From coverage of a crash that killed five teens to a video of a manatee rescue, The News-Press and Naples Daily News recently collected 17 awards from the Florida Society of News Editors at a ceremony in Orlando.
Overall, the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida ― of which the Naples Daily News and The News-Press are members ― left the annual FSNE conference with almost 70 awards (30 first places, 20 seconds and 19 thirds).
And the FSNE award winners ...
The staff at both newspapers won second place in Breaking News Reporting for coverage of a car crash last summer that killed five teens. All were between 18 and 19 years of age and had just graduated high school. Four of the five worked together at the nearby Fort Myers restaurant.
Other winners, by category:
Investigative Reporting ― First place went to Dan Glaun for his coverage of a man who killed his ex-wife. A three-month investigation into the death of Katie Baunach found a series of failures to protect her by every layer of state and local law enforcement. And Kate Cimini won second place for her stories of how Florida schools underuse a federal law on reporting sex abuse.
Beat Reporting ― Amy Bennett Williams won first place for her environmental reporting.
Enterprise Stories ― Bennett Williams won first for stories about a zone of carcinogenic air pollution in a Fort Myers neighborhood where some 3,000 children attend three schools and several day-cares. Glaun finished second for his story on the man who killed his ex-wife.
Gold Medal ― Glaun and Bennett Williams both won, for his stories on Katie Baunach and her coverage of carcinogenic emissions endangering Fort Myers. The Gold Medal is FSNE's top prize for excellence in public service.
Business Reporting ― Laura Layden finished in second place for her collection of business stories.
Sports Reporting ― Alex Martin took home first place while colleague Dan DeLuca won second for their story collections, including high school sports that remain so popular with readers.
Spot News Photography ― Amanda Inscore and fellow photojournalist Andrew West won second and third respectively, with West winning for his photos of Hurricane Idalia .
Sports Photography ― Jonah Hinebaugh won second place for his sports collection , from high school sports including football and volleyball to his coverage of swamp buggy races.
Breaking News Video ― Inscore won first place for her video of a manatee rescue in September. The video showed how staff and volunteers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Mote Marine Laboratory, Clearwater Marine Aquarium and other agencies rescued the manatees trapped in Whiskey Creek in Lee County.
Features Video ― Hinebaugh won first for his video about one man's passion for film photography and how it inspired him to open his business, On a Roll Film Lab. West won third for his time lapse of a massive shrimp boat.
A year ago: The News-Press, Naples Daily News journalists win national, regional, state awards
Dave Osborn is the regional features editor of the Naples Daily News and News-Press. Follow him on Instagram and Threads @lacrossewriter and on X (formerly Twitter) @NDN_dosborn .
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: The News-Press, Naples Daily News journalists win state awards for excellence
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