Leader Publications won 20 awards, including four first-place awards, for its work in 2021.
The Better Newspaper Awards were presented at the annual Missouri Press Association convention, held Sept. 15-17 at the Lodge of Four Seasons at Lake of the Ozarks.
Weekly and daily papers are judged separately and papers are judged in different circulation-size categories. Judges’ comments are optional; comments are included where they were provided.
First place
The newspaper won first place in Best Investigative Reporting for “Skyrocketing Fees,” Katelyn Mary Skaggs’ coverage of the Jefferson County Health Department’s increase in legal costs over a two-year period.
“This is excellent, records-powered reporting,” the judge said. “Without a Sunshine Law request, this story doesn’t get found. And considering the tremendous increase in legal expenses in such a short time, this was a story that the public had an interest in learning about. The story goes into great detail on the records and engages with the sources at play. The subtitled section noting a budget adjustment at the end effectively spins the story forward. This is great work all around.”
Other first-place awards included:
■ Best Editorial Cartoon: Cody Taylor won for “Brave New World” showing a parent and child on a post-pandemic playground. “This skillfully-drawn cartoon highlights how the ordinary became the extraordinary as the nation took its first tentative steps toward ‘normalcy’ following pandemic-related restrictions,” the judge said.
■ Best Columnist Serious: Laura Marlow. According to the judge, Marlow’s pieces were “an insightful column about depression and suicide awareness and poignant column about being thankful, even in hard times.”
■ Best News or Feature Obituary: A Keegan Smith Life Story by Laura Marlow. The judge called this “a cleverly written but sad story of the premature death of a teen told through the eyes of those who knew him. Almost brings him alive again.”
Second place
The Leader won six second-place awards, including one for General Excellence.
The judge said, “The Jefferson County Leader is doing weekly newspapering right. There’s a nice variety of hard news and features. This paper offers something of interest for virtually every reader. Good job!”
Other second-place awards included:
■ Best Editorial Pages.
■ Best Sports Photograph: Russell Korando won for a snapshot of triple-jumper Jonathan Carey.
■ Best Story About Rural Life or Agriculture: Steve Taylor won kudos for a story about three local, multi-generational families operating Century Farms. “Wonderful story. Well written. Great photos. Total package,” the judge wrote.
■ Best Columnist Serious: Gordon Bess. Judges wrote, “Interesting thoughts about the possible extinction of the penny and good account of the Olympics and their impact.”
■ Best Columnist Humorous: Laura Marlow won for columns about punctuation, playing in the mud and watching cartoons as a child.
“Punctuation column hits home for people in our profession,” the judge said. “Whimsical look at the days of the Saturday morning cartoons.”
Third Place
A series of stories about a police chase that led to the death of a teenager and the legal battle that ensued won Steve Taylor third-place honors in the Best News or Feature Series.
“The coverage of De Soto’s cases coming before the Missouri Supreme Court, particularly the wrongful death lawsuit, is thorough and well-organized for readers to understand them easily,” the judge said.
Other third-place awards included:
■ Best Sports Photograph: “Out at Home” by Russell Korando.
■ Best News or Feature Obituary: Steve Taylor for “A towering figure - Philip Hess.” Judges said his story was “a complete summary of a life well lived. The story goes through the life and career of a judge who died of old age. The reporter did a thorough reporting job telling the story through the eyes of people who knew the deceased in different capacities.”
■ Best Columnist Humorous: Peggy Bess won for what the judge called “a funny column about cats and dogs in the White House.”
Honorable mention
The Leader received an honorable mention in Best Online Newspaper or Website. The judge said, “This website was interesting as there was a nice selection of local news with impact articles at the top. Email newsletter sign-up box was placed well, as was the back issues of e-edition.
Nice personalized touches with the ‘My Leader Yummy’ food section, the Pet Spot section and the local trivia dude (Kevin Carbery) section. Overall, a very nice product.”
Other honorable mentions included:
■ Best Story About Education: Tony Krausz won for a story about a pair of young brothers who collaborate on writing and performing music. The judge said, “Inspiring story. The author caught the humor and sibling rivalry well.”
■ Best Sports Columnist: Russell Korando for “The County Line.”
■ Best Columnist Serious: Peggy Bess for a heartfelt column about the life and death of a sibling.
According to the judge, this was “a well written, but sad column about ‘baby sister.’”
■ Best Editorial Cartoon: Cody Taylor, for an illustration that accompanied a Peggy Bess story about DNA testing surprises. The judge said, “Although the ‘Pandora’s Box’ theme can sometimes be overused, this cartoon is nicely presented and complements the accompanying commentary well.”
■ Best Headline Writing: The judge said, “This was a solid collection of headlines that effectively and succinctly captured the thrust of the stories. ‘Bottom line,’ in reference to a story about diaper demand, was particularly clever.”