Related: The Coastal Star captures top honors — nine times — in annual competition
Here at The Coastal Star, we think a byline says a lot.
If you’re not familiar with newspaper lingo, a byline is the name at the top of a story telling you who wrote it. Similarly, a picture caption usually has a credit line with the name of the photographer who took the shot.
Longtime readers of the Palm Beach Post or the South Florida Sun Sentinel might recall some of these bylines that have appeared in those papers: Rich Pollack, Ron Hayes, John Pacenti, Charles Elmore, Jan Norris, Brian Biggane, Mary Thurwachter and Anne Geggis — or a photographer by the name of Tim Stepien. Many past reporters at those papers might also recognize the names of editors Mary Hladky and Steve Plunkett.
So, what do these names have in common?
It’s that they were all recognized Aug. 1 with first-place awards (some held jointly) from the Florida Press Association for work they did in 2024 — work they did right here at The Coastal Star.
Because of their work and the work of many others at the paper, the FPA also recognized The Coastal Star with its top award for general excellence among weekly and monthly newspapers in the state with circulations of over 15,000.
Work that is delivered free to you each month.
Even before becoming The Coastal Star’s editor last year, I was proud to be part of this “little paper that could,” with its reporters, photographers, editors and management who have such significant journalism experience, much of it gained right here in Palm Beach County. I think that few papers our size can say the same.
Some of the staff at this paper were around in the 1980s and 1990s, when the bigger dailies had reporters regularly assigned to cover our small coastal communities — and they can recall the later void in coverage that lasted until this paper came onto the scene in 2008.
Thanks to good management and a strong sense of purpose by the paper’s owners, I’m hopeful that The Coastal Star will be here for years to come.
But the paper faces some of the same concerns affecting the larger newspaper industry — and I’m talking about more than just revenues and balance sheets.
The FPA awards were presented during an annual conference for journalists. One seminar in particular dealt with the increasing obstacles reporters face trying to get information from officials who don’t seem particularly inclined to share it.
Our reporters have run into their share of ignored requests for information, steep fees for requested documents and legal blockades to obtaining even some of the most basic news reporting information.
Fortunately, with their decades of experience, our reporters can be quite resourceful in getting the information they need to give you an accurate, complete picture of what’s happening in your communities.
I can tell you that they are not doing their jobs to win awards, but it is nice when that recognition comes along.
We’re just hoping that you, the reader, is the winner: with stories that are good reads about your neighbors, or informative pieces about your local government, or just interesting looks at what’s going on in your community.
Delivered free to you each month.
— Larry Barszewski, Editor
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