Tierney, Executive Editor
There are many ways journalists receive feedback on their work, and one is being judged by your industry peers. It’s not so bad, really. The Chronicle was recognized for its journalism in 12 different categories by the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association.
After winning eight last year, we have a two-year total of 20 awards across multiple aspects of reporting, writing, photographing and displaying the news in our weekly paper.
It’s further proof that the “print is dead” trope simply isn’t true. People continue to consume meaningful and credible content on every platform that’s available, including the newspaper. We live in a world filled with options. TV never killed the radio; in fact, “audio” content is booming on terrestrial and satellite channels, in the form of podcasts, and more.
We won’t find out until September whether we placed first, second or third in the categories; we’re grateful no matter what.
What’s notable about the awards is the breadth of coverage: Judges chose The Chronicle for special sections, enterprise reporting, lifestyle, spot news, government coverage, feature story, design, and graphics.
Whew. Were there any categories we didn’t enter?
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More good news on the business side of things. Our award-winning coverage was widely distributed – and, importantly – seen in the southern Willamette Valley during a special promotion.
We partnered with Profiles in Delivery, which has the franchise for periodical distribution in 18 stores in Eugene, Springfield, Cottage Grove and Junction City. Those 18 locations put newspapers and magazines in front of 700,000-plus foot traffic each week – or 2.8 million during our run. And what a run:
γ June 17: Creswell, Cottage Grove, Al Kennedy, and Pleasant Hill special Graduation section.
γ June 24: Springfield, Thurston, Academy of Arts & Academics special Graduation section.
γ July 1: Special section recalling the origins of the Creswell July 4 parade.
γ July 8: Expanded news coverage of July 4 activities, including a brush fire under fireworks.
We distributed 1,600 copies of the paper during that four-week span, with fewer than a 3% return rate.
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More good news? You bet! We’ve added new contributors to The Chronicle who will help us in our mission to serve readers with hyper-local news. An especially exciting addition is Taste! – a monthly food, wine and spirits section authored by Paul Omundson, a veteran writer with extensive knowledge of the food and beverage industry and key players. We’re also fortunate to have Lydia Plahn, a rising junior at Lowell HS, working as an intern this summer. She’ll be joined in a few weeks by Marsten; we’ve developed a relationship with 4J schools in Eugene and look forward to helping mentor and grow future journalists.
Erin Tierney is executive editor of The Chronicle.
