By Jeff Lipton
For the contest, 189 weekly newspapers across the state submitted 4,159 entries, competing for awards in 62 categories.
The Herald earned first place for in-depth reporting and second place for community leadership, respectively, for the nearly year-long "Teens and Alcohol" series that recently wound down.
Judges wrote of the 17-article effort, "The results of your in-depth 'Teens and Alcohol' series cannot be accurately gauged, but there is no question that it impacted more teens and parents than you will ever know. It is an extraordinary series that required untold hours of research and documentation. It is also community journalism at its best."
Judges also noted that the series "is an outstanding example of how a newspaper with a small staff can accomplish something for the community it serves. It stirred community action. Good job!"
The series ran in all 12 editions of the Herald, and several staff members contributed articles to it, including Karenlyn Barone, Nick Buglione, Nicole Falco, Scott Brinton, Doug Miller, Angela Marshall, Laura Lane, Jennifer Marino and intern Devin Varsalona. Reporters Andrew Coen, Hector Flores and Jason Scheer contributed research to the effort.
Publisher Cliff Richner commented, "The underage drinking series was important to me personally, as it was to many members of the editorial team that worked so hard to produce it. I'm glad the judges recognized our efforts, but the real reward has been the huge reaction - in both word and deed - this series provoked from our readers."
Karenlyn Barone, editor of the Lynbrook/East Rockaway Herald, won second place in the best column category. Her winning columns included "My first American anthem," which spoke of patriotism and a plea to bring troops home, "The freshman guarantee," a call to universities to teach not only subject matter, but "subjects that matter," and "An angelic reminder," Barone's sentimental experience buying a Christmas tree.
The judges said of Barone, who draws on her own life experiences in her column writing said, "I enjoyed reading these, and she can touch her readers."
Brian T. Dessart, sports writer for the Herald, won second place for best sports/outdoor column for Lynbrook/East Rockaway. His winning two-part column dealt with his experiences in Hawaii during the Ironman Triathlon World Championship. Dessart also wrote about an aggressive parent on the sidelines and his behavior toward his young son's coaches. The judges wrote, "Continuing columns usually don't work, but the pair recalling Mr. Dessart's Ironman observations certainly do. The writer took the generic subject of parent/child/sports and made it readable in 'Overstepping Boundaries.' A big plus for Dessart: conciseness. He wrote what he thought, then stopped. Good job."
The Nassau Herald took first place for spot news coverage of the fire that destroyed the Herald's longtime headquarters in Lawrence on June 15, 2004. Reporter Andrew Coen led the coverage, which examined the impact of the fire on the surrounding community as well as the Herald staff. The coverage was supported by a follow-up story written by Long Beach Editor Doug Miller, as well as columns by Nassau Herald Editor Jeff Lipton and columnists Randi Kreiss and Alfred Doblin.
The judges wrote, "From the writer's first fast-flowing, fact-filled article written under impossible conditions, the reader understands why this fire was as much a community disaster as it was a loss for the Herald. An excellent look at the fire's impact on Herald staff and the community."
The Nassau Herald also took third place for coverage of crime/police/courts in Division 4, anchored by a story on an arrest of a suspect with bomb-making material near the Atlantic Beach Bridge. Judges wrote, "Writing is done well with good use of quotes." Articles were written by Lipton, Coen and Brinton.
The Bellmore Herald earned third place in Division 3 for crime reporting. Flores, Brinton and Buglione each wrote articles for the entry. The judges recognized the writers' investigative report on efforts by Assemblyman David McDonough to upgrade Megan's Law. One judge wrote, "Good coverage on a variety of topics. I enjoyed the numerous stories with numerous angles in the same issue. It gave me a full overview in a concise manner."
Herald Photo Editor Rebecca Lopatin won third place in the picture story category, for a spread featuring a Town of Hempstead 9/11 ceremony in Lido Beach.
"Considering the adversity we encountered during the course of the year - with a fire that destroyed our offices - to still come out on top in Nassau County is a tribute to the strength and dedication of the staff," Stuart Richner, the Heralds' co-publisher, said of the awards. "The staff really pulled together."
"I am tremendously proud of our editorial-department staff," said John C. O'Connell, executive editor, "not only for the significant awards received this year, but for the work they do every single week. It certainly is a tribute to their efforts that of the 189 newspapers that submitted more than 4,000 entries from all across New York state, the Heralds won major awards in important categories.
"The state organization of weekly journalists recognized the Heralds as some of the best newspapers in New York. I agree."
Comments about this story? JLipton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
