Times Picayune, Advocate, Acadiana Advocate win LPA awards

The Times Picayune | New Orleans Advocate won the newspaper of the year award in the Louisiana Press Association’s 2021 Better Newspaper Competition.

Other newspapers winning that award in their size class are The Daily Comet, The St. Tammany Farmer, The Ville Platte Gazette, Central City News and Loyola University’s The Maroon.

The Advocate won the Freedom of Information Competition for writing about a sexual harassment scandal in the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office. Andrea Gallo, a reporter for The Advocate, sought records on complaints about a top official in the Attorney General’s Office.

Attorney General Jeff Landry sued Gallo and asked a judge to rule that the disputed records were confidential and make Gallo pay the legal fees. A judge threw out Landry’s suit and ordered him to pay the fees.

In other categories, The Advocate, Acadiana Advocate and The Times Picayune | New Orleans Advocate won the following first-place awards:

The Acadiana Advocate (Division 2)

Ben Myers, Best news story, Diocese, ex-priest cast blame on victim’s family; Brad Kemp, Best sports photo, UL running back goes airborne against Ohio; Cassandra Brown, Best Headline, Acadiana 2; and Leslie Westbrook, Best feature photo, Best Reunion Ever

The Advocate (Division 1)

Jeffery Mendel, Best staff generated single ad, Antons; Brooks Kubena, Best sports story, McNeese’s minor miracle; Lea Skene, Best news story, Ankle monitor killing; Scott Rabalais, Best sports column, Les Miles and “Tell the Truth;” Staff, Best single editorial, Jeff Landry; Staff, Best special section, Drew Brees Special Section; and Travis Spradling, Best news photo, Funeral Procession of Edwin Edwards.

The Times Picayune | New Orleans Advocate (Division 1)

Cassandra Brown, Best front page; Chris Granger, Best feature photo, Christmas Party With Santa; Chris Martin, Best Headline; David Grunfeld, Best photo package, COVID Deaths; Emily Sucherman, Best multiple advertiser page, Fond of The Frond; Ian McNulty, Best feature story, Mosca’s Restaurant; Kayla Gagnet and Emma Discher, Best overall website; Keith Spera, Sam Hanna Award for Best regular column, Parental thoughts; Ryan Lips, Best ad campaign, LHCC; Ryan Lips, Best online advertising campaign, To Love; Ryan Lips, Best In-paper promotion, Mardi Gras For All Y’all; Staff, Best breaking news story, At remote Louisiana Warehouse, nursing home evacuees lay in waste; Staff, Gibbs Adams Award for Best investigative reporting, Bob Dean and nursing home evacuations; Staff, Gary Hebert Award for Best Layout and Design; Staff, General Excellence; and Tristan Baurick and Chris Granger, Best web project, Winds of Change.

Follow Fred Kalmbach on Twitter, @fkalmbach.