Ledes from the Land of Enchantment

Las Cruces Sun-News wins awards for photography, design and reporting

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Press Association recognized the Las Cruces Sun-News with photography, design and reporting awards at their annual Better Newspaper Awards Banquet on Saturday.

Sun News photographer Nathan J. Fish was awarded first place in the Daily Class 1 General News Photos category for an image showing a Memorial Medical Center nurse caring for her father, who is dying of COVID-19 takes care.

“A tender and haunting moment,” commented a judge on the photo.

The Sun News employees were awarded second place in the Daily Class 1 Design & Typography category. The front pages that Sun News submitted in their contest entry included a collage of images captured amid COVID-19 on the one-year anniversary of the World Health Organization’s official declaration of the disease as a pandemic. The photo collage was designed by Fish and featured the photo of the nurse and her father prominently.

The front page of the Las Cruces Sun-News on March 11, 2021 featured a collage of images amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sun-News employees also received second place in the Daily (All Classes) Breaking News-Digital category for their coverage of the death of Karen Trujillo.

Trujillo, the director of Las Cruces public schools, was hit by a vehicle on the evening of February 25, 2021 while she was walking her dogs. Upon learning of the incident, Sun News reporters worked until the wee hours of the morning to confirm the report of the beloved superintendent’s death.

The news of Trujillo’s death would not appear until the Saturday, February 27th, in the print edition of Sun News. By that time, Sun News had posted 14 stories online including responses from the community, her legacy in education, next steps for the school district, an emotional interview with her husband, her influence on local sports, and even what she was like Cheerleaders for the Hatch School District.

More:Remembering Karen Trujillo: In her own words

Sun News competes in the Daily Class 1 category of the NMPA Better Newspaper Contest, which is reserved for the state’s highest-circulation newspapers.

This year’s competition entries – for the period July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021 – were judged by members of the Utah Press Association.

Lucas Peerman can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @LittleGuyInATie.

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