Anniston Star wins SNPA commentary prize again

Three staff members of The Anniston Star won the Carmage Walls Commentary Prize given by the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association: Bob Davis, editor; Phillip Tutor, commentary editor; and John Fleming, editor at large. They wrote about Alabama's lax regulations on predatory lending and the victims created by it: "An enterprising, well-researched and well-told investigation into a horrific legal shakedown." It was the second such award for Davis, right.

Judges cited "deep research and sharp writing," and praised "the writers' ability to frame an issue specifically for their readership. Predatory lending is a difficult issue in many communities across the nation, but these pieces show how they strike at home. More important, they describe how they can be solved at home. Second, these pieces shine by personalizing the issue. They put faces to what might be nameless statistics and explore individual stories. That makes them all the more readable and memorable."

To read the entry, go here. For information on predatory lending from the Center for Responsible Lending, go here.