Competing against 48 other newspapers owned by CNHI in 22 states, the Effingham Daily News has been recognized for outstanding news reporting and photography.
The company named EDN Sports Editor Alex Wallner Photographer of the Year for his portrayal of area athletes. Cathy Griffith, Nick Taylor and Jeff Long took first place in the Best Breaking News category for their coverage of the anhydrous ammonia leak in Teutopolis that killed five people and caused a mass evacuation.
“Effingham did an amazing job getting info out immediately on this breaking news event,” the judges said. “There was such a quick turnaround for this story to hit their website and alert readers to a deadly chemical leak. Staff really followed this story through to the end. Amazing job and quality work from staffers.”
Judges also had high praise for Wallner’s work.
“Alex Wallner got into the right spot at the perfect time,” said the judges. “Alex saw the news happening and got into perfect position to capture the moment in these photos. This is raw emotion captured perfectly and wonderful overall photography.”
Taylor was among two other finalists for Photographer of the Year. And the EDN was among three finalists for the company’s Newspaper of the Year.
“Best of CNHI is very competitive, and it is quite an honor to be selected as a finalist,” said Jim Zachary, CNHI Director of Newsroom Standards & Practices.
The EDN had previously been named CNHI Newspaper of the Year for work published in 2020.
“I’m so proud of everyone in Effingham,” said EDN Publisher Amy Winter.
Effingham competes in the annual company awards in Division II, which includes 49 newspapers of similar size across the country. CNHI also owns 30 larger newspapers, which compete against each other in Division I.