Henneberger, The Star earn recognition for columns, coverage of duck boat tragedy

Columnist Melinda Henneberger and The Star’s staff have been named finalists in the 2019 News Leaders Association Awards.

Henneberger is a finalist for the Mike Royko Award for Commentary and Column Writing. Other finalists are Nestor Ramos of The Boston Globe and Matt Bai of Yahoo News.

The Star’s staff is a finalist for the Al Neuharth Breaking News Reporting Award for its coverage of the duck boat that sank in Table Rock Lake last July, killing 17 people. The Star also was a finalist this year in the Scripps Howard Awards for breaking news.

Other finalists are the Miami Herald for its coverage of the collapse of a pedestrian bridge at Florida International University and the Capital Gazette and Baltimore Sun for coverage of the shooting at the Capital Gazette.

This is the first year of the NLA Awards, which combine the ASNE Awards and APME Awards. The awards honor the best in print, digital, photo and video content in 11 categories. The contest drew 526 entries, from which 49 finalists were named. The winners will be announced April 2.

“It’s heartening to read the many examples of strong and courageous watchdog journalism among the finalists,” said APME President Angie Muhs, editor of The State Journal-Register in Springfield, Ill. “Reporters and editors at news organizations both large and small are holding government officials and others accountable, and giving a voice to vulnerable people. Many of the finalists’ journalism led to meaningful change.”