WACO, Texas (AP) — The Austin American-Statesman was named the Newspaper of the Year while The Dallas Morning News was named the best online newspaper among the state’s largest dailies at the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors’ annual meeting over the weekend.
The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal won Newspaper of the Year while the El Paso Times won best online paper among newspapers with Sunday circulations of 30,000 to 124,999. The Facts in Clute won best newspaper and the Galveston County Daily News won best online paper honors among newspapers of 10,000 to 29,999 in circulation.
In the smallest newspaper division, the Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel won Newspaper of the Year and the Huntsville Item won best online paper.
Winners in the Headliners Excellence in Journalism Awards were announced Sunday from finalists named in each of the four divisions.
They were: Star Reporter of the Year, Lise Olsen of the Houston Chronicle; Star Photojournalist of the Year, Jay Janner of the Austin American-Statesman; Star Designer of the Year, Bruno Garcia of San Antonio Express-News; Star Breaking News Report of the Year, the Austin American-Statesman for its coverage of the crash that killed four at the South By Southwest festival; and Star Investigative Report of the Year, J. David McSwane of the Austin American-Statesman for his reports on the state medicare contract fraud.
The daily university and college Newspaper of the Year honors went to The Daily Texan at the University of Texas in Austin. The best non-daily campus paper was The Collegian at Tarrant County College in Fort Worth.
The Spanish language Newspaper of the Year honor went to La Estrella in Fort Worth.
Donnis Baggett, executive vice president of the Texas Press Association and former publisher and editor of The Eagle in Bryan-College Station and the Waco Tribune-Herald, was this year’s recipient of the Jack Douglas Award, the Texas APME’s highest honor. The award is given each year to honor a person who has made significant contributions to the organization and to Texas journalism.
Emily Schmall, AP’s Fort Worth correspondent, was named the Texas Associated Press Writer of the Year, while Dallas-based L.M. Otero was named Texas AP Photographer of the Year.