Premier Awards - Best Local Editorial ( Circulation 10000 to 12499,Circulation 12500 to 17499,Circulation 17500 and over)
Back
Place Name:
First Place
Contestant Name:
The Lake Report (Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON)
Entry Title:
It’s not rocket science — yes, it’s a hate crime
Entry Credit:
Richard Harley
Judge Comment:
The Lake Report's entry rose to the top of this class for its strong stand on a hot button edition. The Report pulls no punches as it identifies as vandalism and a hate crime the messages that someone wrote on the community's rainbow crosswalk. There is no dancing around the issue, as the police were apparently doing, by the newspaper and its writer. The writer identifies the issue, clearly points out that the actions of the offender is wrong, and states a clear call to action. This likely was not a popular editorial with all of the readership, but it was necessary.
Place Name:
Second Place
Contestant Name:
Observer (Elmira-Woolwich, ON)
Entry Title:
Short-term thinking abounds, as budget season shows
Entry Credit:
Steve Kannon
Judge Comment:
The Observer tackles an issue that is prevalent at many levels of government in this editorial, pointing out the need for elected officials to keep a careful eye on spending. The clear call to action is for officials to question every line in the budget, to determine who benefits from that spending, so it can be judged within the context of the budget. We like the idea of the local newspaper calling out elected officials to be fiscally responsible, thereby carrying out the newspaper's role of community watchdog. Clear, concise writing made this a strong editorial.
Place Name:
Third Place
Contestant Name:
St. Albert Gazette (St. Albert, AB)
Entry Title:
Get out of the gutter
Entry Credit:
Brian Bachynski
Judge Comment:
The Gazette takes a strong stand by calling out the bad behaviour at an election forum. In a society increasingly where people seem increasingly pitted against each other, civility and decorum are threatened at every turn. The newspaper was right to criticize those who hijacked the election forum instead of letting the candidates have their say so people could take their measure and make an informed decision. Strong writing and clear points made this a strong opinion piece.
Competition Comment:
It is great to see local newspapers taking a stand and speaking out on issues that are vital to their communities. By so doing, the papers are providing strong leadership to their communities while urging leaders and other people in the community to do better. Lots of interesting issues, lots of great insight by the writers. The best entries were those that had a clear call to action. It is not enough in an editorial to simply recognize and comment on an issue. The writer must have a call to action that readers can understand, and, with any luck at all, act upon. It was a pleasure to read these entries, which speak to the high quality of work being done by Canadian newspapers.
