Al Campbell wins journalism awards
Al Campbell has been named the recipient of another round of journalism awards from the National Newspaper Association in the Better Newspaper Contest.
He is most proud of the subject matter of the award-winning stories. Topics included county policy, veteran health, Christianity, the environment and farming.
Campbell writes part-time for the Leelanau Enterprise, a member of the NNA. He also writes for outdoor publications including Michigan Out-of-Doors magazine and Michigan Outdoor New.
Coverage of the tart cherry industry by Campbell, a candidate for Leelanau County commissioner, was named “Best Agricultural Story” in the competition. Campbell started writing about cherry farming on the Leelanau Peninsula four decades ago. “I know in government there are a lot of priorities, but I can’t understand the lack of understanding and advocacy for farmers here and in America,” he said.
Second and third place awards were received for:
• An editorial warning about problems inherent to a proposed county policy that would severely limit media access to county government sources and employees. Entitled Media Inquiry Policy, Campbell wrote, "As members of the media, we don’t ask for more access to public information than other residents. But neither should we be relegated to a lesser stature than citizens who for generations have felt empowered through an open door policy that provides access to county workers.
"We actually enjoyed the jabs tossed toward the media by county commissioners at the meeting because, well, they rang true. We don’t always get it right. But we try hard, and correct our mistakes. Creating barriers between news reporting and trustworthy sources won’t reduce inaccuracies.
"And we appreciate that some commissioners spoke up about the important role of the press in watchdogging governments of all sizes.”
• “Jesus in Song” was part of a four-part series written by Campbell about the impact of secularism on the Christmas season. It was selected in the “Best non-profile Feature Story" category.
• Under the category of Best Coverage of Military Affairs, Campbell informed readers about misleading advertisements placed by attorneys hoping to capitalize on the Camp Lejune legal settlement.
• In “Whitefish Catch Doubles," which was entered in the Best Environmental Story, Campbell melded the decline of native species following the introduction of invasives. The result has been to place economic pressures on fishing operations working out of Leland and Peshawbestown.
