BOSTON – Providence Business News received 11 awards from the New England Newspaper and Press Association, including four first place honors, during the association’s annual better newspaper convention held April 29-30.
For the second year in a row, PBN.com was recognized as “best overall website” among specialty publications throughout New England. Last summer, the website was also recognized for the fifth time in nine years by the Association of Area Business Publishers as one of the three best websites for business publications.
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PBN’s other first-place awards in NENPA’s 2021 Better Newspaper Competition included one for transportation reporting in a category that included specialty and weekly publications by staff writer Nancy Lavin for “A Routing Interest: Planned downtown busing overhaul pits riders, other groups against RIDOT.”
Former PBN staff writers Cassius Shuman and Alexa Gagosz also earned top honors. Shuman took first place among specialty publications for government reporting for a package of stories that included “Double Duty: Should R.I.’s citizen legislature become a full-time body?”
Gagosz took first place for health reporting in a category that included specialty and weekly publications for a story headlined “Is This the Cure? Lifespan, CNE move toward merger, leaving many to wonder about side effects.”
PBN also received four second-place awards, including for general excellence and – for the second consecutive year – for best coverage of the coronavirus among specialty publications. Staff writer Nancy Lavin also earned two second-place awards among specialty and weekly publications, including one for coverage of protests or rallies for a package of stories, including “Racial-justice protests put businesses in tough spot,” and “Fighting Fears: Deserved or not, safety worries an obstacle to downtown Providence’s recovery.”
Her other second-place finish was in climate change or weather reporting for “Surge Mentality: Warning sounded about Providence’s widespread flood risks.”
Lavin also earned a third-place award for business/economic reporting for “Hospitality’s Headache: How to attract, keep workers.” And PBN took home third-place awards for best niche publication and best front page.
All of the awards are for work published between Aug. 1, 2020, and July 31, 2021.
Last fall, PBN was named the 2021 “Newspaper of the Year” among specialty publications by NENPA. It was the second consecutive year that PBN earned that honor.
(SUBS 6th paragraph to add story recognized in racial justice category.)
