Serving Barnwell County and it's neighbors since 1852
The People-Sentinel took home 12 awards from the S.C. Press Association’s 2024 news contest.
Publisher Jonathan Vickery and reporter Alexandra Whitbeck attended SCPA’s awards lunch on April 4 in Columbia, joining journalists from across the state to accept some of the hundreds of awards for powerful photos and page design to impactful news features and indepth reporting.
“One of the best aspects of attending the SCPA’s annual awards ceremony is seeing impactful work across the state being recognized, while surrounded by those with a similar passion for journalism,” said Whitbeck.
The People-Sentinel won third place in General Excellence, which looks at the newspaper as a whole, including the quality of\ reporting, photos and design.
“For the third year in a row, I am proud that our team was recognized for General Excellence because this shows that we are fulfilling our mission of publishing a quality newspaper that keeps our community informed,” said Vickery.
The newspaper also won third place for Use of Social Media.
“While the print product remains a vital part of our business, we know social media is just as vital in our mission of informing and educating. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and buy the newspaper every week,” Vickery said.
Vickery, Whitbeck and former reporter/Report for America corps member Elijah de Castro also took home several individual awards.
The biggest individual award was received by Whitbeck who received the Jay Bender Award for Assertive Journalism. She was the only journalist from South Carolina’s 79 weekly newspapers to receive this
award.
“I am honored and grateful to have been awarded the Jay Bender Award for Assertive Journalism. This award inspires me to keep digging deeper with every story and remain a steady voice in my reporting," said Whitbeck.
The award was created several years ago by SCPA attorney Jay Bender, a long- time advocate of government transparency and the Freedom of Information Act after then-Gov. Nikki Haley refused to answer questions from a reporter upon returning from a taxpayer-funded trip to the Paris Air Show.
“That pissed me off. We need to recognize assertiveness,” said Bender.
The Assertive Journalism Award is meant to recognize “reporters who go above and beyond to pry the truth out of people who don’t want to tell the truth,” said Bender.
Vickery nominated Whitbeck for the award due to her dedication to finding out the truth, whether it’s over concerns with EMS service, issues at a local fire department, problems with the public transportation provider, or issues with now-former leaders of a local police department.
“Assertiveness is a quality any good journalist should have. That’s true for Alexandra Whitbeck. She handles every assignment with professionalism, respect, confidence, and tenacity. She doesn’t back down in the face of opposition,” wrote Vickery in his nomination letter. “She remained focused on finding the facts so she could publish unbiased, truthful stories about four important topics. She didn’t let public officials or anything else get in the way of that mission.”
As Bender explained before announcing her name, Whitbeck “pushed when pushing was required. She waited when waiting was required.”
Whitbeck also received first place in Investigative Reporting for a series of stories about the chief and lieutenant at the Blackville Police Department losing their law enforcement certification with the state.
She also won first place for Business Reporting.
“I am equally grateful to have been awarded first place in the Investigative Reporting category and first place in the Business Beat Reporting category. Receiving awards for in-depth, investigative stories is very rewarding and cements the importance of investigative journalism in rural regions,” said Whitbeck.
De Castro won two awards, including first place for In-Depth Report- ing on a story about ru- ral healthcare and second place for Spot News Photo for a photo of flooding in Allendale County.
“Author does a good job of presenting this info but also brings the story home through the use of personal stories of people facing the issue that’s central to the reporting,” stated the judge in the In-Depth Reporting category.
First place in the Spot News Photo category went to Vickery for his photo of a homeowner inside her home that was damaged by a hurricane.
“Putting a human face on such a disaster makes in so relatable. I like the way this one was captured. Destruction and survival are both reflected here,” stated the judge.
Vickery also won second place awards in three categories, including Breaking News for his coverage of Hurricane Helene, Enter- prise Reporting for coverage of issues with post office boxes at the Barnwell Post Office, and Short Story for a story on two Blackville brothers helping linemen who responded after Hurricane Helene.
He also won third place in Page One Design for one of his front-page designs.
“It’s always nice to be recognized for our work, though that’s not why we do our jobs. We work hard every day so we can keep our community informed so they can know what’s happening and be better informed to make decisions. However, these awards certainly reinforce that we are doing important work and motivate us to keep being watchdogs for our community,” Vickery said.
Several other Barnwell County natives who now work for newspapers in other parts of the state were also recognized for their work.
Barnwell native Caleb Bozard received two third-place awards – one for Growth & Development Beat Reporting and one for Profile Feature Writing or Story. Bozard is a reporter for The Post & Courier Columbia/Free Times.
Michael Lollis, also a native of Barnwell, won five awards for sports photography, including a sweep of first, second and third place in the Sports Action Photo category and first and third place in the Sports Feature Photo category. He works for The Journal in Williamston.
Also at the SCPA meeting and awards lunch was Williston native Seanna Adcox. She is editor of the S.C. Daily Gazette, a digital newspaper, which won five awards during its inaugural year as a member of the SCPA.
