Criterion staff honored for excellence in journalism
Assistant Editor John Shaughnessy’s story about Father John Mannion and his unique caregiving role and friendship with (now the late) Charlie Ressler won first place in the best personality profile category in the Catholic Press Association’s 2006 awards competition. The archdiocesan newspaper recently won a total of 11 awards from the CPA, Woman’s Press Club of Indiana and the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
Criterion staff report
May was a good month for The Criterion as the newspaper’s staff was honored for excellence in journalism by several organizations.
The recognition started on May 19 when the 2006 Vacation/Travel Supplement received a first-place award in the Woman’s Press Club of Indiana Communications Contest. It now advances to the National Federation of Press Women’s Communications Contest for further judging.
The supplement was “a good round-up of travel ideas,” contest judges wrote.
Mary Ann Wyand, Criterion senior reporter and a member of the Woman’s Press Club of Indiana, supervised the production of the supplement and received the award.
Wyand also received a first-place award in the Press Club’s religion category for two stories: “Nourishing the soul—Potter’s vessels help transform the world through beauty” and “Missionary and patron saint—Mass celebrates 500th anniversary of birth of St. Francis Xavier.”
“Excellent job! Clear writing style gives the reader the opportunity to transition through each aspect of the story without having to read something twice. Very engaging style,” the judges wrote.
Margaret Nelson, a retired senior editor at The Criterion who still does freelance work for the publication, won a second-place award from the Press Club for her story and photos about local delegates who attended the African Catholic national convention.
The staff recognition continued at the Catholic Press Association’s annual convention in New York.
Assistant Editor John Shaughnessy was among the 2007 Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara journalism award winners. He won a first-place honor from the Society for the Propagation of the Faith for his story “A Light in Africa.”
The in-depth piece featured Drs. Ellen and Bob Einterz, a brother and sister medical team who do tremendous outreach among the sick in Africa. The story won in the category “interviews with missionaries.”
The awards are named for the late Archbishop O’Meara, who served as the national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith from 1966 to 1979 and was Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein’s predecessor as shepherd of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis from 1979 to 1992.
The society is responsible for informing Catholics about the Church’s worldwide mission and advising them of ways they can participate in that mission.
“With the awards’ connection to Archbishop O’Meara, we were extremely pleased about the recognition and bringing this award ‘home’ to his archdiocese,” said Criterion editor Mike Krokos.
The staff received more recognition on May 25 at the Catholic Press Association annual awards program.
Shaughnessy was awarded first place in the best personality profile category for his story on Father John Mannion and his unique caregiving role and friendship with (now the late) Charlie Ressler.
“John Shaughnessy tells a compelling story that draws readers in with a powerful introduction and holds their attention with strong writing throughout,” judges wrote. “A priest’s compassion and humanity shine out from the page.”
Art director Ann Sternberg received a second-place award in the best use of syndicated or wire-service art or graphics category for the design of The Criterion’s 2006 Christmas Supplement cover.
Judges said the cover was “beautiful” and noted, “The type style fits the mood of the piece. The headline and the poem are perfectly placed to balance the words and image. This paper has great reproduction and can pull off this sort of stunning presentation. Well done!”
Christina Capecchi, who pens the newspaper’s monthly “Twenty-Something” column, was awarded second place for best regular column dealing with culture, the arts and leisure.
Judges said Capecchi’s columns tackled topics with universal appeal. “But they also tackled these topics in her voice—a young, female voice,” they wrote. “The columns provided a refreshing viewpoint through the Catholic lens. Capecchi questions American standards, then finds answers through Scripture and in her life experiences, boldly sharing them through descriptive, touching writing.”
Shaughnessy also received a third-place award in individual excellence (combined writer/editor category). Writers were asked to submit up to five examples of their work.
Judges said Shaughnessy “has a gift for inspirational storytelling. [His] profiles were never saccharine and always prompted me to think, ‘I wish that had been in my paper.’ ”
The Criterion staff’s special Oct. 20, 2006, issue highlighting St. Theodora Guérin’s canonization in Rome was awarded an honorable mention in the CPA’s best one-shot special section category.
Shaughnessy also received an honorable mention in the best reporting on teenagers category for “Faith Amid Tragedy,” his story about how young people at area Catholic high schools dealt with the untimely deaths of classmates.
The awards were for work completed in the 2006 calendar year.
“It’s always affirming when our staff gets recognition for their commitment, dedication and hard work,” Krokos said. †
