Fond du Lac Reporter staff recognized for COVID-19 coverage, three other Wisconsin Newspaper Association awards
Fond du Lac Reporter staff received a top award for ongoing coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022 and three other awards at this year's Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation's Better Newspaper Contest.
The annual contest recognizes the importance of local journalism across the state and this year recognized Fond du Lac journalists for their unique approach to following the COVID-19 pandemic, sports photography, business coverage and a photo essay on how the community rallied behind a young boy with a brain injury.
"Our small but mighty team may not have all the resources of a larger news outlet, but receiving these awards is proof of the hard work they put in every day," said The Reporter editor Katy Macek. "I'm proud and grateful for the recognition of these journalists."
Here's what to know about The Reporter's awards:
In-depth COVID-19 coverage and mid-leap sports photo net first place
Reporter Daphne Lemke, retired reporter Sharon Roznik and former USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin editor Mark Treinen received first place for a selection of stories in the Coronavirus Coverage category.
Lemke, Roznik and Treinen went behind the numbers to humanize the ongoing coverage with work that included: how a police officer died after contracting COVID-19 while in the line of duty; a resurgence in cases in fall and winter 2021-22 that prompted North Fond du Lac schools to implement a mask mandate and, shortly after, many others followed; a look at record totals as the county surpassed 14,000 cases; and how the pandemic affected all facets of life including Fond du Lac and Calumet counties garbage pickup.
Photojournalist Bill Glasheen received first place in Sports Action Photo for capturing Fond du Lac High School senior Sydney Arndt's 100m hurdle final during the Fox Valley Association's conference track meet. Arndt went on to the 2022 WIAA state track and field championships.
Local business coverage, images of boy re-learning to walk receive third-place honors
Glasheen also received third place in the Photo Essay category for a selection of images that accompanied the story of North Fond du Lac 11-year-old Mason Jerman learning to walk again with a robotic device after he suffered a brain injury in 2018.
Lemke shared the original story in April of how local businesses raised more than $39,000 to help Mason receive the robotic system he would need to walk again, and she also followed up with him and his family last summer after he took his first assisted steps.
Lemke's reporting itself received third place for Business Coverage for her timely feature last October on Fond du Lac restaurants opening "ghost kitchens," an overview of what Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership and Envision Greater Fond du Lac expected to see in 2022 and a feature on 23-year-old twins reopening an antique shop.
USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin journalists earn three awards
The Reporter is part of USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, comprising 10 newspapers including the Appleton Post-Crescent, Green Bay Press-Gazette and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
In addition to The Reporter's four awards, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin won three awards, including one first place, for coverage that included the Lake Winnebago region.
First Place, Ongoing/Extended Coverage: Staff, for the Home is Here series, a look at the changing demographics of northeast Wisconsin.
Third Place, Localized National Story: Madeline Heim, for her story about doctors' views of the impact of Roe v. Wade being overturned.
Honorable Mention, Community Engagement Award: Staff, for coverage of the Stock the Shelves fundraising effort to fight hunger in Wisconsin.
What are the WNA awards, and how are they judged?
The awards were given during a ceremony Friday that capped WNA's annual convention at the Madison Concourse Hotel in Madison. The WNA Foundation is a nonprofit organization created in 1980 that works to improve Wisconsin’s newspaper enterprises.
Each year, newspapers from across the state can submit entries in editorial and advertising, and are divided into most categories based on readership size and daily versus weekly publications.
The contest for 2022 received 2,230 entries from 106 newspapers. The Reporter is in Division B, daily circulation less than 9,999.
The Arkansas Press Association judged this year's eligible entries, which were published between September 2021 and August 2022.
For more great Wisconsin journalism, peruse the WNA 2023 Better Newspaper Contest tab for a complete list of winners with judges' comments.
This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Fond du Lac Reporter staff bring home four Wisconsin newspaper awards
