The Elberton Star brought home six awards in the Georgia Press Association’s (GPA) 2023 Better Newspaper Contest (BNC), including the prestigious Freedom of Information Award, during the 136th GPA Convention June 9 on Jekyll Island.
The Freedom of Information Award is given to one newspaper across the state “for doing the most during 2022 to uphold the principles of the First Amendment and to protect the public’s right to know,” according to the GPA press release announcing the win.
The award honored editor/publisher Rose Scoggins’ coverage and work to obtain records pertaining to Elbert Memorial Hospital’s contribution to a political action committee and other politically-related contributions and expenditures.
The award was judged by a member of the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
“This was an exceptional year for the category – all the entrants could have won! Strong work all over the state. Love to see the use of records. Again, and again, I returned to the brave, tenacious work of The Elberton Star,” the judge’s comment said. “When it got a tip that its public hospital had made a political contribution, it began reporting that ended in the termination of the hospital CEO. A stunning series of records requests revealed that the CEO had used hospital funds to make a $25,000 donation to a Donald Trump-aligned PAC. Every request was a battle. The Star overcame a great deal of opposition and did its citizens a real service, providing much-needed accountability. Its use of the public records law throughout the investigation is a lesson in how to use the law effectively. Well done!”
Reporter Mark Wells won first place in the state for The Star’s division for sports feature photo category. The photo depicts a celebratory moment from Niya Moon and the Lady Devils’ basketball team following a win in the Inferno.
“Excellent photo of individual and team celebration,” a judge from the South Carolina Press Association, who judged the rest of the contest entries, said.
Along with the two top awards, Scoggins brought home second place for weekly newspapers in the investigative reporting category.
Wells brought home a third place win in the feature writing category for stories on _____, _____ and ____.
The Star staff was also honored with a third place win for editorial writing and third place in the sports section/pages category for their coverage of the Lady Devils’ Final Four and State Championship wins.
Before the awards banquet, the 2023 GPA Advertising Awards were announced Thursday, June 8, with The Star winning three top awards.
The Star won first place in the newspaper promotion category for an advertisement designed by composition and office manager Barbara Slay for the Christmas in July subscription sale.
Slay also designed The Star’s second-place winning ad in the signature page category for the monthly Newspapers in Education page.
For the second year in a row, The Star was also honored in the advertising campaign category, this year bringing home a second place win for the 2022 “Earl’s World” campaign.