Chronicle Media earns top awards from Illinois Press Association

Chronicle Media

Chronicle Media Editor-in-Chief Rick Hibbert and reporter Jean Lotus show off first-place plaques at the Illinois Press Association Best of the Press Awards June 9.

Chronicle Media, LLC won five first-place awards and several others at the annual Illinois Press Association “Best of the Press” convention in Springfield June 9. The 13 Chronicle Media newspapers competed against other local newspapers ranked by circulation range.

“We’re doing our part to ‘make newspapers great again,’” said Chronicle Media publisher John Blais.

Blais and Chronicle CEO Brandon Bressner brought special red baseball caps embossed with the slogan to the conference.

The Cook County Chronicle won a cash prize for the 2016 Knight Chair Award for best investigative reporting from the University of Illinois Journalism Department. The prize was given for a series of stories by reporter Jean Lotus about the federal investigation of a politically connected human tissue business in Rosemont.

Lotus also won for her story, “Frustrated Hines veterans give up on Melrose Park housing plan.”

“A fair and easy-to-follow portrait of a complex situation,” judges wrote about the story.

“Suit: Tinley Park zoning change improperly noticed,” written by Lotus, won first place in the Public Notice Journalism category.

The Peoria County Chronicle won first place in business reporting with a story by Mary M. Flory exploring the coexistence of historic districts with residential living.

“An interesting take on a subject that affects communities nationwide,” judges noted. Cook County Chronicle reporter Jean Lotus won third place with a story about electronic pay wristband malfunctions at Chicago’s Lollapalooza festival.

Chronicle Media editor Jack McCarthy won both first and second place in newspaper design.

“Nice clean overall look,” judges wrote. “Pages are bright and crisp. Good use of headlines.” The Peoria County Chronicle won first place and the Winnebago Chronicle won second.

A series of stories on immigration by Chronicle Media intern Kelli Duncan and Jean Lotus took second place in the news reporting series category.

“Solid coverage of an emotional, hot topic,” judges wrote.

The Illinois Press Association awards were judged this year by a team from the Colorado Press Association. More than 100 daily and non-daily newspapers competed in 36 editorial categories. More than 3,000 editorial entries were judged, according to the IPA.

 

 

 

— Chronicle Media earns top awards from Illinois Press Association  —