By Kelsey Durham
TimesLedger Newspapers was honored for its coverage of Queens at the New York Press Association annual convention last weekend, capturing six awards in a contest that recognized exceptional journalism across the state.
The paper took home two first-place awards, with Managing Editor Christina Santucci winning 2013 Photographer of the Year and reporter Rich Bockmann receiving 2013 Writer of the Year honors. This marked the third time Santucci has won the category after placing first in 2007 and 2010. She finished in the third spot in 2012.
The newsroom also picked up awards for sports feature, editorials, arts coverage and general feature in the contest, which drew 2,760 entries from 158 community newspapers — mostly weeklies – published in New York State.
TimesLedger, headquartered in Bayside, covers all of Queens. It is part of Community Newspaper Group, owned by News Corp.
“Our paper’s mission is to put out the most comprehensive news report for Queens readers on the web and in print every week,” said Roz Liston, editor of the chain. “The awards this year are particularly gratifying because everyone in the newsroom worked very hard to achieve this goal.”
Santucci has served as the photo editor at TimesLedger since 2008 and also began serving as the managing editor in 2013. Her entries in this year’s contest included photographs from the 2013 US Open, an annual Memorial Day Parade and family members mourning lost loved ones on an anniversary of the American Airlines Flight 587 crash in Belle Harbor.
The judges in this year’s contest commended her for her ability to “capture peak action and emotion while creating artful photos that are beautifully composed.”
“Queens provides a remarkable canvas for a photographer,” Santucci said. “Every day brings a new challenge.”
Bockmann has been on staff at TimesLedger since 2011 and currently covers the southeastern part of Queens, while also focusing on politics and education throughout the city. This is his first Writer of the Year Award, but Bockmann won a second-place Best News Series Award in 2012 from the NYPA for a series he submitted on the controversial stop-and-frisk policy and how it would affect minority neighborhoods in Queens.
This year’s judges comments praised Bockmann for his “clear, vivid writing” that “draws the reader in” and said he was “a byline worth following.”
“It was pretty fitting that I was in the newsroom at 9 p.m. on a Saturday night when I got the news because I put in a lot of late nights in 2013,” Bockmann said of his Writer of the Year Award. “It’s really validating to be recognized like this by my peers.”
Sports reporter Joe Staszewski received a second-place award for best sports feature for a profile of a high school pitcher who was preparing to take the mound for the first time since witnessing the death of his friend the year before.
“This article is a heart-breaking and heart-warming piece showing that tragedy can be overcome and used as a springboard in life,” the judges wrote. “Well-written and a story that stays with the reader for a long time after the first read.”
Editor Roz Liston was awarded second place for best editorials, covering topics such as political corruption, stop-and-frisk and hunger in Queens.
“The author shows a real knowledge and love for her community,” the judges said of Liston’s editorials. “You can’t ask for more of an editorial writer. Queens is in good hands.”
News Editor Kevin Zimmerman, who also covers arts and events around the borough, won third place for best arts coverage. Zimmerman’s submissions included pieces titled “All the World’s His Stage,” which profiled a teenager from Corona who won first place at a national Shakespeare performing arts festival, and “Just Add Water,” a piece about a St. John’s University art exhibit that detailed forgotten places along New York City’s coastline.
The judges praised Zimmerman for his coverage on various types of art that “proved features do not have to be really long when the subjects themselves are truly interesting.”
The final award was won by former Flushing reporter Joe Anuta, who received an honorable mention in the Best Feature category for a piece about a man in Flushing who finally won his 30-year battle with elected officials to have a bathroom installed at Kissena Park.
Reach reporter Kelsey Durham at 718-260-4573 or by e-mail at kdurham@cnglocal.com.
