Herald Courier Major Winner In Greater Tri-Cities Chapter Of SPJ

By The Continuous News Desk

Published: June 18, 2008

KINGSPORT, Tenn. – Twenty-two Bristol Herald Courier journalists were honored Wednesday night by the Greater Tri-Cities Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

In the Fifth Annual Mountain Empire Journalism Contest, the Herald Courier staff won more first-place awards – 15 – than any other newspaper and 53 awards overall, tops among all newspapers.

The Herald Courier also won three of the four best-of-show awards, which honor the best of the best in news writing, features, page design and photography.

Among the BHC winners, chosen by judges with the Philadelphia chapter of SPJ, were:

* News reporter Debra McCown, seven individual awards, including two second places (government reporting and healthcare/science & technology); two thirds (criminal justice and education); and three honorable mentions (deadline/spot news, government reporting and education).

* Sports reporter Brian T. Smith, four individual awards, including two firsts (sports features and sports series); one third place (deadline sports news writing); and honorable mention (sports features).

Smith also won best of show in the feature category for a portrait of East Tennessee State University basketball player Kevin Tiggs. Wrote the judges: “Poignant, well-told story of a basketball player whose path to stardom contained many more roadblocks off the court than on.”

* Sports reporter Allen Gregory, four individual awards, including second place (deadline sports news writing), two thirds (sports column and arts, heritage, entertainment); and one honorable mention (deadline sports news writing).

* Features writer Joe Tennis, four individual awards, including two firsts (feature writing and art review) and two seconds (feature writing and arts, heritage, entertainment).

* Copy editor Mike Fox, four individual awards, including a first (sports front page design), a second (best section layout and design) and two thirds (headline and best section layout and design).

* Opinion page editor Andrea Hopkins, three individual awards, including first and third places and honorable mention, all in editorial writing.

* Photographer Andre Teague, three individual awards, including two third places (sports photography and spot news photo) and honorable mention (sports photography).

* Former news reporter Joe Geraghty, three individual awards, including one first (business) and two seconds (business and spot news photo).

* Copy desk chief Brian Reese, two individual awards, both first places (best page one design & layout, as well as best section layout & design). Reese also won best of show for page layout, with the judges calling his designs “eye-catching and sophisticated.”

* Photographer David Crigger, two individual awards, both first places (general photography and photo illustration).

* Sports page designer Ryan Roorda, two individual awards, including second and third places, both in sports front layout.

* Copy editor Jerry Shell, two individual awards, including honorable mentions for best page one layout & design and best section layout & design.

* Photographer Earl Neikirk, two individual awards, second place and honorable mention, both in general photography.

* News reporter Amy Hunter, two individual awards, including first and second places for criminal justice/safety.

* City Editor Susan Cameron, first place for personal columns.

* Managing Editor J. Todd Foster, third place for personal columns.

* News reporter Mac McLean, first place for healthcare/science & technology.

* News reporter Gary B. Gray, second place for series.

* Former news reporter Becky Campbell, third place for deadline/spot news.

* Features page designer Jennifer Estep, second place for feature front layout.

* News reporters David McGee and McCown, honorable mention for series.

* Foster, McLean, McGee and former news reporter Kathy Still, first place for government reporting (comparison of local government salaries).

* Staff, first place for series (special section on The Crooked Road). In addition, The Crooked Road section won best of show in news. Wrote the judges: “My Lord! In times like these for the newspaper business, a project like this is incredible. ... Just every conceivable angle on a major effort to market the region.”

Other area papers honored were the Johnson City Press, with 13 awards; and the Kingsport Times-News, with 30.