Two writers for the same newspaper won editorial-writing awards in the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors' Golden Dozen competition Saturday night, and one of them won the top prize, the Golden Quill award. The contest had 117 entries.
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| Scott Campbell |
Scott Campbell, editor of
The North Scott Press in Eldridge, Iowa, won the Golden Quill for "Voter suppression is alive and well, even in Eldridge,"
his account of the maddening obstacles his disabled, 80-year-old mother-in-law faced when trying to vote in the 2021 election because of some of "the new voting laws that have taken effect across our country since the 2020 presidential election, an election where there was found to be no evidence of fraud." He punctuated his 1,589-word report three times with this line: "Have I mentioned she’s 80, in a wheelchair, and in
constant pain?" Campbell wrote for ISWNE's
Grassroots Editor, "My reason for writing it was simple. In a nutshell, I was pissed."
North Scott Press Assistant Editor Mark Ridolfi joined the Golden Dozen for
an editorial questioning how North Scott School Board members could finance the state school board association's lobbying against state funding for charter schools while contributing to lawmakers who voted for the funding. Both editorials were "a bit edgy," NSP Publisher Bill Tubbs said in accepting the awards. He said the paper "paid a price" for the school editorial, as the superintendent withheld funds from a project in which the paper and the school district had partnered.
Editor Chip Rowe of
The Highlands Current in Cold Spring, N.Y., won for "The meeting before the meeting,"
an editorial criticizing the practice of the eight Republican members of the nine-member Putnam County Legislature for meeting in secret before official meetings, a huge loophole in the state open-meetings law. "Nothing is more infuriating to a journalist than attempts by public officials to hide their discussions from their constituents," wrote John Nelson, former executive editor of Landmark Community Newspapers, who judged the contest.
Editor Peter Weinschenk of
The Record-Review in Abbotsford, Wis., won for "Stand up for local control," which Nelson called "
a powerful editorial making the case for lawmakers to leave school curriculums to educators." It criticized a state legislator from the area for supporting "a handful
of unfunded local school mandates, including one
that bans the teaching of Critical Race Theory." Weinschenk said in accepting the award, "The life of a country editor is often solitary . . . even a little lonely," when taking on a popular bill from a local legislator.
New ISWNE President Gordon Cameron of the
Ancaster News in Ontario won for
an editorial about the burning of a Catholic church he once attended in Morinville, Alberta, apparently in reaction to the revelation of 215 children's graves on the grounds of an Indian school in British Columbia, and the council of the local First Nation expressing sadness, which he said sets a good example for Canada. Pope Francis arrived in Canada to today to apologize for his church's abuses at the schools.
Publisher Paul MacNeill, winner of ISWNE's latest
Eugene Cervi Award for editorial leadership, won for an editorial that was part of his
Eastern Graphic's 40,000-word examination of poor mental-health services on Prince Edward Island. It began: "Common sense is often lost in the siloed, bureaucratic halls of
Health PEI, like its inexplicable decision to use health-care dollars to fund armed, non-uniformed police to attend every mobile mental-health call across the Island. On every level – fiscal, need, policy direction, evidence and, most importantly, benefit to those living with mental illness – it is wrong."
The international flavor of the organization was further reflected by the winning editorial from Patrick Grubb of the All Point Bulletin in Point Roberts, Wash., an exclave reachable by land only through Canada. He wrote "An open letter to Prime Minister Trudeau's mom," actually three letters seeking the opening of the border for his town. Nelson wrote, "Humor – or, across the border,
humour – is an important tool
not often skillfully used. This
time it was."
News Editor Geoffrey Woehlk of
The Maryville Forum in Missouri won for
an editorial about local school officials' effectively secret meeting, "a willful deception of the public," that led to the postponement and censorship of a high-school musical, "Legally Blonde," that included some material the superintendent didn't think was appropriate. "Evidently," Woehlk wrote, "when school board members were told about it, all they could see were short dresses, words like 'slut' and a song that was just a little too gay for comfort. If only there were some way to demonstrate the idea that just because someone dresses, talks or acts in a way you aren’t familiar with, or that makes you uncomfortable, that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth listening to. Maybe a musical."
Also in Missouri, Editor Kyle Troutman of
The Monett Times won for
an editorial suggesting that the Barry County sheriff's office needed a special tax because it is short-staffed and has difficulty finding employees. It was titled "If you call, will they come?" and spurred for a referendum that approved the tax. It concluded, "Can you live without an extra few cents on the dollar when shopping to help take a bite out of area crime? Or, can you live with deputies not always coming immediately when you call?"
Editor-Publisher Reed Anfinson of the
Swift County Monitor-News in Benson, Minn., won for
an editorial shaming locals for profane flags about President Biden: "Civility is tied to feeling a part of a community – not on the internet but with your immediate neighbors and the people of your town. While respect for neighbors once dampened the worst behaviors of people, that control has faded as we turned our lives inward. Whereas houses were once built with front porches, and people socialized with those in the neighborhood, now they isolate themselves inside with their televisions and computers, and too often hardly know their neighbors. . . . At the heart of our problems is also the fact that we live in separate news universes. . . . When we don’t have that shared reality, we become bitterly divided, warring camps, where civility isn’t due to those who don’t think like us." He called on neighbors to approach their neighbors, and for employers to explain to employees "how those
signs and flags potentially damage the reputation of those they work for and with."
Publisher Kendra Breitsprecher of The Dayton Leader in Iowa won for "Coffee Break," a column that began, "Last month, a transgendered teen male went swimming at the public pool in Pella. The world may never recover. Why? Because he wore swim trunks. Since he was assigned female at birth, that meant there were boobies on display. These boobies have caused quite a bit of uproar in Iowa." Nelson wrote, "She may not be sure exactly what to make of the subject of her column, but Kendra Breitsprecher knows exactly how to write a lede."
Editor-Publisher David Peck of The Lovell Chronicle in Wyoming won for his call for continued publication of public-notice advertising in newspapers. Nelson wrote, "Sometimes our industry needs to be self-serving, especially in today’s climate. Newspapers all across the country are hurting financially, and rural newspapers are especially dependent upon public-notice advertising. . . . They should all read David Peck’s masterful explanation of why this issue is important."
Jennifer Greenlee, a recent graduate of
Weber State University in Utah, won first place in the college division for
an editorial in
The Signpost objecting to proposed legislation proposed that would provide firearms instruction in high schools. Nelson wrote, "There are few professional journalists with the skill to use satire effectively. Jennifer Greenlee displays that uncommon ability."
The editorials and columns are published in
Grassroots Editor, which is
available here.
