Style Honored for Journalistic Integrity
Style Weekly, along with the Daily Press in Newport News, was named as a finalist for the Virginia Press Association’s annual Award for Journalistic Integrity and Community Service, among publications in Virginia with a circulation of 30,000 or more.
The Virginian-Pilot won the award in the contest, which was judged by Walter Jaehring, director of the school of journalism at Southern Illinois University, in Carbondale. Of Style Weekly, he wrote:
“In January, the editors of Style Weekly selected ‘the young black male’ as the ‘Richmonder of the Year’ and followed this selection with an excellent series of articles on this important segment of the city’s population.
“The paper’s reporters considered many dimensions of the issue: the work of the criminal justice system, the lack of summer opportunities for students, problems of prisoners’ families, the alarming drop-out rates in the city’s schools, the efforts of the juvenile courts to provide humane solutions to recurring problems, the lead-based paint issue in Richmond’s poorer neighborhoods, and the achievements of young people, black and white, in the city.
“The series was thoughtful, well-researched, very well-written, and supported with some outstanding photojournalism. The main photo illustrating the story, ‘Fifteen Minutes on Father’s Day’ will remain with me for a long time to come. The newspaper also displayed creative layouts and graphics in presenting this material. This series in Style Weekly was a delight to read, even if the stories were close to a sense of despair in places.”
The award was created in 1949 to recognize editorial leadership, as well as community service above and beyond a publication’s circulation area, according to the VPA. Entries are judged on evidence of a significant effort beyond a paper’s routine scope; the initiative of the paper; the use of editorials in connection with the project or projects; and the
