Our Best To You

The Detroit Jewish News is honored by its peers for journalistic excellence.

exactly that," said Sklar. "Shelli did it with her own
breaking news, to in-
depth insight. The Jewish special blend of insight, passion and truly rich writ-
ing."
News was recognized for
JN freelance writer Debra Isaacs' Jan. 12, 2001
teing, perhaps, the best
cover story, "Growing Clout," telling of the increas-
overall publication of its
ingly effective political savvy of Arab Americans,
type in America."
won
the third-place Boris Smolar Award for
The JN was honored
Excellence in Comprehensive Coverage or.
for its efforts over the
Investigative Reporting. The insightful piece drew
course of several months
to report the aftermath of parallels between Arab American efforts and the ear-
lier rise of Jewish political influence in the United
the Sept. 11 terrorist
States.
attacks on New York
In the competition for best editorial writing, JN
City and Washington,
Editor
Robert Sklar won the second-place prize. His
D.C. The JN won second
March 30, 2001 editorial, "A Shrine To What?"
place among all Jewish
questioned the National Shrine of the Little Flower's
publications for Sept. 11
downplaying of the sordid history of the Royal Oak
coverage (runner-up only
church's founder, radio priest Father Charles
to the New York Jewish
Coughlin, in spreading anti-Semitic hatred during
Week). Working on a 24-
the 1930s and 1940s.
hour deadline, the JN
Jewish News cover stories told of courage and caring in the Jewish community.
"The opinion pages of our paper are particularly
staff wrote a dozen local-
significant,"
Sklar said, "in that we comment on the
ly focused stories on the
issues
of
the
day — to provide voice in addition to
Sept. 11 attacks for the Sept. 14, 2001 issue.
DAVID SACHS
coverage."
"How
the
impact
and
the
aftermath
of
Sept.
11
Senior Copy Editor
Judges for the AJPA also awarded the
affected Detroiters very directly and very
Jewish News with the first-place prize for
emotionally came through consistently in
he year 2001 will be fore - Ter remembered
excellence in overall graphic design — the
our reporting," said JN Editor Robert A.
for the Sept. 11 mass murders in the
second year in a row and, remarkably, the
Sklar. "I was particularly proud of it."
United States and the rise of Palestinian
seventh of the past 12 years that the JN has
A highlight of the coverage was Staff
suicide bombings in Israel. These acts of
been, named North America's best-looking
Writer Harry Kirsbaum's on-the-scene
bloodthirsty terrorism in the American and Jewish
major Jewish newspaper.
reporting on Sept. 11 of shocked
homelands dramatically altered the face of the news
"Visual presentation is not a secondary
Detroiters
participating
in
an
Israel
soli-
— and forced the Detroit Jewish community to
part of what we do, but shares an equal role
darity mission. They were there intending
focus increasingly on its own and Israel's security.
with the news-gathering process," Sklar said.
to give moral support to Israelis besieged
In responding to this new era of "terrorism with-
"The benefit is that the look and feel of our
by terrorist attacks. Kirsbaum's dispatch
out borders," the Detroit Jewish News expanded its
paper
for readers becomes as special as the
showed how the Detroiters were in turn
coverage of international and national news, while
content."
comforted in their grief and disbelief by
still maintaining its eye on the local and family
Detroit Jewish News Publisher Horwitz is
the Israelis they had come to help.
issues important to its readership.
president
of the paper's parent company,
Kirsbaum
expanded
on
his
report
in
his
At the 21st annual awards ceremony of the
Jewish
Renaissance
Media, which also pub-
Sept.
21,
2001
cover
story,
"Mission
Of
American Jewish Press Association June 6 in
lishes the Atlanta Jewish Times.
Emotion."
Evanston, Ill., the accomplishments of the Jewish
Robert Sklar
The Atlanta paper won seven Rockower
All JN cover stories can be accessed on
News were acknowledged by its peers with five
awards,
the most of any paper in its under-
the Cover Story Archive of the JN Online
Simon Rockower Awards for journalistic excellence
15,000
circulation
category, matching its
Web site: www.detroitjewishnews.com
— honoring multiple facets of the JN.
Detroit
counterpart
with first-place awards
four
other
Rockower
awards
The J1V's
At the AJPA event, the Jewish News received
for
graphic
design
and
for personality profiles
were
in
the
category
for
larger
Jewish
awards for:
and
winning
a
second-place
award for edito-
newspapers,
with
circulation
over
15,000.
• team coverage of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks,
rial
writing.
Winning
the
AJPA's
first-place
David
a
feature
story
on
a
bar
mitzvah
boy
with
special
•
The Atlanta Jewish Times also took both
Frank Award for Excellence in Personality
needs,
first-
and second-place prizes for feature writ-
Profiles was Staff Writer Shelli Liebman
Arthur Horwitz
• an analysis of the rising political clout of Arab
ing.
It
won second-place honors for news
Dorfman for her March 23, 2001 cover
Americans,
reporting
and for its Sourcebook publication.
story, "One Dream At A Time." This
• editorial writing and
Horwitz
said: "The fact that our sister pub-
heartfelt
story
told
of
Danny
Friedman,
a
• overall graphic design.
lication
in
Atlanta
won the most awards in its
boy
with
Down
Syndrome
who
overcame
Jewish News Publisher Arthur M. Horwitz said,
circulation
category
is not only a significant
lifelong
learning
disabilities
to
shine
at
his
"Were pleased that the judges for the Rockower
achievement
for
the
staff
there, but an affir-
bar
mitzvah.
five
times
in
this
year's
JN
Awards recognized the
mation
that
our
commitment
to publishing a
'Amid the breaking news we provide, we
competition. What is particularly gratifying is that
quality
newspaper
is
part
of
our
overall corpo-
also strive to touch the soul of Detroit
this recognition touched all aspects of our publica-
❑
rate
culture."
Jewry. I think this story is emblematic of
HarryK. irsbaum
tion — from features, to design, to editorials, to

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6/14

2002

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