Hoosier State Press Association - The Indiana Publisher - Better Newspaper Contest
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/609750
Page 4 Judges base this highest accolade of the HSPA Foundation Better Newspaper Contest on an overall evaluation of the editorial quality of the newspaper. Judges look for the newspaper best serving its readers with all variables considered. They examine breadth and depth of coverage, quality of reporting and copy editing, news judgment and content balance, general appearance, imaginative approach to problem news areas, originality, reader interest and overall professionalism. The Blue Ribbon Award honors one daily and one nondaily newspaper, regardless of circulation size. Nondaily First place Daily Journal (Franklin) Comments: The Daily Journal offered the feel of a large metro newspaper from a staff a fraction of the size. Every day was filled with engaging content from page one with its in-depth enterprise cover stories to the last pages. The staff picks for weekly events was a great way to highlight com- munity events while also helping endear the paper's staffers to their readers. The design was visually engaging on every page. Second place The Indianapolis Star Comments: No paper did more to shape discussion of the biggest story in the state — if not country — at the time than The Star did with its work on the Religious Freedom Resto- ration Act. The "Fix This Now" front page is one that will be saved for 100 years, but everything we read across all three days from the Opinion desk was exceptionally strong. Other highlights: Sports coverage and the Features content and design. Third place Journal & Courier (Lafayette) Comments: Like the Daily Journal, the Lafayette Journal & Courier is a small-market paper that isn't afraid to look like a large-market one. Its Sept. 28 and Oct. 19 front pages were both eye-catching but couldn't have been more different: one featured a collage of color environmental photos, the other a six-column black and white historical image. Its designs are fresh and dynamic, and even on inside pages, the art is played big. There are plenty of design ideas for other news- papers to notice. Blue Ribbon Blue Ribbon Daily Daily Journal (Franklin) Publisher: Chuck Wells Editor: Michele Holtkamp