The Reporter honored by New York Press Association

Your hometown paper brought home some prestigious awards for editorial excellence from the New York Press Association’s (NYPA) spring convention, held April 7 to 9 in Saratoga Springs.

The association’s “Better Newspaper Contest” fielded 2,440 entries from 151 newspapers across the state, and were judged by the Pennsylvania Newspaper Publishers Association.

Peter Waldner, the Reporter’s editorial cartoonist, took first place in the Reporter’s circulation division for his stunning cartoon paying tribute to front-line health care professionals, which the NYPA judges, honoring his work, said: “Mr. Waldner captures the overwhelming feeling or gratitude that most readers feel (felt) during the first few months of the pandemic.”

The Reporter was also singled out by NYPA for its strong design, with judges granting a third-place award in the coveted Overall Design Excellence category. “Best editorial pages in the category and one of the most consistently designed sections,” the judges said. “Cool sports photos stand out as well. Very clean, very consistent, a nice-looking paper from front to back. Easy to read, which I bet its readers love.”

And the judges didn’t just mention the Reporter’s editorial pages; they granted the newspaper a third place in that category, singling out Mr. Waldner again and noting that Editor Ambrose Clancy puts together “really strong content … Page design is striking and allows for distinct stories to flow with state, county and national issues.”

Photographer Don Bindler, whose inspired nature photography brings the Island’s beauty to Reporter readers, was named to a second-place prize for a beautiful shot the judges said was “a very nice find. Investing the time to get the precise moment paid off.”

Mr. Clancy also took a third-place prize in the highly competitive and esteemed “Thomas G. Butson Award for In-Depth Reporting.”

The NYPA judges awarded the prize for his report on the ongoing investigation into the death of Rev. Canon Paul Wancura — a case that is still unsolved — who died of injuries inflicted in a home invasion in April 2018. The judges noted the story’s excellent reporting and writing.

Congratulations to all for these major achievements.

And most of all, thanks to the Reporter’s readers and advertisers, who support and inspire us, week in and week out.