News & Observer, Herald-Sun win 48 awards at NC Press Association gathering
The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun took home 48 awards Thursday at the North Carolina Press Association awards ceremony.
The awards were given at an event in Raleigh that honors the best work from newspapers and news outlets of all sizes from across the state.
The News & Observer won 34 awards from the NCPA, including eight first-place awards and second place for General Excellence among the largest newspapers in the state.
The Herald-Sun in Durham won 11 awards, including two first-place awards and third place General Excellence for its website.
Colin Campbell, editor of The Insider, won two first-place awards.
Many of the awards came from work done during Hurricane Florence in the fall, including online breaking news coverage and a now-iconic photo by Andrew Carter of a man with a wet, shivering kitten on his shoulder.
In addition to winning an NCPA award for the photo, Carter was recognized by the North Carolina Associated Press News Excellence Awards. The photo received the AP’s Photo of the Year.
Carter also received first place in the Thomas Wolfe Award for writing for his story, “Their Community Lost Nearly Everything. Can a Football Team Give Them Hope?”
Virginia Bridges won the Media and the Law Best Series award from the N.C. Bar Association for her series of stories about 5 murder suspects who were released from jail on unsecured bonds.
Here is a list of the awards.
The News & Observer
First Place
▪ Staff, Online Breaking News Coverage, “Protesters topple Silent Sam Confederate statue at UNC-Chapel Hill”
▪ Staff, Appearance and Design
▪ T. Keung Hui, Greg Childress and Jim Morrill, Deadline News Reporting, “NC teachers rally in Raleigh for more pay, education funding”
▪ Andrew Carter, Spot Photography, “Kitten clings as man awaits rescue”
▪ Casey Toth, Best Video, “The last Mother’s Day for Avery Neill”
▪ Jane Stancill, Lynn Bonner and David Raynor, Education Reporting, North Carolina’s Charter School Boom
▪ Jane Stancill and Staff, Duke University-Green-Rossiter Award for Distinguished Newspaper Work in Higher Education, Higher Education Coverage
▪ Richard Stradling, Mark Binker Public Notice Award, “Planners have bright idea for 2 congested interchanges: Build diverging diamonds”
Second Place
▪ Staff, Online Breaking News Coverage, Hurricane Florence coverage
▪ John Murawski, Public Service Award, Birthing Center Deaths
▪ John Drescher and Ned Barnett, Editorial Page
▪ Richard Stradling, Beat News Reporting, “After high court victory, landowners still waiting”
▪ Martha Quillin, News Feature Writing, “A Confederate statue. A mostly black college. And simmering small-town resentment.”
▪ Richard Stradling, Business Writing, “Farmers sign on to grow newest cash crop in North Carolina”
▪ Will Doran and Lynn Bonner, Election/Political Reporting, “Campaign donors’ cash goes to steak dinners, home fees”
▪ Andrew Carter and Bruce Henderson, Investigative Reporting, “NC cut landslide hazard program, despite dangers”
▪ Ethan Hyman, Sports Photography, Floor scramble
▪ Anna Johnson, Best Ledes
Third place
▪ Staff, Best Community Coverage
▪ Staff, News Section Design
▪ Staff, Photo Page or Essay, Hurricane Florence
▪ Staff, Special Section, Holiday Baking 2017
▪ David Menconi, Arts and Entertainment Reporting, “Are you an artist looking to live cheap? Kinston may have a house for you.”
▪ Travis Long, Best Video, “This man and his cat became the faces of Florence and a story of resilience and hope”
▪ Ned Barnett, Editorials
▪ T. Keung Hui, Election/Political Reporting, “GOP lawmakers have reshaped state’s K-12 education system”
▪ John Murawski, General News Reporting, “Thousands of doctors still overprescribing opioids”
▪ Dan Kane, Investigative Reporting, “NC House Speaker Tim Moore’s legal contract with start-up raises questions”
▪ Ethan Hyman, Sports Photography, “Stretch for a Sack”
▪ Julia Wall, Spot Photography, “Sam Silenced For Now”
▪ Martha Quillin, Religion and Faith Reporting, “Faith and firearms: Why Christians don’t talk about gun violence”
▪ John Drescher, Serious Columns, “How UNC changed its story — and lost its voice.”
▪ Steve Wiseman, Sports News Reporting, “Don’t die. Don’t leave us. The frantic effort to save S.C. State’s Ty Solomon”
The Herald-Sun
First place
▪ Luke DeCock, Sports Feature Writing, “With deportation looming, a Raleigh boxer finds himself in the fight of his life”
▪ Julia Wall, Best Video, “I guess I’ve been gentrified,’ says Durham renter”
Second Place
▪ Virginia Bridges, Beat Feature Reporting, “Losing David: Triangle moms grieve the abused little boy who never grew up”
▪ Lynn Bonner, Beat News Reporting, “NC Treasurer seeks to get disability overpayments from the dead
▪ David Menconi, Feature Writing, Nina Simone and Tryon
▪ Mark Schultz, Photography, Feature, Horsing around in the snow
▪ Jonathan M. Alexander and Jonas Pope IV, Sports News Reporting, “UNC suspends 13 football players, including QB Chazz Surratt, for selling sneakers”
Third place
▪ Tammy Grubb, News Feature Writing, “Durham police say every day is an opportunity to do something good for the community”
▪ Casey Toth, Best Video, “This Santa made history and became a big hit at the Durham Holiday Parade”
▪ Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan, Investigative Reporting, “Gentrification in Durham: ‘It’s all about the dollar bill.’ A renter’s story.”
The Insider
First place
Colin Campbell, Religion & Faith Reporting, “Legislative Chaplain”
Colin Campbell, Serious Columns, Political Columns
Third Place
Colin Campbell, Election/Political Reporting, “Political Donor”
This story was originally published March 21, 2019 at 9:03 PM.