Of Newspapers and Awards and Things

Do you ever have those times where work feels like a monotonous drag of day upon day, week upon week, while you're struggling to surface from a never-ending stream of assignments and deadlines? You lose sight of the end goal, simply trying to make it through another string of days until you can breathe again. All the while, you know you need something, a kick-start, a reset, something to help you focus again.

Thursday brought my much-needed reset. We set off early in the morning for Des Moines, and the Iowa Newspaper Association Convention and Trade Show. It was to be two days of newspaper bliss--awards and prizes, networking and connections, sessions and speakers, food and fun. Some people probably don't feel refreshed after such a busy weekend, but it really was just what I needed.

My name tag at INA. :)

I got to listen to talks by Pulitzer prize-winners, other tech junkies, giants in the field of journalism. I got to lose myself in epic story telling, soak up tidbits of knowledge, and focus on that end goal all journalists should know. And I got to celebrate with the greatest newspaper writers/editors/designers/publishers in the state of Iowa as they stepped forward to claim a prize for a year's worth of excellent work.

It was just the weekend any journalist would covet, and I especially needed. For me it also represented a personal accomplishment as my newspaper, the Clinton Herald, received an award in the category of Best Newspaper Website.

Since August 2011, I have been essentially the sole updater/maintainer/overseer of our site, and it's become something of an obsession. Every day I post stories and photos, manage our social networking sites, and try to come up with new and better ways to do things. I also work on special projects, monitor and collect stats, and occasionally act as tech support to our online readers. And did I mention I obsess?

When the time came to submit entries for the Iowa Newspaper Association awards, I submitted our website with little hope. Because of the category divisions in the INA, we're grouped with the biggest papers, the ones who have multiple people working on their websites, the ones who have control over how their sites look, the ones who always come out on top. We're one of the little guys, a newsroom of seven (not including sports), a web staff of one. And yet, because we have over 10,000 subscribers, we face the giants.

Nine other newspapers in our category submitted their sites and somehow, we beat six. The little old Clinton Herald, which through the years has faced harsh criticism from the community it serves and fought to give our town the best news coverage possible, was listed with the likes of the Des Moines Register and Quad City Times. Yes, my friends, the little Clinton Herald held its own. And though we didn't place first, but third, all I see is victory and accomplishment.

A clip from the INA winning entries book detailing the Best Newspaper Website winners in our class.

For me, this represents so much. It represents accomplishment I couldn't have achieved on my own; without the support of my family and friends, I wouldn't be where I am today. It represents grace, that God has given me the gifts and abilities and opportunities I have, and for that I am thankful. It represents the faith that my bosses at the Clinton Herald put in me when they asked me if I wanted to do this job. It also represents the trust that they have given, and in so doing, allowed me to take this project and run with it. It represents a work ethic that was instilled in me by my father at a very young age. And it represents perseverance and dedication, even in the face of negativity, opposition, and resistance.

One small thing can represent so much, and that for me was this award.

We also received some other awards, from the INA as well as the Associated Press, six in all. I am so proud of my co-workers who strive every day to do their best, to tell the stories of this little river town, and to represent a news organization which is committed to real journalistic truth-telling.

My co-worker, Scott Levine, and the Young Iowa Journalist award he received.

The week is done and all that is left are the memories, some mementos, and a reminder of what we're working for. We're working to offer our community something it can't get anywhere else: professional and accurate news coverage of Clinton, Iowa, and the surrounding areas. We're working to provide services, information and a place for the community to connect and discuss important issues. We're working to stay on top of developments and demands in technology and the sharing of information so that readers can get the news where they are, whether that's at home or on the road. We're working to be better at what we do, all the time.

And in the end, perhaps that work will be recognized.

You can check out our award-winning website, as well as articles by our award-winning staff at ClintonHerald.com.