Heralds take home the gold in New York Press Association contest

Herald Community Newspapers took home 13 honors in the New York Press Association’s 2015 Better Newspaper Contest, which attracted more than 2,800 entries from 177 weekly and daily newspapers across the state. Awards were announced at NYPA’s annual convention in upstate Saratoga Springs on April 8 and 9.  

Overall, the Richner Communications Inc. newspaper group, which includes 14 Heralds, The Freeport Leader, The Riverdale Press and The Oyster Bay Guardian, received 195 points in the competition and placed fourth in the state among newspaper chains. Herald Publisher Stuart Richner described the papers’ winning entries as a “truly impressive all-around showing of excellence.” 

His brother and Co-Publisher Cliff Richner said, “I couldn’t be more proud of our staff and the diversity of the categories in which they were recognized –– from politics to education, as well as advertising and design excellence. I’m grateful for their dedication and hard work.”  

The Heralds received first place for Best News Series for a multi-part investigation that examined the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy three years later. Scott Brinton, Herald senior editor for enterprise reporting, led the effort and wrote three installments of the six-part series, along with the concluding editorial. Also writing for the series were Mary Malloy, editor of the Lynbrook-East Rockaway Herald; Julie Mansmann, editor of the East Meadow Herald; and Barbra Rubin-Perry, editor of the Oceanside-Island Park Herald.

Judges wrote, “The [reporting] team does a great job of showing the impact of Hurricane Sandy a few years later, economically and socially. Each piece is strong and creates a clear picture of the devastation.”