Seven Days, Vermont’s free, independent newsweekly, won four first-place awards at the annual Association of Alternative Newsmedia conference last month in Boulder, Colorado.
The AAN Awards recognize the most artful, compelling and courageous journalism produced each year by the alternative newsmedia. AAN member publications vary in size and circulation, and are based in cities across the U.S. and Canada; the awards contest gives these publications the opportunity to compete against their peers. This year’s competition consisted of 600 entries submitted by 55 publications in the U.S. and Canada; the University of Colorado Boulder’s department of journalism conducted the judging.
Seven Days’ awards included:
A first place in the Innovation/Format Buster category for the Give and Takeseries. Digital editor Andrea Suozzo used public tax filings to create a database of Vermont's nonprofit organizations. From that came five weeks of stories exploring and exposing the state's massive nonprofit economy.
A first place in the Specialty Publication category for What’s Good: The Seven Days City guide to Burlington.
A first place in the Cartoon category for Tim Newcomb.
A first place for former staff writer Alicia Freese in the Long-Form News Story category for “Sheriffs, Inc.” Freese explored how Vermont’s sheriffs use side contracts with government entities, malls and even construction companies to bolster their budgets — and their own personal salaries.
Since 2014, Seven Days has allowed readers to comment on all stories posted on our website. While we’ve appreciated the suggestions and insights, the time has come to shut them down — at least temporarily.
While we champion free speech, facts are a matter of life and death during the coronavirus pandemic, and right now Seven Days is prioritizing the production of responsible journalism over moderating online debates between readers.