Shown in the front lobby of the Yellow Springs News office are, clockwise from back left, Reilly Dixon, Lynda Highlander, Jessica Thomas, Cheryl Durgans, Matt Minde and “Chuck” Shows. Not pictured are Carol Simmons, Kitty Jensen and Jeff Vawter. (Photo by Otto Thymer)
News loses, staffers awarded
- Published: May 30, 2023
After winning the Newspaper of the Year Award in its division in the annual Osman C. Hooper Non-Daily Newspaper Competition every year since 2011, the Yellow Springs News came home without the award this year, losing to its longtime competitor, The Archbold Buckeye.
(Read more about The Buckeye’s well-deserved win here.)
The competition was held in Columbus on March 30 — the first in-person iteration of the event since 2019 — and covered the period of Aug. 1, 2021, to July 31, 2022.
Despite the loss, the News was happy to accept a handful of individual awards, including first place for news coverage for the entire staff. In presenting the award to the News, judges wrote that the paper “delivers relevant news with strong reporting and high-level writing.”
“Its journalists don’t pander to sources, but tell stories of importance fairly and fully,” judges continued. “The opinion section is an added gem, allowing local residents to share viewpoints that reflect the wide diversity and unique character of this iconic Ohio town.”
The News’ editorial staff also received a second-place award for in-depth reporting on the now-canceled Oberer development, with judges saying the coverage included a “range of opinions about plans for 52 acres of diverse housing choices — all the way to its surprising end, with the plan imploding and comic Dave Chappelle buying up some of the acreage.”
Reporter Reilly Dixon took home a first-place award for best local profile for “Meet the land manager — Eight months tending the Glen,” as well as a first-place award for best headline: “Buck runs amok downtown.”
News columnists swept the category for best original columns, with first place going to Cheryl Durgans’ “The Briar Patch,” second place to Iden Crockett’s “My Name is Iden” and third place to Lauren “Chuck” Shows’ “All I Care to Eat.”
The paper also took home several photography awards, with Dixon winning first and second place in the news photo category and first place in the feature photo category; Matt Minde won third place in the feature photo category. Dixon and Minde also took home a third-place award for best advertising design.
The whole News staff again won a joint second-place award for best special edition for The Guide to Yellow Springs.
The current staff of the News includes Cheryl Durgans, editor; Lauren “Chuck” Shows, associate editor; Carol Simmons, village desk editor; Jessica Thomas, reporter; Reilly Dixon, reporter and production; Matt Minde, advertising director and production; Lynda Highlander, office/circulation/classifieds manager; Kitty Jensen, proofreader; and Jeff Vawter, distribution. The News is owned by Minde, Durgans and Shows.
One Response to “News loses, staffers awarded”
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Not to sound sarcastic or anything, but it’s probably good that other place won seeings how nobody’s ever heard of it. I had to look it up on Wikipedia
Carry on.