Sun-Star collects top journalism honors
The Merced Sun-Star captured top honors over the weekend and was named the best newspaper in the state in its size category by the California Newspaper Publishers Association.
The paper received the first-place award for General Excellence for daily newspapers with a circulation of 15,000 and under.
Valerie Bender, the Sun-Star’s publisher and president, said she was “extremely proud” of the achievement.
“As the No. 1 news provider in the area, it’s critical that we continue to do our very best to provide timely, significant and accurate news coverage as well as the enterprise and investigative reporting for which we also garnered numerous awards,” Bender said. “Our small, dedicated team continuously exceeds expectations and I’m grateful for the expertise and determination they each bring to the Sun-Star.”
Awards for the 2014 Better Newspapers Contest were announced Saturday in San Diego at the annual CNPA summit.
“The general excellence award is very special because it recognizes outstanding work by everyone at the Sun-Star. The individual awards are great, but to be recognized by your peers for the excellent work of the entire Sun-Star staff – photographers, news reporters, sports writers and local columnists – is something every member of the organization should be proud of,” said David W. Hill, the Sun-Star’s managing editor.
In addition to the prestigious General Excellence prize, the Sun-Star also swept the investigative journalism category, claiming both first- and second-place awards.
The Sun-Star story “Politics in Tax Collection?” received the first-place prize. The story explored the Merced County Board of Supervisors’ involvement in the tax collection process for area businesses.
The story, “DUI Check Causes Stir,” collected the second-place award for investigative journalism. The article exposed a decision to shut down a drunken-driving checkpoint outside a Merced restaurant-bar after the politically connected bar owner complained.
The paper also received second place award for enterprise reporting for a series of stories, “Taking a Stand vs. Taking Advantage,” investigated jointly with The Modesto Bee. The stories examined a string of lawsuits filed by an Atwater woman against numerous area businesses under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The Sun-Star’s coverage of local government received a second-place award for the story “Sheriff’s Department probes backgrounds of citizens who spoke at Merced County board meetings.” The article scrutinized an informal report compiled by the Sheriff’s Department examining the history of three private citizens who’d publicly criticized county authorities.
“At the end of the day, it’s about putting out the best news products, in print and online, we can regardless of the obstacles we face,” Hill said. “And that’s something readers should also feel very good about.”
This story was originally published May 11, 2015 at 5:49 PM with the headline "Sun-Star collects top journalism honors."