Christian Chronicle again named top newspaper by Associated Church Press
For the seventh time, The Christian Chronicle has earned recognition…
Christian Chronicle wins 13 national awards from Associated Church Press
International newspaper for Churches of Christ again honored for journalistic excellence.
The Christian Chronicle’s comprehensive coverage of the global COVID-19 pandemic and racial justice protests after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody earned top honors in a national journalism contest.
In all, the Oklahoma City-based international newspaper for Churches of Christ received 13 awards — including first place in five categories — in the annual “Best of the Church Press” contest, sponsored by the Associated Church Press.
Among numerous honors, Erik Tryggestad was lauded for his “Long, lonely lockdown” feature on the pandemic’s impact on Christian care centers and his “Africa’s other plague” news report on an army of locusts invading that continent amid COVID-19.
In Kenya’s Turkana County, Jecinta Iperit Ekunyuk shows two of the billions of locusts that have ravaged East Africa.
“The author interviewed more than 20 East African Christians about how the church has responded to the plague and the pandemic. It included many colorful quotes and anecdotes,” the judge said of Tryggestad’s winning Africa report. “The story explained the impact and damage caused by the locusts, including the diversion of an Ethiopian Airlines flight that made an emergency landing. I can’t think of any way to improve this story.”
A team of journalists — Bobby Ross Jr., Cheryl Mann Bacon, Tryggestad, Chellie Ison and Hamil R. Harris — was recognized for in-depth reporting on the nationwide “Protests and prayers” that followed Floyd’s May 25 death.
“An excellent examination of the church’s response to the tragedy of racial injustice,” the judge said.
Winners for content produced in 2020 were announced in a virtual awards ceremony Thursday night. For the second straight year, the pandemic prompted the cancellation of ACP’s in-person convention.
Since 2007, the Chronicle has won 145 national ACP awards and been recognized in the Best in Class contest for 15 consecutive years. The Chronicle previously won first place in the national or international newspaper category in 2009, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020. The paper received third place in the 2021 Best in Class contest.
Find links to all of the latest winning entries below.
Awards of Excellence (First Place)
Feature article: A long, lonely lockdown, by Erik Tryggestad
Knox Watson and his grandmother, Judy Forrester, press their hands against a window at Tealridge, an independent living facility in Oklahoma City, as they say goodbye. Watson’s sister, Nora, and their dog, Mae, also came to see Forrester, 72. “She hasn’t been able to hug them since March,” said Forrester’s daughter, Amanda Watson, events coordinator for Oklahoma Christian University. “She is lonely but doing good.”
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News story: Africa’s other plague, by Erik Tryggestad
A woman in Kenya uses a pedal-operated hand-washing station designed by minister Nyabuto Marube. The minister buys water containers from families who use the money to purchase food.
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In-depth coverage: Protests and prayers and related stories by Bobby Ross Jr., Cheryl Mann Bacon, Erik Tryggestad, Chellie Ison and Hamil R. Harris
A man rests amid flowers and memorials for George Floyd during protests in Minneapolis.
Floyd, 46, was accused of trying to pass a fake $20 bill. He died in police custody.
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Convention or meeting coverage: African ‘Shark Tank,’ by Erik Tryggestad
Heritage Christian College’s first-ever graduates line up for a class photo on the school’s campus in Accra, Ghana.
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Newspaper design, spread or story: A church like a bus, by Erik Tryggestad
The July 2020 cover of Currents
Award of Merit (Second Place)
Social media, single posting: Is this REALLY who we are? by Chellie Ison
Honorable Mention (Third Place)
Feature article: Forgiving Carla’s killers, by Bobby Ross Jr.
Roy and Jeanie Willmon pose with daughter Carla on Easter Sunday 1995. Also pictured are Carla’s killers: Mitchell W. Skinner and Patric D. Patterson.
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News story: An emotional return, by Bobby Ross Jr.
Hugh Galyean hugs Glenda White, whose husband, Richard White, 67, died in the shooting.
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In-depth coverage: The church and COVID-19, by Erik Tryggestad, Chellie Ison, Cheryl Mann Bacon, Laura Akins, Erin Floyd, Hamil R. Harris and Bobby Ross Jr.
Laura Akins holds her 5-year-old daughter, Scout, during a nasal swab test for COVID-19. Akins, reviews editor for The Christian Chronicle, survived the coronavirus along with her husband and four children.
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Theme issue, section or series: Trump vs. Biden, by Bobby Ross Jr.
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Newspaper front page design: Troublesome times, by Erik Tryggestad
The front page of the May 2020 edition
BOBBY ROSS JR. is Editor-in-Chief of The Christian Chronicle. Reach him at [email protected].
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