The staff of The Rockdale Reporter, both present and past, claimed honors at the South Texas Press Association 2021 Better Newspaper Contest over the past weekend in Uvalde.
Editor David Money and Artist/Production Manager Shannon Whorton earned first places. Whorton won for special sections with the 202o Gridiron publication. The judge wrote, “A graphically driven section that is well designed and informative. The sharp photos of athletes, cheerleaders and even the band give this section the edge.”
Money’s feature on the Thorndale High School band winning state won first in feature writing. The judge wrote, “David Money does a beautiful job of writing a fully dimensional feature story that takes readers to the moment of anticipation when the band rankings are announced at state competition. This story benefits from his efforts to go beyond the one-source stories that predominate this category to get the reaction and perspectives from both the director and the musicians. He masterfully weaves in the challenges the band faced during the year with the director getting COVID-19 and the assistant’s wife having a baby. The story comes to a graceful close, looking ahead to next year’s competition.”
Money also won a second place for page design, a third place for news writing and an honorable mention in headline writing.
Former Editor Mike Brown, who retired in the fall of 2020, was honored with one more award for his long career at The Reporter. He won a third place for a news photo of a Rockdale volunteer firefighter moving a gas container away from a roaring fire in the background.
The judge wrote, “Mike Brown’s dramatic image of a volunteer firefighter on the scene is tightly composed and engaging.”
- Log in or Subscribe to post comments.