Urbana Daily Citizen staffers Joshua Keeran and Justin Miller are finalists in the Ohio Associated Press Media Editors’ 2016 newspaper contest, it was announced on Monday.
Keeran is one of three finalists for the Best Business Writer award for 2016. Miller is one of three finalists for Best Sports Enterprise reporting.
Keeran’s entry included several story packages that demonstrate his coverage of various business sector topics, including the 2017 Acura NSX rolling off the line in Marysville, an article detailing Habitat for Humanity of Champaign County Ohio’s decision to move its ReStore location, an article about Old School Fine Foods (a nonprofit that uses its proceeds to help at-risk youths and senior citizens) and a story on Streamline Design & Print on North Main Street in Urbana.
Miller’s story package documented student and football player John Samples’ incredible willpower and refusal to accept defeat. After a car accident left his world upside down, Samples and his family had to fight to regain what they held dear. The Mechanicsburg community has supported them throughout the journey.
“Joshua and Justin are each familiar with our local communities and we are pleased their journalistic dedication to serving Champaign County is being recognized by the Associated Press and by their peer judges in other states,” said Daily Citizen Managing Editor Brenda Burns. “We take pride in maintaining deep local connections to our community as a newspaper staff. Josh and Justin have a combined 20 years of reporting service to the greater Champaign and Logan county area.”
Miller is a graduate of Ohio University and Benjamin Logan High School. Keeran graduated from The Ohio State University and Urbana High School.
The awards in actual order of finish — first, second and third places — will be announced at the Ohio APME annual awards banquet May 21 in Columbus. The General Excellence and First Amendment winners also will be announced at the meeting.
Sixty-seven daily newspapers submitted 2,084 entries in the contest, which featured news and sports stories, features, editorials, columns, graphics and photos from 2016. The contest is divided into five divisions. The Urbana Daily Citizen competes in Division I.
Entries in Div. I were judged by The News-Dispatch, Michigan City, Indiana and the Ludington (Michigan) Daily News.
The Associated Press is a not-for-profit news cooperative representing 1,400 newspapers and 5,000 broadcast stations in the United States.
