Daily Herald free press editorials honored for public service
A series of Daily Herald editorials focusing on assaults on the press has been recognized for public service in the 2017 competition of the Illinois Associated Press Media Editors competition.
"The Press and the Public Trust," a series of five editorials published in November and December 2016 identified what the newspaper saw as politically based assaults on the American free press.
"We wanted to respond by re-examining the role of a free press in democracy and reflecting on the responsibilities the First Amendment right imposes both on media outlets and on citizens," said Jim Slusher, deputy managing editor for opinion at the newspaper. "And we wanted to issue a warning about what can happen when these rights and responsibilities are ignored or abused. We're proud that The Associated Press editors also recognized the importance of that message to our communities."
The editorial board's third-place award in the Public Service category was among six citations for excellence in the annual IAPME contest.
Other winners included:
• A first-place award to Cubs beat reporter Bruce Miles in Best Use of Social Media by an Individual, a category recognizing individuals who effectively use social media tools to engage and inform readers.
• A second-place award in Feature Photography to John Starks for a picture of dogs lined up for grooming.
• A third-place award in Enterprise Series to Marie Wilson for "Caregivers in Crisis," an examination of issues confronting workers and family members who care for people with mental illness.
• A third-place award in Column Writing to Managing Editor Jim Baumann and his "Grammar Moses" column examining the finer points of effective writing.
• A third-place award in Sports Action Photography for a photo of two soccer players simultaneously playing a "header."
In addition to these awards, the Daily Herald's sister publications in Paddock Publications' Southern Illinois LOCAL Media Group earned IAPME recognition in five categories honoring excellence in small newspapers.