NEWS editor John Harding took home the top prize in the editorial writing category at the B.C./Yukon Community Newspaper Association (BCYNA) awards gala on Saturday night in Richmond.
Harding won the gold Ma Murray Award for an editorial from the Sept. 24, 2015 edition of The NEWS, ‘Daniel’s Story.’
“A personal look at how a common problem affects one man, not an argument based on political or moral positions,” is what the judges said about the editorial.
“I want to thank the subject of the editorial, Daniel Farmer, for personifying the fact there are homelessness issues in our idyllic seaside communities,” Harding said when he accepted the award Saturday night at The River Rock Hotel. “I figure I’ve written about 2,100 local editorials in my time in Prince George, Kelowna and Parksville. That’s mostly an age thing, but I was bound to have one good one.”
“The awards that the The NEWS has won this year for both personal and team accomplishments are a reflection of the quality of staff and their commitment to our communities,” said NEWS publisher and BCYNA director Peter McCully.
Former NEWS reporter Candace Wu won silver in the Feature Article Award for a story in the May 7, 2015 edition of The NEWS, ‘Maggie’s many challenges.’
More than 40 awards were presented Saturday night recognizing excellence in writing, photography and advertising design. The other gold winners from Vancouver Island-based newspapers were Terry Farrell of the Comox Valley Record (Ma Murray Community Service Award) and Susan Quinn of the Alberni Valley News (Sports Photo Award).
The BCYNA has a membership of 111 newspapers delivering almost two million newspapers a week to more than 2.5 million adult readers.
— NEWS Staff