Tribune wins four awards in annual newspaper contest

Published 12:00 am Monday, February 3, 2003

Tribune reporter Masaaki Harada took home two first-place awards, and columnist Love Cruikshank won second place in the best columnist category in the Minnesota Newspaper Association’s Better Newspaper Contest Saturday in Minneapolis.

Harada’s five-part series on the murder of Makaio Radke won first place out of 31 entries in the investigative reporting category. The contest was among all outstate daily papers.

Harada’s coverage commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Farmland fire won first place out of 63 entries in the social-issues feature story category. The contest was among daily papers with circulation lower than 20,000.

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&uot;Harada does an excellent job of looking back a year to the fire that destroyed the Farmland plant &045; from the point of view of firefighters who fought it &045; and what the city has done over the year to try to get a new plant and clean up the old site,&uot; the judge wrote.

Cruikshank finished second out of 42 entries from all outstate dailies in the best columnist category. First place went to Dave DeLand of the St. Cloud Times. &uot;Love imparts some observations and lessons with a deft touch, a wry sense of humor and not a trace of condescension, cynicism or egotism. Good stuff,&uot; the judge commented.

The Tribune also took home first place in the best typography and design category for all daily papers under 10,000 circulation. Eleven newspapers competed in that category.