Newspaper wins awards

El Mensajero Católico wins press association honors

El Mensajero Católico, which serves the Hispanic community of the Diocese of Rochester with a Spanish-language newspaper and bilingual website,  has won two awards from the New York State Press Association.

The NYPA, a trade organization representing the state’s non-daily community newspapers, presented the awards April 8-9 during its annual convention in Saratoga Springs.

El Mensajero won the following awards:

First Place, News Story (Division 2, 5,001-9,000 circulation): To Annette Jiménez for her story “Programas ayudan a los latinos a vencer las adicciones de substancias” (“Programs help Latinos overcome substance abuse”), which was published in November 2010. “This story was compelling, moving, well-reported and well-written — all reasons for a 1st place (nod),” the judges wrote. “Tackling this subject matter from the eyes of those most impacted makes it a must read. A real gem among so many quality entries.”

Best Newspaper Web Site (all circulation divisions): El Mensajero’s website (http://en.elmensajerorochester.com/) received second place among all competing non-daily newspapers in the state. “The site is beautifully straight forward and simply designed,” the judges wrote. “Visitors know exactly where to go to find what they want and the size of the main picture appropriately captures our attention. The dimming effect on photo slideshows is a nice touch.”

“We are proud to serve the Latino community of our diocese and grateful for this recognition from NYPA and for the support by our growing number of readers,” said Karen Franz, the newspaper’s editor and general manager. El Mensajero Católico is published by the Rochester Catholic Press Association Inc., which also publishes the Catholic Courier.

Established in 2005 to serve the growing Catholic Latino population in the Diocese of Rochester, El Mensajero Católico quickly received recognition as one of North America’s finest Spanish-language Catholic publications. It has received numerous awards for reporting, graphic design and photographic excellence. El Mensajero’s community-based, in-depth coverage continues to emphasize such vital issues as immigration, health care, education, social justice and crime prevention. It also includes personality profiles, stunning photo spreads, and feature stories about cultural and religious celebrations both in the print edition and on its website, which was launched in 2010.