NASHVILLE, TENN – The St. Louis American won the top award for general excellence for the second consecutive year Thursday night at the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s (NNPA) Annual Merit Awards ceremony while the New Pittsburgh Courier captured the top award for Digital Excellence. For the first time, the NNPA also presented excellence awards for two smaller categories. Winning in Category B was the Houston Defender. The Miami Times won in Category C.
“There were many exceptional entries this year,” said Karl B. Rodney, Merit Awards Chairman and publisher of the Carib News. “We congratulate not only the winners, but other papers that exemplify excellence every week.”
Mary Alice Thatch, publisher of the Wilmington Journal, was selected “Publisher of the Year” by her colleagues. Thatch was the driving force behind the NNPA’s successful national campaign win pardons of innocence for the Wilmington Ten. Her paper provided the lead coverage of the issue. The stories were then distributed to member newspapers by the NNPA News Service.
NNPA Legacy Awards were presented to Jesse Jackson, Sr., founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and James Farmer, former vice president of General Motors Acceptance Corp. (GMAC). The NNPA’s Front Page Award was presented to Roland Martin, host of “Washington Watch with Roland Martin” on TV One cable network, and Larry Waters, Senior Director of Community Commerce and Partnerships for MillerCoors.
Merit Award winners were:
GENERAL EXCELLENCE
St. Louis American
Houston Defender
Miami Times
DIGITAL EXCELLENCE
New Pittsburgh Courier
St. Louis American
Miami Times
BEST EDITORIAL
Skanner
Philadelphia Tribune
Afro
BEST COLUMN
St. Louis American
Los Angeles Sentinel
Philadelphia Tribune
BEST NEWS STORY
St. Louis American
Florida Courier
New York Amsterdam News
BEST FEATURE STORY
Philadelphia Tribune
Houston Forward Times
Call & Post
BEST LAYOUT & DESIGN (Broadsheet)
St. Louis American
Miami Times
Insight News
BEST LAYOUT & DESIGN (Tabloid)
Houston Defender
Washington Informer
Los Angeles Watts Times
BEST LIFESTYLE
Philadelphia Tribune
Houston Forward Times
Call & Post
BEST YOUTH WRITER (16-23)
Philadelphia Tribune
New York Amsterdam News
Houston Forward Times
BEST USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS (Broadsheet)
St. Louis American
Houston Defender
Los Angeles Sentinel
BEST USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS (Tabloid)
Chicago Defender
Washington Informer
Los Angeles Watts Times
BEST CHURCH PAGE
Miami Times
Indianapolis Recorder
South Florida Times
BEST SPORTS SECTION
Houston Defender
Daily Challenge
Los Angeles Sentinel
BEST BUSINESS SECTION
St. Louis American
Miami Times
Pittsburgh Courier
BEST ENTERTAINMENT SECTION
St. Louis American
Los Angeles Sentinel
Miami Times