By Angela Marshall
Among the awards the Herald chain carted home were three first-place honors for community leadership, spot news photo and editorials all won by Long Beach resident Scott Brinton while the Long Beach Herald was singled out for an Honorable Mention for its tributes to World Trade Center victims.
One-hundred-sixty-four newspapers submitted a total of 3,214 entries to the annual Better Newspaper Contest, which was judged by members of the New England Press Association on January 24.
It's always nice to be recognized for good work, said Herald publisher Cliff Richner. I think the awards are a reflection of the Herald's philosophy regarding local coverage. We feel that what happens within a local community is the most important news to the people who live there. At the Herald, we focus on the local issues that have the greatest impact on our readers' daily lives and I think the judges recognized that.
Remembering Sept. 11
During a convention that focused heavily on the events of Sept. 11, the Long Beach Herald earned honors in one of the competition's most competitive categories, earning Honorable Mention for Best Obituaries. The paper was rewarded for its coverage of Our Lost Neighbors, tributes to the community's World Trade Center victims, as well as an obituary on flight attendant Barbara Bo Giannasca of Point Lookout who died aboard Flight 587 when it crashed into Belle Harbor, Queens on Nov. 12.
The Long Beach newspaper's Sept. 11 coverage was also recognized in a special 9-11 commemorative magazine that focused on the coverage the tragedy received all across the state. The magazine included the Herald's Sept. 13 front page that showed residents reacting to the attack at the Magnolia Boulevard pier.
This marked the third straight year Grant's contributions to Herald newspapers were honored in the contest.
Merrick editor shows leadership
The trio of papers edited by Scott Brinton, a Long Beach resident soon moving to Merrick, earned the most honors with five.
I'm particularly proud of the well-deserved recognition received by Scott Brinton, Richner said. He works very hard at what he does and it shows.
Brinton's Merrick Herald won first place for Community Leadership, considered one of the contest's most coveted honors. Working alone or as part of a team, Brinton, who also edits the Bellmore and East Meadow Heralds, has earned this honor in five of the last seven years.
Brinton wrote all but one of the stories for this year's series, which covered the dangerous health effects that Freeport's diesel Power Plant No. 2 posed to the Merrick community. He conducted door-to-door interviews of residents and documented the plant's failure to comply with state laws. Through strong editorials, Brinton and the Herald called for the plant to close and succeeded. It was shut down by Gov. George Pataki last week.
Judges said, A classic example of power of the press. Brinton and the Herald dogged a local power plant for a year, effecting tremendous change on behalf of the community. No bells and whistles
