Allan B. Rogers Editorial Award

About the Allan B. Rogers Editorial Award

Mark your calendar for the 2023 New England Newspaper Conference, a virtual event featuring the presentation of the Newspaper of the Year Awards on October 19.

This award recognizes the best editorial on a local subject that ran in New England in the past year (June 1, 2022 – May 31, 2023).

The award honors the editor of The Eagle-Tribune (North Andover, MA) who died in 1964 at the age of 31.

The competition is open to local subject editorials from a wide variety of newspapers in New England, regardless of circulation size and frequency of publication.

NENPA member newspapers, regardless of circulation size and frequency of publication, are invited to enter.

There is a fee of $119 per entry.

An editor’s note is encouraged describing your entry with submission. All files must be saved as a PDF and article pages should be submitted as one merged document not as individual pages.

For more information please contact Linda Conway at l.conway@nenpa.com.

2022 Allan B. Rogers Editorial Award

New Hampshire Union Leader – To our readers (William Loeb)
The 2022 Allan B. Rogers Editorial Award goes to the New Hampshire Union Leader for its front-page editorial confronting — and condemning — the shameful history of child sexual abuse by former publisher William Loeb. The editorial, part of a powerful Page One package, came after Loeb’s stepdaughter came forward in May 2022 to say that Loeb sexually molested her repeatedly when she was 7 years old. The editorial acknowledged that Loeb had an outsized role in the political history of New Hampshire, and at the newspaper, but got right to the point: “We know now that William Loeb is not a man to be celebrated.” Explaining that the Union Leader has removed Loeb’s name from the masthead, the editorial ended with the moral clarity that has defined a free press since the founding of the country: “This newspaper will continue to hold the powerful accountable, whoever they may be. That is our duty to this state and to our readers.”

2021 Allan B. Rogers Editorial Award

The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, MA

“Fixing a broken system” written by David Joyner

The judges remarked that this editorial captures readers with its lively lede and lays out the issues plaguing the region’s gas lines with strong reporting, clear language, and a call to action for the state to fix this dangerous problem. It’s a strong example of what an editorial should be.

When notified that they were receiving this prestigious award, the Eagle-Tribune had this to say,
“The Eagle-Tribune is honored to have this award named after its former editor Allan B. Rogers. The Rogers family and subsequent owners of the Eagle-Tribune have been strong proponents of local journalism in the North of Boston area dating back to 1867. Of course, editorials are the heart of any local newspaper. They celebrate the successes in the community, provide public service announcements, and hold local politicians and public figures accountable. This year’s nominees and winners of the Allan B. Rogers Editorial award demonstrate how newspapers can be the most important voice in the communities they serve.”

2020 Allan B. Rogers Editorial Award

The Inquirer and Mirror, Nantucket, MA

“The loss of eelgrass and erosion of community” written by John Stanton.

The judges noted: The Inquirer and Mirror’s editorial was a very well-written piece on an intensely local and unique issue to Nantucket. It explained a complex situation in terms that readers could understand and appreciate. Most people would walk away from reading this piece feeling better informed like they gained new knowledge on an important issue affecting the community and island culture. They’d also feel as if they understood the potential solutions and could advocate for them or take some action.

2019 Allan B. Rogers Editorial Award

The Standard-Times New Bedford, MA

“Children crossing border should be kept with parents” by Jack Spillane

The 2019 Allan B. Rogers Editorial Award goes to Jack Spillane, editorial page editor of The Standard-Times in New Bedford, Mass. Spillane’s award-winning editorial, “Children crossing border should be kept with parents,” brings home the heartrending impact of the Trump Administration’s immigration policies by focusing on a local Guatemalan boy and his mother as their husband and father sits in a Georgia jail awaiting deportation. Spillane writes with power and clarity, making a compassionate appeal that while immigration reform efforts grind on, the rending apart of nuclear families must stop immediately. “That is a heinous policy,” he writes, “and not worthy of America.”