Photo Courtesy of The Sacramento OBSERVER
A California Black newspaper won 16 journalism awards and was crowned the nation’s best Black newspaper.
The Sacramento OBSERVER publisher Larry Lee attended the National Newspaper Association (NNPA) annual convention on June 29 and walked away with 16 journalism awards, including the John B. Russwurm Award that gave the newspaper the nation’s best Black newspaper title, which was their seventh time obtaining the award, the outlet
reported.The Black publication received its awards at the 2023 Messenger Awards ceremony, which observes newspapers and judges them based on their journalism excellence, community service and digital impact.
The OBSERVER dominated, receiving four first-place honors — Newspaper Excellence, Video Campaign, Special Edition and Website Excellence). They got second place in Entertainment, Instagram Campaign, Business, Health, Fashion, Beauty & Lifestyle, Layout and Design and Editorial and Opinion.
The OBSERVER got three third-place awards in Environment, Facebook Campaign and Community Service. They won awards in every digital category.
Prior to their recent astonishing victory, the outlet was also named the third-best weekly newspaper in the state of California.
The cherry on top for Lee was when his fellow publishers appointed him Publisher of the Year. The honor was a tear-jerking moment for Lee.
“Being honored by your peers is very special because I know what you all go through,” he said during his acceptance speech.
Lee also took the time to thank his staff for their hard work that led to the publication’s recent recognition.
“I’m so thankful for our team,” Lee said. “Winning awards such as these isn’t possible without a great team, and I will put our team up against any other newsroom in the nation.”