By Alexander Dworkowitz
TimesLedger reporter Daniel Massey won the “Rookie Reporter of the Year” award at the New York Press Association’s annual conference in Saratoga Springs this weekend.
The award was one of 11 captured by the chain of 13 Queens newspapers.
The Bayside Times, the main newspaper of the chain, took the first place award for sports coverage in its circulation division in the contest.
“I’m very pleased,” said TimesLedger Publisher Steven Blank. “I think we won awards in some very important categories.”
The papers also received two awards in the breaking news categories. The Bayside Times won second place for its spot news coverage of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and the Jamaica Times won third place in the same division for spot news coverage of the Nov. 12 American Airlines crash in Belle Harbor.
“I think the staff did an excellent job in the breaking news categories,” said Managing Editor Roz Liston. “They functioned like a well-oiled team and covered all the aspects of two very difficult stories.”
The contest judges wrote: “For a rookie reporter, Daniel Massey has a natural feel for news writing. His stories are gripping and he shows equal ability with hard news and softer features.”
Massey, 25, a graduate of Brown University who has just earned his master’s degree from the University of Fort Hare in South Africa, spoke of the impact his story on the food pantry run by Elohim Christian Church had on one of the communities he covers, Richmond Hill.
“A lot of people lost their jobs after Sept. 11 and the food pantry was overwhelmed,” he said. “The pantry got a lot of donations after the article appeared.”
The award for sports coverage was described as balancing local and national coverage by the judges. Among the stories submitted in the entry were a column on PSAL football, a profile on Auburndale soccer player Teresa Petruccelli, the eulogy for slain football player Tommy Johnson, and a feature on tennis player Mary Carillo, a Douglaston native and broadcast journalist for the U.S. Open
“I think the diversity of our coverage put us over the top,” said Sports Editor Anthony Bosco. “We had stories ranging from Little League to the professional ranks.”
In other awards, former reporter Chris Fuchs won second place in the news story category for his coverage of the Willets Point waste transfer station, the Spring/Summer 2001 Guide to Queens took third place in the Special Sections category, the Flushing Times received third place for obituaries, and the Ridgewood Ledger won an honorable mention for its coverage of local government.
The TimesLedger also won two advertising awards: first place for Classified Advertising for the Bayside Times and second place for the Best Multi-Advertiser Pages for the Whitestone Times.
One TimesLedger award earned a roar of laughter from the crowd at Saratoga Springs.
The Bayside Times won “Blooper of the Year” for accidentally publishing a headline for its Holiday Gift Guide which said “Nice title for this story goes here.”
“We had the courage to admit to our mistakes,” said Blank, who is the president of the New York Press Association this year.
Reach reporter Alexander Dworkowitz by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 141.
