Kane County Newspapers Awarded for Website, News Series, Education and Column Writing
In the world of local journalism these days, there are fewer things more important than electronic media — it’s how we communicate, and it’s key to the future success of any organization. That said, one of the things that separates news organizations from the background noise of the World Wide Web is a level of professionalism and a commitment to quality writing.
Two daily newspapers serving Kane County showcased those qualities this week, taking home first-place awards for work in electronic media as well as for the fundamentals of news, education and compelling storytelling.
The Daily Herald received 11 awards and the Kane County Chronicle received 13 awards overall Thursday in the annual Northern Illinois Newspaper Association contest. The winners are named by the NINA in conjunction with the journalism program of the Northern Illinois University department of communications and were honored at a dinner at NIU’s Holmes Student Center in DeKalb.
The Daily Herald’s website, dailyherald.com, won first place for the second year in a row. The award emphasizes the newspaper’s commitment to journalism in all forms, including video, interactive maps, daily e-news updates, social media, texts and daily e-editions.
The Kane County Chronicle’s first-place winner was Jennifer DuBose, a columnist who was recognized for “Tales From the Motherhood,” an ongoing series about the challenges and rewards of raising children.
Other first-place winners included DH Editor John Lampinen’s editorial: “A letter to the children of Sept. 11.”
Best sports columnist went to the Daily Herald’s Barry Rozner, whose entries included his take on Greg Maddux’s speech at the Hall of Fame, Ray Rice’s reaction to domestic abuse charges and the baseball life of Don Zimmer.
DH political Editor Mike Riopell won for best news series for “We Were Almost Home: The story of Capt. Duckworth and the soldiers who saved her life,” a narrative of the rescue of U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth after her helicopter was shot down in Iraq.
Staff Writer Melissa Silverberg won for best education reporting for her state school report card coverage, including the article “Does the ACT really tell you if you’re ready for college?”
For the Kane County Chronicle, second-place awards went to reporter Brenda Schory for best personality profile and religion story; to Ashley Sloboda for best education reporting; to photo editor Sandy Bressner for best online photo gallery; to the sports staff for best special section; to the entire staff for best website; and to reporter Charles Menchaca, Brenda Schory and former intern Eoin Cottrell for best spot news story.
The Moline Dispatch won the sweepstakes for the daily category and the Galena Gazette won the sweepstakes for the nondaily category. NINA awarded more than 125 other awards in 46 categories.
The banquet featured keynote speakerJim Rossow, executive editor of the News-Gazette in Champaign/Urbana, who presented “50 Ways to Engage Your Readers.”
NINA has been serving the journalists and educators in Northern Illinois, in conjunction with the Communication Department of Northern Illinois University for 53 years. For more information go to www.ninaonline.org.
SOURCES: Northern Illinois Newspaper Association press release, Daily Herald and Kane County Chronicle articles
- Editor’s Note: Kane County Connects Editor Rick Nagel is a member of the Northern Illinois Newspaper Association Board.
