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06/01/2018 12:00 AMThe Zip06.com news staff was recognized with 16 awards in the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists’ 2017 Excellence in Journalism Contest. In the award ceremony held May 24, our journalists top honors competing against newspapers and websites statewide in the hyperlocal category.
These honors reflect the dedication of the entire news team, which daily brings readers accurate and engaging stories that make a difference in the communities we live and work.
Senior Staff Writer Pam Johnson led the field with three first place awards: in the Religion category for “A Life-Changing Experience at Camp Totokett,” in the Leisure category for “Rose Vineyard and Winery: Family Farm’s Next-Generation Idea Bears Fruit,” and for her person of the week profiles in the Reporting Series category, about which the judge said, “Solid, concise writing backs up the stories of interesting people having an impact on their community. Always great to amplify the stories of people with stories to tell, rather than waiting on the news to come to you.”
Chief of Photography and Multimedia Kelley Fryer is another triple award winner—she won first place in the Photo Essay category for her work the day of and following the tragic drowning of Ben Callahan in Branford, first for Sports Photo, and second place in the In-Depth Reporting category for her work on “I’m Worth It,” an examination of mental health advocacy on which she partnered with Living Section Editor Pem McNerney.
McNerney was another triple awardee. In addition to her In-Depth Reporting honor, she took first place in the Health category for her coverage of the opioid crisis in “The Straight Dope on Prescription Drug Abuse,” and another second place in Diversity Coverage for “Culinary Traditions, Cultures, and Stories Shared by Sanctuary Kitchen through Food from the Heart.”
First place in Diversity Coverage went to Staff Writer Michelle Anjirbag for “Painting with Finer Brush Strokes: Finding a More Complete Local History,” a powerful look into the story of slavery, race, and revised history.
Amy Barry’s column My Generation was another dominant entry this year—she took both first and second place in the General Column category for “On Photographic Memories and Holding onto the Past” and “All’s Right with the World Even When It Isn’t.” Julie Gribbins’s Shoreline Living column was also again recognized for excellence, this year with a second in the Humorous Column category for “Lingering and Longing.”
In our Sports Department, Editor Chris Piccirillo took second place for Sports News with his story “North Haven Football Supports Amelia DePino in her Battle Against Leukemia” and Staff Writer PJ Foti took another second place for his Sports Feature “In Memory of Floyd Parness.” Assistant Sports Editor Chris Negrini took third place in the Sports News Category for his story “Morgan Boys’ Soccer Reaches Class S Final by Defeating Old Saybrook in PKs.”
Please join me in congratulating your hometown news team.