Cooper was honored for his yearlong Healthy Springfield series that included more than 60 articles digging into efforts to improve Springfield's public health. Perry was nominated for "Bethany's Story," several articles about the suicide of an 11-year-old Champaign County girl.
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Matt Sanctis won first place for Investigative Reporting for coverage of the Dole plant salad recall and won third place for Best Business Writer for mid-size papers.
The Springfield News-Sun staff digs into critical issues that affect Clark and Champaign counties every day, Editor Samantha Sommer said.
“These awards, especially for our public service and investigative work, reflect what vital role our reporters hold,” she said. “They shine a light on important issues to tell readers what’s really going on, be it the health of our community or a listeria outbreak at a local plant.”
READ MORE: FDA: Dole knew of listeria in Springfield plant before outbreak
Bill Lackey took home three awards, with third-place finishes in Best Photographer, Best Feature Photo and Best Sports Photo, for mid-size papers.
Springfield News-Sun was also awarded third place for Best Digital Presence.
More than 65 daily newspapers in Ohio submitted more than 2,000 entries in the contest, which included news and sports stories, features, photos and more from 2016.
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WHIO, also owned by Cox Media Group Ohio, had several winners as well in the broadcast competition.
Byron Stirsman won Best Photographer, while Stirsman and James Brown were awarded first place for Best Feature Reporting. The duo also won second place for Best Sports Feature.
WHIO’s Digital Team won second place in Ohio for both radio and television. McCall Vrydaghs won second place for Best Weathercast.
WHIO received the regional Edward R. Morrow awards for Breaking News Coverage on the “Hunt for Brookville shooter,” and Sky7, the video drone photography aircraft flown by Eric Dietrich and Ty Greenless.
Here is a list of the Springfield News-Sun award winners:
Best Public Service Reporting: Michael Cooper, first place; Parker Perry, second place
Best Photographer: Bill Lackey, third place
Investigative Reporting: Matt Sanctis, first place
Best Business Writer: Matt Sanctis, third place
Best Feature Photo: Bill Lackey, third place
Best Sports Photo: Bill Lackey, third place
Best Digital Presence: Springfield News-Sun, third place
Here is a list of the WHIO award winners:
Best Photographer: Byron Stirsman, first place
Best Feature Reporting: James Brown and Byron Stirsman, first place
Best Sports Feature: James Brown and Byron Stirsman, second place
Best Digital Presence: WHIO, second place in TV and radio
Best Weathercast: McCall Vrydaghs, second place
Edward R. Morrow awards: Breaking News Coverage and Sky7
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