News/North judged best overall paper
Weekly wins six awards from Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association
Northern News Services
Monday, April 10, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Judges in the 2017 Better Newspapers Competition named News/North the Best Overall paper in its circulation class, and also gave best overall individual awards to its editor and a veteran reporter.
NWT News/North's editorial page was deemed Best Overall at the 2017 Better Newspapers Competition. It was one of six awards – including best in class – the paper received at the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association's recent annual general meeting in Saskatoon. - photo courtesy of Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association |
The competition is run by the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association, which has 80 member publications.
The judges state News/North has, "plenty of interesting stories, excellent photography and little if any fluff material," comparing it to second-place Clark's Crossing Gazette and third-place Southeast Lifestyles in the circulation over 6,500 category.
Those runners up are based in Estevan and Warman, Sask., respectively.
"News/North has a nice blend of editorial and advertising content and strong editorial/opinions pages," the judges stated in the results brochure distributed at its April 1 AGM in Saskatoon.
"(News/North) is attractively laid out and has great reproduction."
Editor James O'Connor was named Columnist of the Year and placed third overall in the Editorial Writing Excellence category. O'Connor joined News/North last June.
"All of the answers to 'What makes a good community newspaper columnist?' lie especially in the writings of O'Connor," the judges stated.
Veteran News/North reporter Kassina Ryder placed first for Best Feature Story over all other newspapers for "A family's fight for help," (March 14, 2016). It told the story of a Fort Smith woman who was struggling to get help for her suicidal teenage daughter.
"This story stands out for its gripping content about a local teen and her mental health struggles," the judges stated.
"This family's tragic tale is told with the mindset of helping others in the community and shone light on a difficult subject."
Ryder landed in third-place for Best Tourism Story for her piece on the Crystal Serenity, the largest cruise ship to traverse the Northwest Passage, ("Luxurious ride in a treacherous place," Aug. 1, 2016).
"She packs a ton of information into a succinct report that features a clear and concise writing style," the judges stated.
News/North was also deemed to have the Best Overall Editorial Page in its circulation size, which considers both content and presentation. It edged out the Prairie Post from Swift Current, Sask.
Until O'Connor's arrival last June, Randi Beers was editor of News/North, and was responsible for the editorial page. She is now editor of News/North's sister publication, Yellowknifer.
