D-G Dogged By Texas Panel

Maybe it can be chalked up to the old Arkansas-Texas rivalry, but judges from that state didn’t take too kindly to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in the annual Arkansas Press Association News-Editorial Awards handed out in Fort Smith late last month.
This state’s awards are annually judged by a different state, and this time around it was Texas.
The Democrat-Gazette lost the General Excellence award to its northwest rival The Morning News of Springdale, owned by Stephens Media Group.
“First, congratulations to The Morning News. It’s a fine newspaper staffed by fine journalists, many of whom I know and admire,” Frank Fellone, deputy editor at the D-G, wrote in an e-mail to Outtakes. “Second, you can’t win them all.”
Fellone said he believed it was the first time in about 15 years that the D-G didn’t win the General Excellence award, which is considered the overall “Best of Show”-type trophy.
To its credit, the D-G still published the awards in its paper, and even mentioned The Morning News’ win in the lead paragraph. Despite The Morning News taking home the most awards, the D-G did score one big victory as Little Rock reporter C.S. Murphy won one of the most prestigious awards.
The I.F. Stone Award, given annually for journalism that uncovers corruption or government- and business-related problems, went to Murphy for detailing questionable spending practices at the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau.