The Issaquah Press is best in Northwest
May 24, 2011
By Staff
The Issaquah Press is the best nondaily newspaper in the Pacific Northwest — again.
The regional Society of Professional Journalists chapter announced the paper’s general excellence award at a Safeco Field ceremony May 21. The newspaper competed against similar publications in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.
The 111-year-old publication earned the top award for general excellence last year, too.
“To win this award two years in a row is a real high for The Press,” Publisher Debbie Berto said. “Is it possible for a publisher to be more proud? Our newspaper team, from reporters to advertising reps, is all very dedicated, and they deserve to be recognized as the very best that they are. The community should be proud to have their hometown newspaper be No. 1.”
The annual contest honored more than 200 journalists for accomplishments in print, online, radio and television media. Judges from outside of the region evaluated more than 2,500 entries.
Staffers at The Press, and sister publications Sammamish Review and SnoValley Star, also claimed individual awards in numerous other categories, including a sweep in the Environment and Science Reporting category.
Reporter Laura Geggel clinched the top spot in the category for a report about windy weather in the Snoqualmie Valley.
Review Editor Ari Cetron earned second place for a glimpse at how a local man’s invention assisted cleanup crews during the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Reporter Warren Kagarise came in third for a look at how Issaquah restaurants prepared to address a landmark polystyrene ban.
Geggel also earned second place in the Education Reporting category for a piece about auto crash safety at Mount Si High School.
Reporter David Hayes nabbed second place in the Health Reporting category for coverage of a pioneering heart procedure at Swedish Medical Center.
Kagarise earned second place in the Government and Politics Reporting category for a piece about legislative election battlegrounds.
Kagarise also earned third place for Spot News Reporting for Lake Sammamish State Park shootings coverage.
Star Editor Dan Catchpole took third place in the Government and Politics Reporting category for a piece about King County Sheriff’s Office deputy salaries, a subject of intense focus amid cuts last year.
Cetron earned third place in the Editorial and Commentary category for urging a poor-attendance-plagued state senator to show up more often for votes.
What to know
The Issaquah Press earned several honors in the Society of Professional Journalists’ Northwest Excellence in Journalism contest last week. Read the award-winning pieces:
First place
- The Issaquah Press, General Excellence — Nondaily Newspapers
- Laura Geggel, Environment and Science Reporting — ‘Windy and wet: Snoqualmie Valley’s weird weather’
Second place
- Ari Cetron, Environment and Science Reporting — ‘Local invention deployed to Gulf oil-cleanup effort’
- Laura Geggel, Education Reporting — ‘Mock crash and funeral encourage safety’
- David Hayes, Health Reporting — ‘Swedish teams combine efforts in new atrial fibrillation procedure’
- Warren Kagarise, Government and Politics Reporting — ‘Battleground for Legislature runs through Issaquah’
Third place
- Dan Catchpole, Government and Politics Reporting — ‘King County deputies pay rates outpace Eastside departments’
- Ari Cetron, Editorial and Commentary — ‘Sen. Pflug needs to show up’
- Warren Kagarise, Environment and Science Reporting — ‘City makes history in effort to turn restaurants “green”’
- Warren Kagarise, Spot News Reporting — ‘“All hell broke loose”’
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[...] big journalism award like Best Nondaily Newspaper in the Northwest gets our adrenaline pumping — and gives us pause to say thank [...]