News-sun wins awards from Ohio AP contest

Journalists take in 15 awards for reporting, photos, presentation.

Journalists from the Dayton Daily News and Springfield Newssun won 15 awards from the Ohio Associated Press Media Editors contest.

Here is a look at the final awards:

General Excellence: Third place, Dayton Daily News

Best Sports Feature Writer: First place, Tom Archdeacon

Best Sports Writer: First place, Tom Archdeacon

Best Daily Sports Section: First place, Dayton Daily News

Best News Photo: First and second place, Bill Lackey, Springfield News-sun

Best Graphics Artist: First place, Alexis Larsen

Best Investigative Reporting: First place, Laura Bischoff

Best Full Page Design: First place, Mark Toerner

Best Headline Writer: Second place, Sean Mcclelland

Best Business Writer: Second place, Lynn Hulsey

Best Columnist: Second place, Amelia Robinson

Best Sports Columnist: Third place, Tom Archdeacon

Best Sports Enterprise: Third place, Marcus Hartman

Best Illustration or Informational Graphic: Third place, Alexis Larsen

In total, 52 daily newspapers submitted 1,418 entries to the contest. Entries from journalists at the Dayton Daily News and Springfield News-sun, both owned by Cox Enterprises, were judged by editors from The Detroit News and Mlive.

Editors praised the in-depth reporting from Dayton Daily News and Springfield News-sun journalists.

Commenting on Tom Archdeacon, editors wrote that his sports writing frequently takes the reader beyond the game, with one saying, “Just a pleasure to read, even when you find yourself shedding a tear.”

Another, in a long comment on Lynn Hulsey’s business reporting, said, “Hulsey picked up on another trend, the departure of women from the workforce, and produced a deeply-reported piece that laid out the shift with key statistics and personalized the issue with compelling interviews from women who gave up their jobs. All in all, she does a fine job helping readers understand the financial and human effects of a virtually unprecedented public health crisis.”

Editors also praised technical skills, saying Sean Mcclelland, in his headline writing, “shows good command of language, with some clever constructions”, and saying Alexis Larsen made “Very easy-to-understand and visually pleasing graphics.”

“Bill is an excellent photographer, and we are proud to see his work stand out among his peers at the Dayton Daily News and across the state,” Springfield News-sun Editor Sharon Wilmore said.