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The Repository (Canton, Ohio) has been named Newspaper of the Year for Division A in the 2009 Best of GateHouse contest.
About the paper
Publisher: Kevin Kampman
Editor: Jeff Gauger
Website: Cantonrep.com
Circulation: 62,650
Founded: March 30, 1815
Judges’ comments
This is a paper that shows affection for and connections with its communities. It tackles tough topics in clear and compelling ways that both inform and engage readers, in print and on the Web. And it doesn’t rest on its successes; it strives for – and achieves — continuing and notable improvements. Both the print and online formats exude energy and immediacy and provide relevance and context for both local and national/world topics in all sections. We found plenty to read – and liked reading it.
Bringing it Home
On the economic recession, perhaps the biggest story of 2009, The Repository profiled the middle-class people on a real street called Easy Street, to give human dimension to events so often described only in vague, distant terms. The six-part series portrayed real people losing jobs, retiring, getting married, experiencing sorrow and joy through recession. The real concerns of Easy Street residents provided touchstone lessons for all readers.
Hall of Fame
Canton’s signature annual event is the Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival. Each year, the newspaper's goal is to make coverage fresh, engaging and visually appealing, while offering the staples that readers demand. For 2009, the newspaper produced one section devoted to each enshrinee — six sections in all. The Repository also produced two other Hall of Fame-related sections, one highlighting area fans from each of the 32 NFL teams and the other ranking the top Hall of Famers of all time.
Investigation
The Repository’s three-month investigation of Timothy Welland Hyde — known at birth as Joseph Bonanno — uncovered the secret past of a man who had assumed the identity of a dead baby, and went on to run a local financial advising firm with 900 clients and $63 million worth of investments. Bonanno stole his new name to flee charges he faced in Boston roughly 20 years earlier that he took more than $1,500 from a bank. The story, by writer Tim Botos, originated from an anonymous tip to The Repository. Bonanno was later sentenced to 3-1⁄2 years in prison for identity theft and other charges.
Runner-up
Rockford (Ill.) Register Star
Judges’ comments
Strong reporting on key local issues and news events – comprehensive and contextual, with good visuals and accessible presentations. Lots of reader involvement and ways for readers with particular interests to find what they seek.
Other finalists
The Enterprise, Brockton, Mass.
Journal-Star, Peoria, Ill.
Norwich (Conn.) Bulletin
Observer-Dispatch, Utica, N.Y.
The Patriot Ledger, Quincy, Mass.
The State Journal-Register, Springfield, Ill.
The Repository (Canton, Ohio) has been named Newspaper of the Year for Division A in the 2009 Best of GateHouse contest.
About the paper
Publisher: Kevin Kampman
Editor: Jeff Gauger
Website: Cantonrep.com
Circulation: 62,650
Founded: March 30, 1815
Judges’ comments
This is a paper that shows affection for and connections with its communities. It tackles tough topics in clear and compelling ways that both inform and engage readers, in print and on the Web. And it doesn’t rest on its successes; it strives for – and achieves — continuing and notable improvements. Both the print and online formats exude energy and immediacy and provide relevance and context for both local and national/world topics in all sections. We found plenty to read – and liked reading it.
Bringing it Home
On the economic recession, perhaps the biggest story of 2009, The Repository profiled the middle-class people on a real street called Easy Street, to give human dimension to events so often described only in vague, distant terms. The six-part series portrayed real people losing jobs, retiring, getting married, experiencing sorrow and joy through recession. The real concerns of Easy Street residents provided touchstone lessons for all readers.
Hall of Fame
Canton’s signature annual event is the Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival. Each year, the newspaper's goal is to make coverage fresh, engaging and visually appealing, while offering the staples that readers demand. For 2009, the newspaper produced one section devoted to each enshrinee — six sections in all. The Repository also produced two other Hall of Fame-related sections, one highlighting area fans from each of the 32 NFL teams and the other ranking the top Hall of Famers of all time.
Investigation
The Repository’s three-month investigation of Timothy Welland Hyde — known at birth as Joseph Bonanno — uncovered the secret past of a man who had assumed the identity of a dead baby, and went on to run a local financial advising firm with 900 clients and $63 million worth of investments. Bonanno stole his new name to flee charges he faced in Boston roughly 20 years earlier that he took more than $1,500 from a bank. The story, by writer Tim Botos, originated from an anonymous tip to The Repository. Bonanno was later sentenced to 3-1⁄2 years in prison for identity theft and other charges.
Runner-up
Rockford (Ill.) Register Star
Judges’ comments
Strong reporting on key local issues and news events – comprehensive and contextual, with good visuals and accessible presentations. Lots of reader involvement and ways for readers with particular interests to find what they seek.
Other finalists
The Enterprise, Brockton, Mass.
Journal-Star, Peoria, Ill.
Norwich (Conn.) Bulletin
Observer-Dispatch, Utica, N.Y.
The Patriot Ledger, Quincy, Mass.
The State Journal-Register, Springfield, Ill.
