SARATOGA SPRINGS – The Richfield Springs Mercury captured two honors in the New York Press Association (NYPA) 2006 Better Newspaper Contest. The winners were announced this past weekend at the NYPA spring convention and awards ceremony at the Gideon Putnam Hotel in Saratoga Springs. The Mercury took second place in Division I of the Past Presidents’ Award, for “well written and really great community coverage,” NYPA stated on its website. “We loved the school security story! Community profiles and other stories give the paper good hometown coverage.” The Past Presidents’ Award is judged for “overall excellence and includes news coverage, quality of language, headline language, use of pictures and artwork plus reproduction, community involvement, front and editorial pages, etc.,” said Chris Hogan-Kilburn, communications director for NYPA. The school security story that was noted by NYPA was written by staff writer Janine Giordano and ran in the Oct. 19 edition. The article focused on the need for tighter security measures within the four school districts covered by the Mercury. Community Profiles is a weekly feature in which Giordano spotlights community members and their achievements. Also, the Mercury placed third in editorial writing, Division I. “These were written in a way that I find myself in 100 percent agreement with them,” NYPA stated. “The editorial convinced me on every issue. The one with the DWI issue was especially meaningful, touching and correct.” The editorials judged in this category included “Drunk driver deserves long prison sentence (June 8)”; “No bowl of cherries for Cherry Valley (Aug. 10),” regarding a town board public hearing and vote; and the Aug. 24 editorial on changing landscapes in rural upstate New York. The Mercury was one of 227 papers submitting 4,084 entries in 78 different categories in this year’s 2006 Better Newspaper Contest. Members of the Oklahoma and New Jersey Press associations judged the entries, which resulted in 487 awards being handed out at the convention, held last Friday and Saturday. Media members attended award ceremonies and 16 hours of lectures and courses targeting editors, journalists, graphic artists, webmasters and salespersons working in the weekly newspaper arena.
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