Recorder takes home top awards, again NORFOLK - Lea Campbell of Warm Springs has garnered the top editorial writing award in the state for the second time.
The D. Lathan Mims Award for editorial leadership in the community was given last Saturday at the Virginia Press Association conference in Norfolk, as judged by Jerry Alley, a retired city editor and editorial writer for The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star in Norfolk.
Campbell, until recently, was The Recorder's publisher for 18 years; he won the honor once before, in the 1999-2000 competition.
The award is given annually in honor of the late D. Lathan Mims, a former editor and general manager of the Daily News-Record and a former president of the press association. The award was first presented in 1988 for the 1986-87 contest year.
In judging Campbell's 2006 body of work, Alley said, "Campbell writes with passion and clarity on issues ranging from counterproductive politics to the environment. He knows his subjects well. There is never any doubt about where he stands or why he stands there.
"Campbell's writing reflects affection for - and understanding of - Bath and Highland counties and the people who live there. His deep appreciation of the rugged natural beauty of his home is tempered with a willingness to endorse positive change.
"Campbell is devoted to the improvement of public education and has little patience with those who allow politics to interfere. He isn't shy about telling them so in his editorials.
"Lea Campbell is an excellent writer and a crystal-clear thinker. His editorials are persuasive without being inflammatory. His work reflects what editorial writing is all about."
The competition is for individual writers of editorials working for a non-daily publication of any size or a daily publication with circulation of 40,000 or less, according to the VPA. The award was created in 1987 to memorialize Mims' conviction that newspapers and their editors should be active, caring parts of the communities they served. He believed a newspaper should support those things which would make a community a better place in which to live and oppose those things which detract from the quality of life.
Entries are judged on skill in writing, clarity of position, fairness in handling of issues, appropriate use of pertinent facts, and vision of the community's needs, both present and future.
Other entries included Ray Finefrock and Rob Humphreys of the Culpeper Star-Exponent; Marlene Miller of the Mount Vernon Voice; Robert Benson of the Danville Register and Bee; and Mary Kimm of The Connection Newspapers.
"All of us at The Recorder are thrilled Lea has been recognized among his peers. We've known for a long time editorial writing is one of the strongest skills he brought to this newspaper for all the years as its publisher. I can't imagine a better way to retire than at the top of one's game," said new publisher Anne Adams, who purchased The Recorder from Campbell two weeks ago.
Adams was also honored for her work. Her 2006 stories on the proposed wind energy electric utility in Highland County not only earned her a first-place in investigative reporting for non-daily newspapers with a circulation of 5,000-7,000, but also earned her the top writing prize among all non-daily publications in Virginia for the second year in a row.
The judges wrote, "Boy, did she ever stay on this story. Nothing is left unreported and there's no easily apparent bias. Solid work, carried out capably and in great depth."
In daily newspapers with a circulation higher than 30,000, the best-in-show award went to John Cramer of the Roanoke Times, for his series on one soldier's battle to recover and rejoin the Marines in Iraq.
"Anne's continued exemplary work as a reporter determined to present the full story on important issues demonstrates once again her absolute commitment to her readership," Campbell said. "Recorder readers can continue to expect unbiased, in-depth coverage on developing stories that matter the most to them as Anne takes on the leadership role at The Recorder."
Former Recorder sports editor Will O'Connor walked away with four of The Recorder's awards for his efforts across the board in sports coverage in 2006:
• Second place in the series of news stories category, for his reports on energy efficiency - The judges said, "Everyone is concerned about rising gas prices and our energy footprint. Will O'Connor offers an informative series about how to approach energy efficiency in our homes and the current trends. Walking us through with an energy inspector and homeowners is a good approach. Well done."
• Sports news writing, first place, for his story on a Bath County High School football team incident - Judges said, "Writing a balanced story about a conflict between a student athlete and a coach can be difficult. Mr. O'Connor presented both sides fairly."
• Sports game/single event coverage, second place, for his report on a stunning Highland High School basketball game, "An Unbelievable Win," and
• Sports column writing, third place, for a set of three of his columns.
The sports column writing entry of Mark Pifer of the Virginian Review, Covington, was also recognized with a third place in daily newspapers. The "Let’s Lose One for the Gipper" column was wonderful, judges said of Pifer's work.
"Will's awards for sports writing were well earned," said Campbell. "In his two years with The Recorder he provided sports followers in Bath and Highland with comprehensive, well-written, often incisive coverage of the triumphs and heartbreaks recorded by the players and coaches in our small schools who work so hard to excel. He has laid solid ground for his successors."
"We are certainly going to miss Will's contributions," Adams added. "We look forward to the continued excellence on our sports pages with our new editor in that department, Geoff Cox. Will has set the stage for Cox to succeed."
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