The Independent Weekly walked away with 29 awards including 12 first-place awards at the Louisiana Press Association luncheon Saturday in Baton Rouge. The Independent was recognized both for editorial content as well as design. The Ind competed against publications such as Gambit Weekly and CityBusiness (New Orleans) and Baton Rouge Business Report in the free circulation and special interest category.
Our news staff won top honors for feature story, lifestyle coverage, editorial cartoon and community-service reporting. The Independent’s design staff won first place in such categories as staff-generated advertising and in-paper promotions.
Among the many daily newspapers that submitted entries in the 2008 Better Newspaper Competition, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans), The Courier (Houma), Jennings Daily News, The Plaquemines Gazette (Belle Chasse) and The Bunkie Record earned newspaper of the year honors in their respective divisions, which are based on circulation. The Daily Advertiser won a first-place award for front page.