On behalf of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation, I would like to congratulate each of you on your award-winning Better Newspaper Contest entries.
The past few months have been devastating for all of us. Our personal and professional lives have been disrupted. Many of these disruptions have resulted in the cancellation of important life events — events that may have been once in a lifetime. One such disruption that directly impacted each of you was the cancellation of the annual Better Newspaper Contest Awards Banquet due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
It is very unfortunate that we were unable to gather as an industry to celebrate your individual and cooperative journalistic successes.
The decision to cancel the awards presentation was difficult. We now know it was the correct decision; one that was made to protect the health and welfare of ceremony attendees.
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The ongoing effects of the coronavirus have dramatically impacted the business of community newspapers across the country. That blow has not, however, stopped the staffs of Wisconsin’s newspapers from working tirelessly to report on the impact the virus is having on the communities they serve. Each of you has played a vital role in disseminating essential information to your readers by accurately reporting the local and national impact of the virus outbreak.
The WNA Foundation proudly presents each of you with your well-deserved awards. We are anxiously looking forward to seeing you at next year’s awards ceremony.
In the meantime, enjoy your success and remember that it is in times like these that we truly come to understand the essential role that newspapers play in the preservation of our democracy.
Very Sincerely,
Beth Bennett
Executive Director
Wisconsin Newspaper Association
