Inter Lake earns nine awards in Montana press contest

The Daily Inter Lake

The Daily Inter Lake won nine awards in the Montana Newspaper Association's annual Better Newspaper Contest this weekend, including second place in general excellence among daily newspapers.

Results of the contest were announced Saturday night during the association's 120th annual convention, held in Dillon. The competition was judged by members of the Idaho Press Club in April.

Judge Kristin Rodine of the Idaho Statesman complimented the Inter Lake for its general excellence entry, which included issues that had front-page stories on Libby's asbestos legacy, the collapse of a deck at a Polson bar, and the experiences of hospice patients and family members.

"This newspaper really reflects and communicates with its community," Rodine said. "Highlights include the Libby Legacy package, the editor's column (especially "Enough is Enough") and good photos (loved the swimmer on the Sports front Dec. 5)… Very impressive overall."

In addition to the major award in the general excellence category, the Inter Lake took eight other awards including three first-place awards:

. Photographer Chris Jordan had the best individual performance on the staff. He claimed first place in spot news and first place in photo essay, as well as sharing a third-place award for spot news coverage for his role in covering the emergence of two survivors from a Forest Service plane crash.

Jordan's winning spot news photo was the memorable picture of an elderly man just as he was being hit by a vehicle in a supermarket parking lot. The judges said the photo was "definitely one of a kind" and called it "Incredible! Not only was the timing amazing, the combination of events with the shopper holding up her hand and the victim's position under the truck make this a once-in-a-lifetime image."

. In spot news reporting, the Inter Lake staff won both first-place and third-place awards. The top prize went to reporters Chery Sabol and John Blodgett and photographer Karen Nichols for their coverage of the balcony collapse at the Diamond Horseshoe Lounge in Polson. Third place went to Sabol and Jordan, along with reporter Jim Mann, for their coverage of the amazing survival of two Forest Service employees who walked out of the forest after they were declared dead in a plane crash.

. In another reporting category, Features Editor Lynnette Hintze was honored with third place for in-depth reporting for the "Libby's legacy" package, which the judge called "far-reaching and comprehensive."

. The sports staff took two awards, including an honorable mention for best sports pages in the state. The judge took note of the Inter Lake's "good local coverage and commentary."

It was that commentary which accounted for the second sports award as well, as reporter Andrew Hinkelman took second place for sports-column writing. The judge noted that Hinkelman "has very strong opinions, but also a very clear thought process when backing them up."

. Managing Editor Frank Miele won third place for column writing. The judge noted that all four award winners in this category "deserve strong praise," and she cited Miele's column "Enough Is Enough" (on the absurdity of a teacher's being disciplined for teaching the Declaration of Independence in a history class) as "the single best piece" in the category. She also noted "this column really communicated with readers and fits the Montana Perspectives label … Great stuff!"

Miele attended the convention in Dillon, along with Publisher Tom Kurdy.

"The Inter Lake's success in the contest is not surprising," Miele said. "We love the news business and love being part of this community. Whether we win awards or not, we always strive to make the newspaper an indispensable part of our readers' lives."