Newspaper that covered and followed up on deadly tornadoes named best small, local paper of 2012

The Joplin Globe in Missouri has received the 2012 "Newspaper of the Year" award from the Local Media Association, a national trade group of more than 2,000 community newspapers. The Globe won in the category for dailies under 30,000 circulation. The Santa Fe New Mexican won second, and the Lawrence Journal-World of Kansas won third.

The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri's School of Journalism conducted the judging. "The Joplin Globe serves its readers well with a comprehensive news report coupled with in-depth articles and features," the judges said. They cited "Faces of the Storm," biographies and photos of all victims of the May 2011 tornadoes, as "an especially noteworthy effort. Thoughtful design continues throughout the sections, and the advertising is modern and inviting. Headlines are appropriate in size and design and accurately written. This is a newspaper that is paying attention to its readers and its community."

William Ketter, vice president of Community Newspaper Holdings Inc., which owns The Globe, said the newspaper has always made strong local reporting its main focus. "The Joplin Globe is a prime example of a newspaper that is indispensable to its readers in good times and in times of crisis," Ketter said. (Read more)