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Winning Ways

The Jewish News family is honored for its writing, photography and Web site.

DAVID SACHS

Senior Copy Editor

F

Robert Sklar

Angie Baan

Keri Guten
Cohen

Jonathan
Friendly

Harry Kirsbaum

Diana
Lieberman

ellow journalists, locally and
nationally, have handed the
Detroit Jewish News, the
JNOnline.com Web site and Style
magazine 10 ringing endorsements for
excellence.
At the Simon Rockower Awards,
presented by the American Jewish
Press Association (AJPA) June 23 at its
convention in Boston, the Jewish News
received third-place awards for excel-
lence in editorial writing (to Jonathan
Friendly) and excellence in photogra-
phy (to Angie Baan). The honors were
won in competition with other Jewish
newspapers across North America of
similar circulation size.
Staff Photographer Baan's striking
cover photo set the tone for the JN's
"Fighting Addiction" story on Jan.
30, 2004.
"The awards we won at the AJPA
were in two of the most important
categories — editorial writing and
photography," said JNEditor Robert
A. Sklar, noting the paper's goal "to be
a voice for the Detroit Jewish commu-
nity on relevant, urgent issues as to
who we are as American Jews."
He added that visuals are central to
our presentation each week. "Angie
Baan's cover image of a Jew who over-
came addiction and was willing to
share his experience exemplifies the
power of compelling photography in
helping tell the story," he said.

Local Kudus

7/ 7

2005

16

Suzanne
Sherman

Sharon
Luckerman

Elizabeth
Applebaum

Ed Nakfoor

In addition, JNwriters and editors
won eight nods from the Detroit
Metropolitan Chapter of the Society
of Professional Journalists in awards
presented June 21 at the SPJ annual
dinner in Farmington Hills. The paper
competed against local secular newspa-
pers of like circulation.
A highlight of the awards was the
IN sweep of first, second and third
prizes for general reporting.
Story Development Editor Keri
Guten Cohen took top honors for her
story "Big Sky, Big Hearts" (Oct. 15,
2004), about the Camp Mak-A-
Dream ranch in Montana for kids
with cancer. Diana Lieberman won
second place for "Fighting Addiction,"

about how Jewish sub-
stance abusers become
whole again, and Sharon
Luckerman took third
prize for "Rockin' The
D" (July 30, 2004),
about young Jews who
have made Detroit's
center city their home.
In the feature writing
competition, JN
Apple Tree Editor
Elizabeth Applebaum
won first place for
"Saying Goodbye —
Helping Children
Learn To Deal With
Death" (June 18,
2004).
And two of the
JN's columnists also
won awards. Harry
Kirsbaum won sec-
ond place for his
"Last Call" column
(he now calls it -
"First Round") and Editor
Robert A. Sklar was awarded an hon-
orable mention for "Editor's
Notebook."
Ed Nakfoor, a freelance writer for
both Style and JN Platinum magazines,
won a third-place prize for feature
writing for "The Dance Of The
Unattached," probing the singles
scene, in the February 2004 Style. Ed's
"Retail Watch" column can be found
in the July Platinum, inside this issue
of the IN
Also, Suzanne Sherman, the JN's
assistant general manager and webmas-
ter, won second place in the new
media competition for the
JNOnline.com Web site.

Striving For Professionalism

"We're both humbled and proud of
our showing in this year's SPJ contest
because it pits us, once again, against
secular newspapers across
Metropolitan Detroit," said Sklar. "To
do so well against non-Jewish newspa-
pers in the level and breadth of the
competition is reflective of the profes-
sionalism that our staff strives to
achieve each and every day."
"Exemplifying this point is our
sweep of the general reporting catego-
ry," said Sklar. "And Elizabeth

The JN's "Fighting Addiction" cover
story on Jan. 30, 2004, won praise
for both photography and news
reporting.

Applebaum's first-place showing for
feature writing with her story about
helping children learn to deal with
death, certainly, as the judges said, was
very thought provoking and important
reading for Jewish families.
"Column writing is important to
building connections with our readers,
and I'm glad to see that we did so well,"
Sklar added. "And our second-place fin-
ish for our Web site JNOnline.com is a
tribute to our continuing efforts to pro-
duce a relevant, useful, up-to-date,
online news and information publica-
tion that complements the Jewish News
family of products."
Complementing the Jewish News'
success, its sister publication, the
Atlanta Jewish Times, won three
Rockower awards from the AJPA: first
place for excellence in overall graphic
design as well as excellence in special
sections or supplements —and second
place for excellence in arts and criti-
cism news and features.

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