Joel Hoffmann, Award-Winning Journalist
Chestnut Hill Local reporter Joel Hoffmann has been honored by the Pennsylvania Newspapers Association with the "Distinguished Writing - Weekly" award for his work over the last year. PNA cited his pieces "Caruso's Checks Out Indefinitely," "Unspinning the Political Candidates," and "Debate Continues" in the announcement.PNA judge Tom Hallman of the Oregonian, 2001 Pulitzer Prize winner for Feature Writing, assessed Hoffman's work as follows:
Hoffman writes with voice and passion. HE comes across as fearless, and serves an important role in the community he covers. His opening paragraph on the Caruso's story highlights all his skills: Setting a scene, an eye for details and a way of putting the reader "there," and driving home the implications of this story. Hoffman is an interesting read. Never boring.
Joel earned the award through diligent research, hard work and a flair for putting his stories together in a clear and thoughtful fashion. Congratulations, Joel. You earned this.Award-winning journalist Joel Hoffmann. Sounds good. At least someone is paying attention to good work.
Update: A reader explains the basis of the award. I'll add it here for those who don't check comments.
Distinguished Writing Award, Weeklies – The purpose of this award is to showcase quality writing. The award is judged solely on the quality of writing, without regard to circulation or category. The rules for entering this category follow the general rules and the entry mounting rules of the Keystone Press Awards contest.
The following also apply:
The contest is open to individual writers only; no team entries. Entries must include three pieces of work, and may include various types of articles. Work that has been entered in any other category (news, column, series, etc.) is acceptable. Any type of article may be entered, including those not listed in the entry categories.
Labels: Chestnut Hill Local
posted by Anonymous at 4/08/2009 02:18:00 PM
3 Comments:
Explanation of the award from the PNA:
Distinguished Writing Award, Weeklies – The purpose of this award is to showcase quality writing. The award is judged solely
on the quality of writing, without regard to circulation or category. The rules for entering this category follow the general rules and
the entry mounting rules of the Keystone Press Awards contest. The following also apply:
The contest is open to individual writers only; no team entries.
Entries must include three pieces of work, and may include various types of articles.
Work that has been entered in any other category (news, column, series, etc.) is acceptable.
Any type of article may be entered, including those not listed in the entry categories.
Waylaid Pilgrim's comment that: "At least someone is paying attention to good work." hurt. I can't give out awards but I still have the greatest admiration for the current staff of the Local. The editorial, production and advertising efforts are all run by people deserving of awards. The pressure of getting a newspaper out on time week after week is daunting. I didn't need the PNA to tell me what I already knew about Joel. Nevertheless, this award may inspire Joel Hoffmann to even greater heights than he has already achieved and that really is a good thing. Congratulations Joel and keep it up.
Sorry to hurt you. It was, I admit, a general comment that was inexact. Local staffers know some people appreciate their work, but the past few years have seen them on the receiving end of a number of blows. And should they respond, they risk retribution.
Joel earned this award, and had the board been listening to and reading his presentation on solutions to the paper's current problems, it may have found a common ground with the newspaper staff in fashioning a "new" way forward.
Who am I kidding? That Powerpoint presentation they lapped up says it all.
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