BJ staff wins 17 awards

Reprinted in full for our out-of-town viewers:

Beacon staff wins 17 journalism awards
Columnist David Giffels takes three top honors;
Lin-Fisher, Trexler and Schleis also place first

By Beth Rankin
Beacon Journal staff writer
AKRON - The Akron Beacon Journal has won 17 awards in a statewide journalism contest sponsored by the Press Club of Cleveland.

The annual Ohio Excellence in Journalism competition, in its 28th year, is judged and organized by press clubs and newspapers throughout the country.

Columnist David Giffels took home three of the Beacon's six first-place awards, for general news columns, single essay and Best in Ohio: Column Writing.

Business writer Betty Lin-Fisher won first place in business columns and reporter Phil Trexler placed first in the breaking news ongoing story category. Reporter Paula Schleis placed first in technology writing.

Copy editor Jim Kavanagh nabbed a second place in Best in Ohio: Headline Writing. Two Beacon entertainment critics placed in the Best in Ohio: Reviews/Criticism category -- Malcolm X Abraham took home second and R.D. Heldenfels was awarded honorable mention.

Kim Hone-McMahan won an honorable mention in the general news multiple stories category, and reporter Bob Dyer took home an honorable mention in personality profile features. Other honorable mention winners included sportswriter Terry Pluto in the obituary category and a joint win by reporter Lisa Abraham and former reporter Stephen Dyer in the breaking news single story category.

Photographer Ken Love took home second place in the pictorial category.

The Beacon Journal staff won three second-place awards: breaking news single-day package, Election 2005 coverage and best section (for a sports section).