The Osceola News-Gazette earned 11 statewide journalism honors—including three first-place awards—at the annual Florida Press Association conference and Best Weekly Newspapers awards banquet, held Aug. 1 in Port Charlotte.
The News-Gazette won awards for each entry that was nominated, for work done in the 2024 calendar year. The paper competes among other weekly Florida newspapers with circulations over 15,000 per week. Nominations are judged by press associations from neighboring states.
The first-place awards came in the categories of:
Photo Series in One Issue— photographer Taylor McFee captured multiple Fourth of July celebrations around the county;
Sports Section— The work of sports contributor J. Daniel Pearson was highlighted for the issues of Jan. 24 and Feb. 1.
Sports Column— News-Gazette Editor (and former sports editor) Ken Jackson’s column about the clash-of-the-titans football regional final between Osceola and Armwood high schools. Jackson last won a sports column FPA win in 2008.
McFee also claimed second and third place in the Sport Photo category. Jackson earned second place in Serious Column, the reaction to the shooting death of a once local pastor. The winner earned the Sally Latham Memorial Award among statewide entries.
The paper’s AroundOsceola.com site also earned second place for Website Excellence.
Sports contributor Robert Pincus earned third place in Sports Feature for his story chronicling the professional basketball path of Osceola Magic star Mac McClung.
Third-place awards were won in Hurricane Feature, for a 20-year retrospective on Hurricane Charley’s effects in Osceola County and how it changed how inland residents look at hurricanes; Obituary, for a story on the passing and memorial service of former Osceola High Homecoming Queen Destinie Diaz; and Breaking News Coverage, for reports on the aftermath of Kissimmee Police Chief Betty Holland’s resignation amid a State Attorney’s Office investigation into how KPD reported excessive force cases.
“These awards show the importance of local journalism in our community, and that it stacks up against the best in Florida according to our peers in the industry,” News-Gazette Owner/Publisher Rochelle Stidham said. “As I saw the winners announced at the banquet, I was reminded of the quality of journalism Florida’s weekly papers publish, and realized how much hard work it takes to win these awards.
