ST. PAUL — Free Press journalists earned honors this week at the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists’ annual Page One Awards.
The statewide organization’s banquet, held Tuesday in St. Paul, recognized the best of Minnesota journalism produced in 2023. The contest drew more than 500 entries from 50-plus organizations.
The Mankato-based newsroom won first place in four categories and had 14 total top-three finishes. The Free Press earned the most awards of any Greater Minnesota organization.
First-place finishes included:
• Mark Fischenich in politics/government reporting, including coverage of property tax hikes
• Brian Arola and Pat Christman in breaking news reporting, including coverage of a police standoff
• Joe Spear in editorial writing, including editorials on long-term care needs
• Chad Courrier in sports feature reporting, including coverage of an athlete’s recovery from a brain injury
Second-place finishes included:
• Casey Ek in news photography
• Casey Ek in sports photography
• Mark Fischenich in sports feature reporting, including coverage of the American Legion Softball program
• Robb Murray in arts & entertainment reporting, including coverage of a local choir student
• Brian Arola in profile reporting, including coverage of a retiring doctor
• Brian Arola in enterprise/in-depth reporting, including coverage of a voting rights organization’s efforts to dispute misinformation
• Brian Arola in politics/government reporting, including coverage of a local nonprofit’s fight for more state funding
Third-place finishes included:
• Tim Krohn in business news reporting, including coverage of rural counties gaining back population
• Nell Musolf in columns, including a column on lifestyle changes
• Kevin Dudley in sports feature reporting, including coverage of a college hockey team’s response to a tragedy
For the full list of winners, go to www.mnspj.org.