Hollister
– The Free Lance took home five awards Saturday in several
categories at the California Newspaper Publishers Association
annual awards ceremony.
Hollister – The Free Lance took home five awards Saturday in several categories at the California Newspaper Publishers Association annual awards ceremony.
The Free Lance won first-place awards for its Web site, www.freelancenews.
com, a feature photo by staff photographer Nick Lovejoy and an investigative article by staff writer Brett Rowland. The newspaper was also lauded with second-place awards for its editorial pages and a spot news photograph by Lovejoy.
“I’m proud of the commitment and level of energy our staff demonstrates every day,” said Publisher Steve Staloch. “The annual CNPA awards validate the strong commitment to this community that our staff demonstrates every day. I’m proud of this newspaper. San Benito County has no shortage of news and I believe we have tackled a wide variety of significant and controversial issues responsibly and professionally.”
The Free Lance competed against two dozen daily newspapers with a circulation of less than 10,000 throughout the state in the CNPA’s annual Better Newspapers Contest. Hundreds of reporters, editors and publishers from the largest newspaper to the smallest in California gathered at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City Saturday to acknowledge award recipients.
“The Free Lance staff put out a fine newspaper in 2005 and it is rewarding to see the hard work and effort recognized by our peers in the journalism community,” Free Lance Editor Dan Fitch said. “Hopefully, 2006 will see a continuation of that journalistic excellence.”
The judging process for the CNPA’s Better Newspapers Contest takes six months, beginning with a general roundup of more than 4,000 submissions from hundreds of newspapers across California. After winnowing submissions to four in each category, top winners are selected by a nine-member panel of judges.
The Free Lance is one of several area newspapers owned by Main Street Media Group. The publishing company also operates the Gilroy Dispatch, Morgan Hill Times and the Sunday Pinnacle. The Dispatch, which also competed in the under 10,000 circulation daily newspaper category, won nine awards, including first place for general excellence. Together the Morgan Hill Times and the Pinnacle, both weekly newspapers, brought home seven first- and second-place awards. The Morgan Hill Times received second place in the general excellence category.
“The awards bestowed on Mainstreet Media Group publications prove that community newspapers can thrive if they are relevant and do not shy away from the tough issues,” Staloch said. “It’s a responsibility we do not take lightly and while awards are important, the only judges that ultimately matter are our readers. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank each of you and pledge that we will strive every day to provide a community newspaper that exceeds your expectations.”
The Free Lance began as the Hollister Enterprise in 1873, one year after the City of Hollister incorporated and four months before disenfranchised residents of Hollister and San Juan Bautista broke away from Monterey County to form San Benito County. During its 132 years of publication, the Free Lance has chronicled the entire history of San Benito County.
