RIO GRANDE – The Cape May County Herald has won 13 awards, including seven for first place, in the New Jersey Press Association’s annual contest for weekly newspapers, for work done in 2023.
The first-place awards went to reporters Shay Roddy, Christopher South, Collin Hall, and Vince Conti.
Roddy won four of the top honors, shared a fifth, and took home a third place. He garnered the Lloyd P. Burns Memorial Award for Public Service for his stories on the severance package of an Upper Township school superintendent. He also won in the special subject category, for stories about a winemaker’s dispute with neighbors; in investigative reporting, for stories about a questionable school investigation into bullying charges; and in feature writing, for a story about a Cape May resident’s lifelong fascination with bridges.
The judge wrote of his investigative reporting on the bullying investigation: “Great job getting at the truth behind the school’s lies. Terrific sourcing, strong reporting and writing make this the clear winner in this category.”
Roddy also shared a first place with South in the elections/politics category for coverage of the Wildwood election, and his third place came in the business and economics category, for a series of stories about changes in the small business scene.
The judge wrote of South and Roddy’s elections/politics winner: “Extensive coverage of local elections makes this paper a must-read for residents looking for information about the candidates.”
Conti took first place in the ongoing coverage category for stories about the offshore wind farm issue, and he shared a second-place honor with South in the elections/politics category for their coverage of candidate forums.
The judge wrote of his and South’s election stories: “Solid, in-depth coverage of candidate forums.”
Hall took the top honor in the environmental writing category, for a story about a new butterfly tracker made in Cape May County.
“A fascinating look at an innovative program,” the judge wrote of his story. “Article does a good job keeping the reader interested while also providing pertinent information on an important topic.”
South, besides his shared first place with Roddy and shared second place with Conti, took three third-place honors, in special subject writing, for a story about Jewish leaders speaking out on the need for education against antisemitism; in the education category, for a story about Cape Tech welding students, and in the “fresh approach to routine reporting” category, for a story about a social media phenomenon, a chair that long hung off the edge of the roof of a dilapidated house before finally falling.
Copy editor Joe Dziublenski won a second-place award for headlines, with the judge commenting they were “crisp and engaging.”
The New Jersey Press Association, founded in 1857, has approximately 125 newspaper, digital and associate members and works in multiple ways to advance the news media and news business.
The awards will be presented at an NJPA dinner and ceremonies on April 25.
