The Lockport Union-Sun & Journal was among eight news organizations recognized by the New York Coalition of Open Government on Thursday during its Open Government Champion Awards ceremony.
The US&J was honored for its reporting on a gag-order banning all Lockport city employees from speaking to the press as per a directive by the mayor, as well as the mishandling of a special meeting in the Town of Lockport which gave the press 15 minutes advance notice to report to town hall.
Thursday’s recipients had all worked to protect freedom of speech and freedom of the press, organizers said.
“July 4th is coming up and reminds us of the freedoms we have in this country. We have freedom of speech. We take this for granted, but you don’t have this everywhere in the world,” said Axel Ebermann of the Coalition of Open Government before presenting the awards.
The other awardees were:
• The Alderman Enterprises of Albany for writing articles on government transparency.
• The Post Journal of Chautauqua County for writing about Governor Kathy Hochul and her slowness in prioritizing transparency.
• The Riverhead Local of Riverhead in Suffolk County for writing articles on Sunshine Week and transparency.
• The Palladium Times of Oswego for criticizing Hochul’s record on transparency.
• The Mountain Eagle News of Otsego, Delaware, Green and Ulster for holding the Fulton Town Supervisor accountable for eliminating public comments.
• The Adirondack Daily Enterprise of Sarnanac Lake, Franklin and Essex Counties for writing about Hochul failing to address transparency and for writing about NYCOG’s efforts during Sunshine Week when the organization spread information regarding the state of freedom of information in the state.
• Westmore News of the Villages of Port Chester and Rye Brook in Westchester County for covering the restriction of appointed committee members to speak of their service.
Two students were also honored:
• Adelaide Barlow, a high school student, for her op-ed on the censorship of student journalists on The Hechinger Report.
• Holden Velasco of The Night News at Queen’s College for bringing the paper back to print, assembling and training reporters and multimedia journalists, and publishing several major stories including an editorial on problems with student life that prompted the school to restructure the program.