Times wins general excellence, FOI awards

Published 1:00 pm Tuesday, August 3, 2021

JEKYLL ISLAND — The Valdosta Daily Times has been honored as one of the best newspapers in Georgia, receiving the Georgia Press Association’s General Excellence Award for the fourth year in a row.

The Times and Editor Jim Zachary also received the coveted Freedom of Information Award for the fourth time in five years.

The Freedom of Information Award recognizes the newspaper or individual doing the most during the contest year to uphold the principles of the First Amendment and to protect the public’s right to know.

The judges said, “Through editorials, columns and the Valdosta Daily Times video editorial series Valdosta Daily Times Editor Jim Zachary championed the public’s right to know and explained the challenges of government transparency during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Judging for the award is done by the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Overall, the Times and its journalists received 32 awards at the annual GPA convention and awards banquet held Friday at the Jekyll Island Club.  Publisher Jack Robb said, “This is a tremendous honor, and we are so proud of the amazing effort by all those who made this happen.” 

The newspaper won top honors for its page one, lifestyles coverage and overall magazine design. Zachary also accepted first place awards for community service and serious column writing.

Sports editor Shane Thomas won first place for sports column writing and Amanda Usher received first place for investigative reporting. Terry Richards won the top prize for business writing. Former statehouse reporter Riley Bunch brought home first place honors for education writing, news photo, feature photo and photo essay.

Bunch also was recognized for taking the photograph of the year, a striking image of a protester in downtown Atlanta during marches and protests following the killing of George Floyd. 

Second place awards went to Richards for best use of graphics and illustrations, Executive Editor Dean Poling for lifestyles feature column and Bunch for news photo and spot news photo. The newspaper came in second place for magazine product, along with layout and design.

Third place awards went to Zachary for editorial writing; former reporter Desiree Carver for best business writing; Bunch for news photo, enterprise story and feature photo; Usher and Derek Schaper for best magazine cover design; Poling for headline writing; Richards for feature writing; Thomas and Carver for investigative reporting; and the newspaper received third place for its editorial page.

The Georgia Press Association honored the winners of the 2021 Better Newspaper Contest at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel during the association’s 134th annual convention. The Valdosta Daily Times competed in Division 2 for daily newspapers. This year’s judging was done by members of the South Carolina Press Association.

Editor Jim Zachary said, “We are humbled by these awards and it means so very much to be recognized for championing the public’s right to know and for service to our community in all these categories. Our greatest honor, however, continues to be the privilege of serving and being a part of this great community. We deeply appreciate our many readers and thank you for bringing us into your homes in print and online and making us a small part of your daily lives.”