Brian Wilson, news editor for The (Medford) Star News, and Peter Weinschenk, who worked as the editor of The Record-Review before retiring in October, were recognized last month for outstanding editorial writing during the annual conference of the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors in Reno, Nevada.
Wilson was recognized as one of the “Golden Dozen” winners, an honor that includes the 12 best editorials as picked by this year’s judge Brian Duggan.
Wilson’s editorial, “Tragedy is a wake-up call,” was published in the May 5, 2022, and written in response to the murder of Lilly Peters of Chippewa Falls
The judge wrote: “After a young girl was killed in an act of violence, Brian Wilson used his editorial’s platform to call on his community to look beyond just punishing the person responsible and look at the reasons why the crime happened in the first place.”
This is the seventh time Wilson has been recognized with a Golden Dozen Award. He was previously recognized in 2008, 2009, 2013, 2015 and 2018. He won the Golden Quill award in 2020.
Weinschenk also was honored with a Golden Dozen Award for his editorial, “We seek justice,” which published on Sept. 14, 2022, and was written about inmates in the county jail system who sometimes wait years for a trial.
“At its core, it gives voice to those who don’t have one,” the judge wrote of Weinschenk’s entry.
Both The Star News and The Record-Review are owned by Central Wisconsin Newspapers.
