Under 25,000 Circulation
The Ithaca Journal
Judges Comment: It is impressive and heartening to see a daily newspaper of under 25,000 circulation that is interacting with its readers and the community but also is doing in-depth projects, like "Touched by Poverty", that typically would be found in newspapers with much larger staffs. The newspaper's clean design and lots of teasers help readers find more information and features they may be interested in as well.
25,000-50,000 Circulation
The Daily Gazette, Schenectady
Judges Comment: This paper has a lot going for it; clean layout with very readable fonts; a good mix of wire and local in an oversized news hole; a strong opinion section Sunday and solid editorial pages daily. We particularly liked the police stories Sunday and the story on foreign students filling summer jobs.
50,000-125,000 Circulation
The Post-Standard, Syracuse
Judges Comment: A very well-put together newspaper; writing is crisp, interesting and well-edited. the front page is well-designed with plenty of impact. Good use of photos and graphics, good interface with Web, the Web Icons are very user-friendly.
Over 125,000 Circulation
Newsday, Long Island
Judges Comment: Newsday is a newspaper that does a lot of things right. Whether the topic is politics, education, sports, medicine, business or a dog bite, Newsday reports the news with authority and enterprise. On page after page, readers are treated to clear headlines and design, good use of photography, well edited stories and a sharp local focus. Newsday also knows how to have fun, as demonstrated by its imaginative wrap-around coverage of the Giants Super Bowl victory parade, yet it never leaves any doubt that it is a newspaper to be taken seriously.