On Dec. 6, 2014 at the 2014 Hoosier State Press Association Foundation Better Newspaper Contest Awards Luncheon and Newsroom Seminar at the Indianapolis Marriott North, I won an award for the second year in a row. I won Second Place for General Commentary for Division 5, which comprises daily newspapers with circulations between 14,000 and 34,999.
Although I submitted the required three columns published in the Kokomo Tribune between July 1, 2013, and June 30, 2014, my Aug. 8, 2013 column, "A People's History of Mitch Daniels," was singled out by the judges. Here are their judges' notes:
"House of Burgess takes aim at censorship particularly Purdue president's quest to eliminate 'A People's History of the United States' for credit. Burgess doesn't let President Mitch Daniels off the hook about his stance with repeated attempts to contact him and including his deflections. Burgess then launches a book club on Twitter where he reads one chapter of the book each day and discusses it online at #zinnbookclub. It's a creative and digitally savvy way to reach beyond his local readers and pull a global audience into the discussion."2013-08-08 – “House of Burgess - A People's History of Mitch Daniels” [Page: A4]
2013-09-18 – “House of Burgess - Read a banned book” [Page: A4]
[This column was re-published on the Stanford Graduate School of Education website.]
[This column was re-published on the Stanford Graduate School of Education website.]
2014-05-21 – “House of Burgess - Beware, folks, 'Life is offensive'” [Page: A4]
I was one of five Kokomo Tribune coworkers to take home some hardware that day. Here is the full story about it:
The Kokomo Tribune brought home eight awards at this year’s Hoosier State Press Association Foundation Better Newspaper Contest.
The results were announced at the annual awards luncheon Saturday at the Indianapolis Marriott North. Work submitted to the contest was published between July 1, 2013, and June 30, 2014.
Second place for Best Editorial Cartoonist went to Gene Herndon, whose work the judges described as “witty, funny [and a] great use of trendy topics.”
Second place for Best Business/Economic News Coverage went to Scott Smith, former Tribune reporter, for his March 14, 2014, story, “All eyes on the price.” “The auction is a fascinating story in itself, but the story uses it to open [a] window through which readers can learn about the condition of the local agricultural economy,” wrote the judges. “A nice mix of human interest and business reporting.”
Second place for Best General Commentary went to Rob Burgess, Tribune night editor. A total of three entries were required for the category, but his Aug. 8, 2013 column, "A People's History of Mitch Daniels," was singled out by the judges. "House of Burgess takes aim at censorship, particularly [the] Purdue president's quest to eliminate 'A People's History of the United States' for credit,” wrote the judges. “Burgess doesn't let President Mitch Daniels off the hook about his stance with repeated attempts to contact him and including his deflections. Burgess then launches a book club on Twitter where he reads one chapter of the book each day and discusses it online at #zinnbookclub. It's a creative and digitally savvy way to reach beyond his local readers and pull a global audience into the discussion.”
Kelly Lafferty Gerber, Tribune photographer, took home two awards for her March 23 story, “The flying unicyclist.” She placed second in the Best Profile Feature category. “What a fun read! I really enjoyed learning about this interesting person, and it was just the right length to keep the reader going,” wrote the judges. She also placed second in the Best Still Photo Story with Audio or Video Story category for the accompanying video. “Great job,” wrote the judges, “stands out in this category.”
Tim Bath, Tribune photographer, also won two awards. His photo, “Champions,” won second place in the Best Sports Feature Photo category. “Nice job capturing a moment,” wrote the judges. Bath also won third place in the Best General News Photo category for his “Clean up” photo. “Nice frame that tells the whole story,” wrote the judges.
Tribune staff won third place in the Best Special Section for “Kokomo Strong.” “Good publication about an unfortunate circumstance,” wrote the judges. “The photos were enhanced by poignant quotes mixed throughout the booklet – a nice touch. It would have been nice to read more about the disaster, but I suppose those who lived through it didn’t need to be told again.”
The Kokomo Tribune competes in Division 5, which covers daily newspapers with circulations between 14,000 and 34,999.
The HSPA, founded in 1933, is a trade association representing 167 daily and weekly paid-circulation newspapers in Indiana, according to its website. HSPA provides legal information, training and other services to its members.
I was one of five Kokomo Tribune coworkers to take home some hardware that day. Here is the full story about it:
Kokomo Tribune wins eight awards at contest
From Staff Reports | Posted: Wednesday, December 10, 2014 7:19 pmThe Kokomo Tribune brought home eight awards at this year’s Hoosier State Press Association Foundation Better Newspaper Contest.
The results were announced at the annual awards luncheon Saturday at the Indianapolis Marriott North. Work submitted to the contest was published between July 1, 2013, and June 30, 2014.
Second place for Best Editorial Cartoonist went to Gene Herndon, whose work the judges described as “witty, funny [and a] great use of trendy topics.”
Second place for Best Business/Economic News Coverage went to Scott Smith, former Tribune reporter, for his March 14, 2014, story, “All eyes on the price.” “The auction is a fascinating story in itself, but the story uses it to open [a] window through which readers can learn about the condition of the local agricultural economy,” wrote the judges. “A nice mix of human interest and business reporting.”
Second place for Best General Commentary went to Rob Burgess, Tribune night editor. A total of three entries were required for the category, but his Aug. 8, 2013 column, "A People's History of Mitch Daniels," was singled out by the judges. "House of Burgess takes aim at censorship, particularly [the] Purdue president's quest to eliminate 'A People's History of the United States' for credit,” wrote the judges. “Burgess doesn't let President Mitch Daniels off the hook about his stance with repeated attempts to contact him and including his deflections. Burgess then launches a book club on Twitter where he reads one chapter of the book each day and discusses it online at #zinnbookclub. It's a creative and digitally savvy way to reach beyond his local readers and pull a global audience into the discussion.”
Kelly Lafferty Gerber, Tribune photographer, took home two awards for her March 23 story, “The flying unicyclist.” She placed second in the Best Profile Feature category. “What a fun read! I really enjoyed learning about this interesting person, and it was just the right length to keep the reader going,” wrote the judges. She also placed second in the Best Still Photo Story with Audio or Video Story category for the accompanying video. “Great job,” wrote the judges, “stands out in this category.”
Tim Bath, Tribune photographer, also won two awards. His photo, “Champions,” won second place in the Best Sports Feature Photo category. “Nice job capturing a moment,” wrote the judges. Bath also won third place in the Best General News Photo category for his “Clean up” photo. “Nice frame that tells the whole story,” wrote the judges.
Tribune staff won third place in the Best Special Section for “Kokomo Strong.” “Good publication about an unfortunate circumstance,” wrote the judges. “The photos were enhanced by poignant quotes mixed throughout the booklet – a nice touch. It would have been nice to read more about the disaster, but I suppose those who lived through it didn’t need to be told again.”
The Kokomo Tribune competes in Division 5, which covers daily newspapers with circulations between 14,000 and 34,999.
The HSPA, founded in 1933, is a trade association representing 167 daily and weekly paid-circulation newspapers in Indiana, according to its website. HSPA provides legal information, training and other services to its members.
