News & Observer and Herald-Sun staff members win 60 NC Press Association awards

Jessica Banov

September 20, 2024 at 7:00 AM·6 min read

The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun newspapers won 60 awards from the North Carolina Press Association, including first place in General Excellence for both outlets.

The News & Observer is judged among the state’s largest newspapers. The awards for news, sports and photography, along with additional special awards for Public Service, were presented Thursday in Raleigh.

The N&O won 37 awards while The Herald-Sun received 23 awards.

The News & Observer shared awards with its sister paper, The Charlotte Observer, for investigative reporting and the Media and the Law Awards of Excellence

The newspapers were judged for work published from March 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024.

The N&O’s first-place awards were given for a range of coverage, including breaking news from the General Assembly, photography and sports reporting.

The staff also earned several special recognition awards:

▪ Duke University/Green-Rossiter Award for Distinguished Newspaper Work in Higher Education Reporting: Korie Dean

▪ Henry Lee Weathers Freedom of Information Award: Staff

▪ Media and the Law Awards of Excellence: Tyler Dukes and Ryan Oehrli of The Charlotte Observer

▪ Public Service Award: Virginia Bridges

Here is a look at the awards.

The News & Observer

First Place

▪ Staff, Henry Lee Weathers Freedom of Information Award, Legislative secrecy, a series of stories about changes in the Open Records Law.

▪ Virginia Bridges, Public Service Award, Police payouts

▪ Korie Dean, Duke University/Green-Rossiter Award for Distinguished Newspaper Work in Higher Education Reporting, Higher education reporting

▪ Kyle Ingram and Dan Kane, Breaking News Coverage, NC lawmakers would be able to keep more records secret with new provision in state budget

▪ Kristen Johnson, General News Reporting, After 23 years, wrongfully convicted man is freed in NC with aid from Duke Law students

▪ Anna Roman, News Feature Writing, ‘You’ll remember me.’ In Raleigh, a vigil to honor those who died while homeless

▪ Drew Jackson, Feature Writing, The barbecue bubble: How Lexington became synonymous with a distinctive NC flavor and These 64 barbecue joints helped define North Carolina ‘cue. They may reshape its future.

▪ Drew Jackson, Ledes

▪ Andrew Carter, Sports News Reporting, NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson cast decisive ACC expansion vote but won’t say why

▪ Andrew Carter, Sports Feature Writing, The resurrection of the North Wilkesboro Speedway — and the larger hope it represents

▪ Andrew Carter, Sports Enterprise Reporting, Big League peanuts: North Carolina’s essential role in feeding the American pastime

▪ Andrew Carter, Sports Columns, An ode to Tuesdays in Greensboro, and the ACC tournament’s weirdest, quirkiest day; Even as Tez Walker’s moment arrived at UNC, his fight again proved NCAA’s hypocrisy, futility; After resounding start to ACC Tournament, UNC appears serious about being serious

▪ Kaitlin McKeown, Feature Photography, A day to take to the water

A person jumps into the water at Fantasy Lake Adventure Park on Monday, July 31, 2023, in Wake Forest, N.C. The 65-acre lake offers an inflatable water park, kayaking, paddle boarding and scuba diving.

Second Place

▪ Staff, Use of Social Media, News & Observer TikTok

▪ Teddy Rosenbluth, Beat News Reporting, North Carolina’s abortion ban

▪ Danielle Battaglia, Election/Political Reporting, NC’s Sen. Ted Budd witnessed ‘capacity for evil’ during trip to Middle East

▪ Josh Shaffer, Ledes

▪ Josh Shaffer, Lighter Columns, Karaoke in a bait shop? This NC small town with a big heart tackles life with laid-back fun; Why the Village People’s cowboy, a Raleigh native, will never tire of ‘Y.M.C.A.’; Planes with cocaine, Playboy bunnies and Pablo Escobar: NC town’s wild brush with fame

▪ Richard Stradling, Religion & Faith Reporting, Three former NC Symphony musicians sue orchestra over COVID-19 vaccine mandate

▪ Jadyn Watson-Fisher, Sports News Reporting, NC State football adds honorary coach, helping 12-year-old Florida girl live a dream

▪ Robert Willett and Mike Homan, Photo Page or Essay, Decision Day looms for Jarin Stephenson

▪ Ethan Hyman, Sports Feature Photography, Victory Day

▪ Robert Willett, Spot Photography, UNC campus shooting

▪ Robert Willett, Video, UNC’s Erin Matson chronicles her first season as head coach

Third Place

▪ Staff, Breaking News Coverage, Breaking news coverage of fatal shooting at UNC-Chapel Hill

▪ Staff, Sports Coverage, News & Observer Sports Coverage entry

▪ Staff, Special Section, 2023: The Stories We’ll Remember

▪ Virginia Bridges, Investigative Reporting, Police payouts

N.C. State offensive lineman Rylan Vann lifts up Gabi Angelini after she scored a touchdown on “Victory Day” at the Close-King Indoor Practice Facility in Raleigh, N.C., Friday, August 4, 2023. On Victory Day Wolfpack football partners with GiGi’s Playhouse Raleigh, a Down Syndrome Achievement Center, to give participants a chance to be a player for the evening. “You guys are a part of our team, you’re part of our family,” said coach Dave Doeren at the start. “Tonight is about you.” Participants were connected with a player and ran drills, tried on uniforms and scored touchdowns. “I was smiling the whole time,” said quarterback Brennan Armstrong. “Like my face hurts because I was smiling so much.”

▪ Richard Stradling, Beat News Reporting, She admired NCDOT memorial to workers killed on the job, then noticed something missing

▪ Brian Gordon, Business Writing, Red Hat at 30

▪ Anna Roman, City/County Government Reporting, Series of stories about an extremist religious group booking the Raleigh Convention Center

▪ Kimberly Cataudella Tutuska, Feature Writing, Is NC the epicenter of competitive gingerbread? Local ‘gingerfriends’ make the case

▪ Kimberly Cataudella Tutuska, Religion & Faith Reporting, Holi 2023: How and why it’s celebrated, plus color throw events in the Triangle

▪ Susan Merriam, Multimedia Project, Tracking the shifting boundaries of NC Department of Insurance regional districts

A North Carolina State Trooper surveys the area outside Caudill Laboratories on the first floor of the building where a bullet broke a window on Monday, August 28. 2023 in Chapel Hill, N.C. The building on the University of North Carolina campus is believed to be the site of a shooting that forced the campus into lock down for several hours on Monday afternoon.