Community & Business
29 May, 2023
Local news wins big
THE Express editorial team were recognised for excellence in journalism in Brisbane last week at the Queensland Country Press Association’s annual conference and awards, taking home four awards and presenting at the event.
This year, the team came first in Overall Journalistic Excellence, second in Best Free Publication, second in Best Online Publication, as well as cadet journalist Ellie Fink coming second in Young Journalist of the Year.
Managing director Carl Portella and Ms Fink flew down to Brisbane to take part in the annual event which was officially opened by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Friday.
Throughout the day, many journalist, advertisers and associated bodies spoke on a variety of topics, including Ms Fink who spoke about the upcoming generation of journalists and her time with The Express.
Later in the evening during the awards, The Express took home four awards which Mr Portella said was a testimony to the hard work his team had put into delivering the news that matters.
“Receiving these awards really validates what we do as a local independent news brand and how important it is to our readers,” he said.
“We are a small team, but we pride ourselves in delivering quality news, advocating for our region and celebrating its uniqueness.”
Judge for the Overall Journalistic Team Excellence Award, Peter Owen, commended The Express for focusing on the people stories and avoiding the doom and gloom, putting a positive light on the region.
“Excellent coverage of local news, with a consistent focus on telling peoples stories, rather than relying on dull, institutional reporting,” he said.
“Stories are well written, generally of appropriate size for the subject matter, and the tactic of running shorter stories allows for a far more comprehensive coverage of local issues.
“There are excellent sections on agriculture and property, and a healthy mix of community yarns and breaking news.”
In the young journalist category, judges Kristy Hess and Alison McAdam said Ms Fink’s editorial entries showed her creativity and adoptability.
“The breadth of stories in Ellie’s entry was impressive, and suggests she has both a high level of creativity and adaptability,” the panel said.
