Lovely County Citizen
Carroll County Newspapers managing editor Scott Loftis and associate editor Robert Cox won a total of five awards in the National Newspaper Association Foundation’s 2022 Better Newspaper Contest, including first place for Loftis in Freedom of Information reporting.
The awards were presented Saturday, Oct. 8, at the foundation’s 136th Annual Convention and Trade Show at the Hyatt Regency hotel in San Francisco. Loftis attended the convention with his wife, Lisa, and accepted the awards.
Loftis received first place in the Freedom of Information category for non-daily publications with circulations of less than 2,000. His winning entry was a series of reports on the Eureka Springs City Advertising and Promotion Commission.
“Extremely well done,” the judge’s comments said of Loftis’ entry. “Fascinating read. Use of the call-out quotes made us want to continue to read.”
Loftis also received third place for Best Reporting on Local Government and honorable mention for Best Investigative or In-Depth Story or Series, also based on his reporting on the CAPC.
Cox was awarded second place for Best Profile Feature Story for a story about former Carroll County sheriff Chuck Medford and third place for Best Breaking News story for a report on an accident that claimed the lives of two brothers on a local farm.
“I’m so proud of our team,” Loftis said. “It’s a big accomplishment to be recognized at the national level, but it’s also pretty humbling. I always say that there is news to be covered everywhere if you pay attention, and these awards are proof that small newspapers can accomplish big things and bring truth to light in covering their communities.”
“Earning the recognition of your peers — especially at the national level — can be a heady thing,” Cox said. “We’re not in this business for accolades, but when they come, there’s nothing sweeter, especially when they come by way of service to the community and sharing the stories of its residents.”
Cox was previously recognized by the NNAF in 2020, when he was presented with a second-place award for Best Investigative or In-Depth Story or Series for his work on a two-part series titled “Unintended consequences,” which explored the troubles caused by a new state childcare law intended to protect children. That series was published in the Perryville (Mo.) Republic-Monitor, where Cox served as managing editor before joining the Carroll County News in December 2020.
The Carroll County News was the only Arkansas newspaper to receive awards in the national contest, which included 1,333 entries. Carroll County Newspaper also publishes the Lovely County Citizen.
Judging in the contest was performed primarily by active community newspaper editors and publishers, as well as retired university journalism professors and retired or former newspaper professionals.
Established in 1885, the National Newspaper Association describes itself as “the voice of America’s community newspapers” and is the one of the largest newspaper associations in the country. The NNA Foundation is the association’s educational arm. Its mission is to promote news literacy, protect the First Amendment, and enhance the quality, role and capabilities of community newspapers and community journalists.
