A fairy-tale evening at regional newspapers’ night of nights has seen your local newspaper The Southern Argus and its sister paper The Leader both crowned number one in the state.
The annual Country Press SA awards night held at Victor Harbor on Friday united media representatives, sponsors, and politicians for a gala event to celebrate local newspapers’ 2022 coverage.
The Argus received recognition across multiple categories, including an honourable mention for Best Front Page, second place in Best Road Safety Reporting, and third place in Best Headline.
Argus Editor Sara Gilligan also came in third for Best Editorial Writing before Argus journalist Giorgina McKay was awarded Young Journalist of the Year for her skilled and dedicated reporting on regional issues.
Hypnotist Isaac Lomman entertained the crowd between courses at the McCracken Country Club before The Southern Argus took out the top gong for Best Newspaper for 2022 in the under 4000 circulation category.
The celebrations continued when the Barossa’s Leader newspaper was also crowned Best Newspaper for the above 4000 circulation category.
Outgoing editor Tony Robinson was also recognised for an impressive 50 years of service to the South Australian print industry.
“Winning this award is seen as the highest honour within our State Association. With newspapers represented in every corner of regional South Australia, the competition has never been tighter,” remarked Darren Robinson, re-elected President of Country Press SA.
“Awards of this nature are only achieved when every staff member performs their role, so it really symbolises the strength of our team.
“To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time The Southern Argus has been recognised as the best newspaper in South Australia.”
Across the newspaper’s 158-year history, Mr Robinson recognised the importance of acknowledging past management and employees.
“They too have helped to lay the foundation,” he said.
“We’ve proudly brought the plaque back to our office in Strathalbyn and we’ll continue to enjoy our successes, but we are committed to continuous improvement, never being complacent.
“Thank you also to our readers and advertising clients. You continue to believe in us and back us in as your trusted local newspaper, for this, we are incredibly thankful.”
Compared to previous years, The Argus saw healthy competition in its circulation category, with The Eyre Peninsula Advocate coming in third and neighbours The Fleurieu Sun a close second.
Argus Editor Sara Gilligan thanked the Hills and Fleurieu communities for outstanding support over the past two years following the local masthead’s change in ownership.
“This award is a team effort and belongs to every supporter and contributor to The Southern Argus,” she said.
“The Argus has a long connection to the local community and our team is honoured to continue advocating for the region’s needs and to provide a platform for remarkable stories or calls for change.
“Congratulations to other entrants, and it’s pleasing to see the print industry moving from strength to strength on the back of COVID.
“Personally, I couldn’t be prouder of what our team has achieved in such a short amount of time.”
Judge’s comments
Chris Coote, former managing-editor of the Port Lincoln Times, considered The Southern Argus a “deserved winner” amongst tough competition.
“The Argus is a shining light in what is local news gathering and sport reporting, as well as a solid outlet for local business(es) to sell their wares,” he said.
“The editorial team published a large number of good, local newsy stories about things that were affecting their community.
“There was solid local government coverage on things that mattered to people and the sport coverage, for which The Argus was well known, has only got better with loads of local faces along with names.
“There was a series on homelessness in two of the papers presented that showed what country newspapers can do when they are close to their communities.
“It was informative and showed the journalists had done plenty of work to get the articles together.”
Mr Coote also commended The Argus team for “healthy” advertising features and local letters on topics of concern.
