Heralds grab six awards in Press Club of Long Island contest

Editor inducted into club's Journalism Hall of Fame

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Herald Community Newspapers took home six honors, including three first-place awards, in the Press Club of Long Island’s 2014 Media Awards contest. In addition, Senior Editor Scott Brinton was inducted into the first class of PCLI’s new Journalism Hall of Fame, honoring 25 of Long Island’s top reporters, broadcasters and editors for their contributions to the journalism profession.

PCLI is a chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Awards were presented during PCLI’s 40th anniversary celebration at the Woodbury Country Club on June 5, attended by hundreds of Long Island journalists.

In the Media Awards contest, the Long Beach Herald received first place for Best Community Weekly Newspaper on Long Island. Anthony Rifilato is the paper’s editor and Alexandra Spychalsky its reporter.

Executive Editor John O’Connell took first place for Editorial Writing for “Sunshine, needed now more than ever,” an editorial about government corruption.

The reporting team of Jeff Bessen, Brinton, Chris Connolly, Alex Costello, Mary Malloy, Rifilato and Spychalsky earned second place for their long-term South Shore Rising series, about efforts to recover in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.

Brinton received first place for Column Writing for “inBloom: Corporatizing America’s Schools” and second place for Travel Writing for “Finding beauty beyond America’s borders.”

And Photo Editor Christina Daly grabbed a third-place honor in the Sports Photo category for “Rocks rally.”

“The staff of the Herald has once again been recognized for the high quality work they do,” said O’Connell. “I am so proud of the work they have done since the night Sandy struck in informing, questioning and reporting in words and countless images. I am proud of our Bellmore and Merrick Heralds editor, Scott Brinton, for being inducted into the Hall of Fame of great Long Island journalists. And I applaud editor Anthony Rifilato and reporter Alexandra Spychalsky for making the Long Beach Herald the number one Best Community Weekly on Long Island. What an accomplishment!

“And,” O’Connell continued, “I thank the advertising sales, the production staff and everyone else here at the Heralds whose work enables the editors and reporters to bring our readers the news of their communities.”