Progress, Paulding, Ohio, “WWII soldier’s remains”
3rd: The Carthage Press, Carthage, Mo.
“R-9 School District’s bond issue”
III. Personality/Individual Profile Stories
1st: The Salem Leader, Salem, Ind., “Chasing her dream”
2nd: Cape Coral Daily Breeze, Cape Coral, Fla., “Papa’s legacy”
3rd: Paulding County Progress, Paulding, Ohio, “Marvin Kuhns: Horse thief, murderer and lifetime criminal”
10,000-25,000 Circulation:
I. Investigative Reporting
1st: The Republic, Columbus, Ind.,
“Irwin Financial’s decline”
2nd: Merced Sun-Star, Merced, Calif., “Councilman’s racist e-mails”
3rd: The Taos News, Taos, N.M., “New hospital CEO’s baggage”
II. Explanatory Reporting
1st: Idaho State Journal, Pocatello, Idaho, “Healing old wounds: Women inmates struggle with mental illness”
2nd: Merced Sun-Star, Merced, Calif., “Quest for a medical school”
3rd: The Republic, Columbus, Ind., “Flood recovery: Watershed year”
III. Personality/Individual Profile Stories
1st: News Tribune, LaSalle, Ill., “Profile of an accused killer”
2nd: Merced Sun-Star, Merced, Calif., “A Night to Remember”
3rd: Idaho State Journal, Pocatello, Idaho, “Bengals superfan”
More than 75,000 Circulation:
I. Investigative Reporting
1st: Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, N.M., “Richardson Shocker”
2nd: The State, Columbia, S.C., “Sanford AWOL”
3rd: The Daily Herald, Arlington Heights, Ill., “Seeing Red”
HM: The Blade, Toledo, Ohio “Uninsured America”
II. Explanatory Reporting
1st: The State, Columbia, S.C., “DHEC Under Fire”
2nd: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh, Pa., “Tikrit turnaround”
3rd: The Blade, Toledo, Ohio, “India: Driven to compete”
III. Personality/Individual Profile Stories
1st: The Daily Herald, Arlington Heights, Ill., “Five minutes that changed everything”
2nd: Albuquerque Journal, lbuquerque, N.M., “Confessions of a killer”
3rd: Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, N.M., “Miracle Recovery”
25,000-75,000 Circulation
I. Investigative Reporting
1st: The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa., “Student neglect probed”
2nd: Victoria Advocate, Victoria, Texas, “Does it pass the smell test?”
3rd: Belleville News-Democrat, Bellville, Ill., “Bridges of Death”
II. Explanatory Reporting
1st: The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa., “A Survivor’s Guide to the Recession”
2nd: The News-Times, Danbury, Conn., “Galante’s downfall”
3rd: The Journal Gazette, Ft. Wayne, Ind., “Mortgage Fraud: It’s so simple, it’s scary”
III. Personality/Individual Profile Stories
1st: The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.,
“A Friend of the Poor”
2nd: The Journal Gazette, Ft. Wayne, Ind., “Jumping into rhythm”
3rd: Jackson Citizen Patriot, Jackson, Mich., “Chosen for each other”
ABOUT INLAND
Founded in 1885, Inland Press Association is a not-for-profit newspaper association and foundation. Inland is dedicated to advancing the welfare of its 1,126 member newspapers across all 50 states, Canada and Bermuda. Inland’s goal is to enable newspapers to continue serving the people as a free, strong and responsible press. Inland specializes in high-quality, low-cost training options for all newspaper departments and it produces industry standard research in newspaper costs and revenues, as well as newspaper compensation and morale. Inland is located in Des Plaines, Ill., a suburb adjoining Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. For further information, visit InlandPress.org.
 |
||
| 2009 Print Quality Award Winners |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of inlandpress.org
