Gazette staff wins 22 awards in WNA contest
JANESVILLE — The Gazette newsroom made its biggest haul ever in the Wisconsin Newspaper Association’s 2009 Better Newspaper Contest.
Gazette reporters, photographers and editors earned 22 awards, including 10 first-place honors.
The newspaper’s best previous showing in number of awards was in the high teens, Editor Scott Angus said.
“This is a testament to the consistently high quality work being done in our newsroom,” Angus said. “And it isn’t just the number of awards. The type and breadth of awards also show how well this newspaper is serving its readers and the community.”
The Gazette competes in a class with 12 other daily newspapers with circulations of 10,000 to 25,000.
The WNA presented the awards during its annual conference last week in Middleton. The 2009 contest drew 2,233 entries from 119 newspapers. Members of the Illinois Press Association judged the entries. The contest was for content published between Sept. 1, 2008, and Aug. 31, 2009.
The Gazette’s winners:
First place—Editorials, Greg Peck.
First place—Breaking News Coverage; GM closes plant.
First place—Local Outdoor Column; Anna Marie Lux; Between the Lines.
First place—Sports Pages.
First place—Sports Feature; John Barry; Written in ink.
First place—Enterprise/Interpretive Reporting; GM closure.
First place—Environmental Reporting; Stacy Vogel; Plant problems persist.
First place—General News Photo; Dan Lassiter; Guard soldiers to train.
First place—Page Design-Feature; Ann Fiore; kicks.
First place—Continuing Web Coverage; General Motors: End of An Era.
Second place—General Excellence.
Second place—Editorial Pages; Greg Peck.
Second place—Special Section-Editorial; From Samson to Suburban.
Second place—Feature Photo; Dan Lassiter; Lauren Moren takes off.
Second place—Photo Essay; Bill Olmsted; Good bye and thanks.
Second place—Investigative Reporting; Ted Sullivan, Anna Marie Lux, Frank Schultz; Heroin: A deadly habit.
Second place—General Web Excellence; gazettextra.com.
Second place—Web Special Project; Emergency detentions: Vordermanns.
Second place—Continuing Web Coverage; Emergency detentions: Vordermanns.
Third place—Local Column; Scott Angus; Editor’s Views.
Third place—Investigative Reporting; Ted Sullivan; Law being grossly abused.
Honorable Mention—Web Special Project; General Motors: End of an Era.
Feb 22, 2010 at 9:29 a.m.
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The Gazette has lots of good people working for them who take pride in their work.
Feb 21, 2010 at 7:25 a.m.
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beeferer, OK, your question: "Am I reading this right?" was sincere.
And you are happy that the Gazette won all those awards. Right?
Feb 20, 2010 at 8:52 p.m.
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gazettefan- I read it a few times and asked for help. You cleared it up for me. Thanks. But now I am confused as to why this upset you?
Feb 20, 2010 at 5:43 p.m.
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Right foolonthehill.
DiGriz, where are you?
Feb 20, 2010 at 5:38 p.m.
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...or at LEAST an award for blogging well above and beyond the story's topic with humorous inanity. Speaking of which... where IS DiGriz? Maybe we can do it again. ;~)
Feb 20, 2010 at 5:29 p.m.
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Though I must confess, I am crestfallen that the Gazette didn't get an award for best bloggers.
;~(
Feb 20, 2010 at 5:28 p.m.
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beeferer, no, you read it wrong. If you doubted how well you read it, you should have gone back and read it again instead of asking the good lord knows who. See what that gets ya?
And from now on read the stories right instead of expecting the busy posters here to do your reading for you.
;~)
Feb 20, 2010 at 4:59 p.m.
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Gazettefan was quite kind, beeferer. I'd thought about being much nastier. ;~)
Considering there were 118 other newspapers competing, each of Gazette's first place awards places them above the 99th percentile for excellence in that particular category. Just one such award would be significant. They received ten of them. (Not to mention a bunch of 2nd and 3rd place awards.)
Feb 20, 2010 at 3:52 p.m.
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IMO, the gazette has continually gone downhill over the couple years. Enough that I canceled my subscription and just read what they have online for free. If I want more I go elsewhere.
Feb 20, 2010 at 3:39 p.m.
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gazettefan- Thank you so much for answering my question in such a condescending way. All I did was ask a question. You still hadn't had your coffee at 9:56 A.M.?
Feb 20, 2010 at 1:21 p.m.
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Shall we ignore the continuous punctuation errors and the failure to capitalize Kicks in this very story? How many total prizes were awarded? CAN WE GET A REPORTER HERE, PLEASE?
Feb 20, 2010 at 9:57 a.m.
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Excuse me, three people with reading comprehension problems!
Feb 20, 2010 at 9:56 a.m.
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The two critics of the Gazette's well deserved awards exhibit reading comprehension problems:
br549, the plant closed about a year and half ago. If it ever re-opens that's another story.
beeferer, the number 2233 refers to how many stories were entered in the competition -not the number of awards as you seem to indicate with your outrage that the Gazette only garnered "less than 1%." To the contrary, the fact that the Gazette received so many awards with so much competition in so many important categories is quite remarkable.
The Gazette should have also received an award for not buckling under the pressure to quash the eternal lively debate of religion.
Congratulations, Gazette!!!
Feb 20, 2010 at 9:47 a.m.
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Who was the competition, The National Enquirer Oh I know the Clinton Topper Just to show you that once again Janesville is the nummber one producer in Butt wipe
Feb 20, 2010 at 9:15 a.m.
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Congratulations and thank you for all you do for our community.
Feb 20, 2010 at 8:45 a.m.
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(This Story has been removed by my staff because it`s too unbelievable.)
Feb 20, 2010 at 8:32 a.m.
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"The 2009 contest drew 2,233 entries from 119 newspapers." Am I reading this right? Out of 2,233 entries, the Gazette only got 22 awards? (Less than 1%)
Feb 20, 2010 at 7 a.m.
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Congratulations, Gazette staff!
Feb 20, 2010 at 6:41 a.m.
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Good job folks
Feb 19, 2010 at 4:57 p.m.
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Great job Gazette keep it up!!
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