Lee Enterprises Announces Winners of President's Awards
Individuals and teams who won the seven awards will be honored, along with an Enterprise of the Year, at a recognition dinner Oct. 21 in Las Vegas. The awards carry cash prizes totaling $40,000.
"With the addition of 16 newspapers to the Lee family, this has been the biggest year in the history of our company - and by many measures, including these awards, it's also been one of our best," Junck said. "I'm thrilled with the high quality of entries this year, as it unmistakably demonstrates wonderful news coverage, innovation and spirit all across our company, at our newest newspapers as well as the ones that have been a part of Lee for a hundred years."
EXCELLENCE IN NEWS
The judges selected three winners for Excellence in News:
-- Ed Kemmick of the Billings Gazette in Montana, for "Under the
Trapdoor," a captivating 11-day narrative series that took an
in-depth look at a local murder and uncovered a disturbing
tale of homelessness and hopelessness among teen-agers living
on the fringe of society. The judges said: "Exceptional
reporting made this series so compelling that you absolutely
had to read it all." This is Kemmick's second Lee President's
Award in a row. Last year, he was a member of a Billings
Gazette team honored for a series marking the 125th
anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
-- Marc Chase of the Quad-City Times in Davenport, Iowa, for
"Who's Watching Our Kids?" - an investigative series revealing
that the state of Iowa was paying convicted felons to provide
daycare for the children of poor people. The judges said:
"Marc Chase and the Times provided a huge public service. Not
only did the reporting bring out the fact that people with
criminal records were running day care centers, but the
newspaper held seminars on how parents could conduct their own
background checks, complete with a website and a great how-to
graphic. The series helped close a hole in state
record-keeping by getting the law changed."
-- The staff of the Rapid City Journal, for comprehensive
coverage of devastating wildfires and drought in western South
Dakota. In addition to extensive coverage of breaking news,
the newspaper gave readers in-depth background, color and
analysis through special sections and an ongoing series,
"Living in the Red Zone." The judges praised the staff for
"superb reporting and photography," adding: "Every day, the
news staff drilled straight to the freshest and most important
angles."
Winners will receive $5,000, a plaque and individual crystal engravings.
The judges also awarded honorable mentions to:
-- The Southern Illinoisan in Carbondale, the Herald & Review in
Decatur, the Journal Gazette in Mattoon and the Times-Courier
in Charleston "for the idea of joining together and producing
a larger context for their three-day series on rising property
taxes."
-- The Post-Star in Glens Falls, N.Y., and the Shawano Leader in
Wisconsin "for remarkable coverage on Sept. 11, 2001,"
praising comprehensive coverage in Glens Falls and, in
Shawano, the three staff members who put out the special
edition by themselves - Nathan Falk, Joe Vandel and editor
Kent Tempus.
-- Barbara Lee of The Montana Standard in Butte "for tenacity in
finding out about a school superintendent's transgressions,
despite stonewalling by the school board."
-- The Daily News in Longview, Wash., "for leadership in letting
a photographer pursue the story of a local medical team doing
plastic surgery on poor people in Ecuador" and Greg Ebersole,
"for fine reporting as well as excellent photography."
Judges for the news awards were Scott Bosley, executive director of the American
Society of Newspaper Editors; Richard Cole, dean on the school of journalism and
mass communications at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and
Deborah Howell, editor of Newhouse News Service.
INNOVATION
Three winners also were chosen for Innovation:
-- Robert Gibson, Andy Heggen, Neil Wagner and Patrick Williams
of the Billings Gazette in Montana, "for defining and building
the ideal newspaper website," so appealing that it immediately
attracted twice as many users and filled up with advertisers
eager to pay higher rates. Since its launch in February, the
redesigned www.billingsgazette.com has become a model for nine
other Lee newspapers, resulting in similar readership and
revenue growth.
-- The "Top Jobs Team" at the Quad-City Times, "for tackling the
difficult help-wanted market and executing an outstanding
online classified employment advertising program that places
help-wanted ads throughout the newspapers' website similar to
run-of-paper advertising." The program has been so successful
that it is being emulated across Lee. Members of the team are
Jamie Belha, Karri Bragg, Belinda Castro, Don Farber, Beth
Foltz, Ellen Harrison, Mark Monroe, Julie Quinn, Michelle
Smith, Matt Sobocinski, Debby Weathers and Lori Wright.
-- The "E-Team" at The Southern Illinoisan in Carbondale, for
developing an e-mail database marketing program, sending
customers special offers and soliciting their opinions for
publication in the newspaper. The nomination described the
idea as "an innovative way to build readership, better serve
customers and build revenue." Members of the team are Amanda
Bradham, Chris Edmonds, David Fiedler, Cheryl Johnson, Scott
Powers and publisher Dennis M. DeRossett. This is the second
year in a row that The Southern Illinoisan has won the Lee
President's Award for Innovation. Last year a team won for
creating a high-visibility, full-service newspaper office at a
regional shopping center.
The winning teams will receive $5,000, a plaque and individual crystal
engravings.
The judges gave an honorable mention to the Casper Star-Tribune in Wyoming for creating a way for local organizations to send in community news through a password-protected website.
Judges for the innovation category were Barbara Cohen, president and founder of Kannon Consulting; Herbert W. Moloney III, chief operating officer of Vertis North America; and Mary Alice Shaver, chair of the department of advertising at Michigan State University.
LEE SPIRITThe Lee Spirit Award recognizes extraordinary individuals who inspire those around them through stellar performance, personal commitment, dedication to others and community involvement.
The 2002 award will be presented posthumously to Helen "Joan" Boyd, who has left an enduring legacy of serving and caring for others at the North County Times in Oceanside/Escondido, Calif. In addition to building legendary above-and-beyond relationships with customers and fellow employees while working in account collections, she became known throughout the region for organizing food drives and for selfless acts to help the homeless or others in need. Her enthusiasm and acts of kindness never slowed down, even when battling diabetes, breast cancer, leukemia and recovering from a stroke. After her death in August, fellow employees decided to name one Saturday a year in her memory and join together annually to perform deeds of community service. The $5,000 award will be presented to her favorite charity, the Brother Benno Foundation, which provides 11,000 meals a month to homeless people.
Photos and more information about the Lee President's Awards are available at www.lee.net.
Lee Enterprises is based in Davenport, Iowa. Lee owns 39 daily newspapers and a joint interest in six others, along with associated online services. Lee also owns more than 175 weekly newspapers, shoppers and classified and specialty publications. Its stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LEE.
CONTACT: Lee Enterprises, Davenport
Dan Hayes, 563/383-2163
Dan.Hayes@Lee.net
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