Daily Herald wins General Excellence, other Lisagor awards
The Daily Herald won first place for General Excellence and six staff members won additional honors in the Chicago Headline Club's 40th annual Peter Lisagor Awards for Excellence in Journalism.
Daily Herald Editor John Lampinen said the awards are an encouraging reflection of the paper's commitment to its readers and the community.
"We don't do our work for awards," he said, "but we are proud when our staff members are recognized for the devotion they bring to their jobs every day. The General Excellence award is especially satisfying because it is a reflection of the work of every person on the staff."
Individual award winners were:
• Blackhawks expert John Dietz for Best Sports Story for his Father's Day feature "The Greatest Gifts," a report on Stan Mikita's children's favorite memories of their hockey legend dad.
• Associate Sports Editor Don Friske for Best Design, based on a selection of sports page designs.
• Senior writer Jim Fuller for Best Political and Government Reporting for his ongoing coverage of spending by Kane County government officials.
• Lampinen for Best Editorial Writing for the newspaper's explanation of its endorsement in the 2016 president election, which he penned for the paper's editorial board.
• Sports columnist Barry Rozner for Best Sports Commentary for a selection of columns.
• Former staff writer Melissa Silverberg for Best Education Reporting for an enterprise report headlined "Struggle and Success in East Aurora Schools."
• Senior Staff Photographer Mark Welsh for Best News Photo for his photograph of Melodie Gliniewicz, wife of disgraced Fox Lake Police Officer Joseph Gliniewicz, huddled inside a car surrounded by reporters and photographers at a court hearing.
The Daily Herald competes in the category for midsize daily newspapers.
The awards, named after former Chicago Daily News Washington bureau chief and columnist Peter Lisagor, are the highest honor given to Chicago-area journalists. They were announced at a dinner attended by 300 Chicago-area journalists and guests at the Union League Club in downtown Chicago on Friday. Former WGN-TV reporter and anchor Robert H. Jordan and Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich were recognized with Lifetime Achievement Awards.