The Detroit News named Michigan's Newspaper of the Year

Plymouth Township — For the second consecutive year, The Detroit News has been named Michigan's Newspaper of the Year by the Michigan Press Association.

The newspaper trade organization honored The News and its journalists Thursday night at a banquet at Saint John's Resort in Plymouth Township.

The News won MPA's 2023 Newspaper of the Year for the association's Class A division of newspapers, which includes those with the largest circulations in the state. The News won the MPA's highest recognition in 2022, as well as top honors last year for a newspaper from the Michigan Associated Press Media Editors.

Detroit News journalists also took home 27 individual awards from the MPA for their reporting, photography, videography and design. They included:

Best Sports Column:

• First Place: Wojo: Jerry Green deeply respected the game and his craft, right to the end; Bob Wojnowski

News Enterprise Reporting:

• First Place: Michigan's most vulnerable rescued by kinship caregivers; Sarah Rahal and Hayley Harding

• Third Place: How Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield gave lobbyists a foothold in state government; Craig Mauger

Best FOIA story:

• Second Place: Michigan nursing home complaints reveal deadly chaos in pandemic's early days; Craig Mauger

Best Writing:

• Second Place: Lansing area chicken lady charged with neglect finds redemption; Francis X. Donnelly

Government/Education News:

• Second Place: Families push forward year after Oxford shooting; Jennifer Chambers
• Third Place: Feds investigate former House Speaker Johnson; Robert Snell and Craig Mauger

Spot News:

• Second Place: 3 killed, 5 wounded at Michigan State campus shooting; Craig Mauger, Beth LeBlanc and Jakkar Aimery
• Third Place: Prosecution rests in Oxford shooter hearing; defense witnesses say he heard voices; Kara Berg and Jennifer Chambers
• Honorable Mention: Lee Chatfield suspected of engaging in criminal enterprise; Beth LeBlanc and Craig Mauger

Business/Agriculture News:

• Third Place: How quaint Michigan town is squeezed by battery blitz; Jordyn Grzelewski and Kalea Hall

• Honorable Mention: Romulus site that got Ohio train waste had violations, faces possible penalties; Carol Thompson

Sports Writing:

• First Place: NIL money is flowing in college athletics, and it's 'the Wild West'; Matt Charboneau and James Hawkins

• Second Place: Police investigate postgame 'assault' involving MSU, UM players; Tony Paul, Matt Charboneau and Angelique S. Chengelis

Sports Feature:

• Third Place: UM softball's Kaylee Rodriguez vows she's 'still not done' playing as she fights cancer; Angelique S. Chengelis

Digital presentation:

• Third Place: detroitnews.com; Staff

Best Video Presentation:

• Second Place: Detroit Youth Choir director gives students confidence behind scenes; David Guralnick

Best editorial:

• Third Place: Oakland ruling will weaken transparency; Kaitlyn Buss

Best Newspaper Design:

• Second Place: Sept. 16, 2022 edition; James Hollar, Rick Epps, Diana McNary and Genna Barner

Best Page or Pages Design:

• First Place: Detroit Masonic Temple marks 100 years; James Hollar
• Second Place: Fiesta Bowl: UM vs. TCU; James Hollar
• Third Place: Special report on Michigan Child Protective Services; James Hollar
• Honorable Mention: Oxford survivor takes it day by day; Rick Epps

Special Section:

• Third Place: Special report: Children die on CPS's watch; James Hollar

Sports Photo:

• Second Place: Flipping for the Lions, Daniel Mears

• Third Place: Hoops, David Guralnick

Public Service Award:

Honorable Mention; The Bill of Rights; Len Niehoff

Detroit News reporters Craig Mauger and Hannah Mackay were finalists for the MPA's Journalist of the Year and Rookie Writer awards, respectively.

Members of the Pennsylvania Press Association judged this year's MPA contest entries.

Also on Tuesday, the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing (SABEW) awarded an honorable mention award in its national business journalism competition to Detroit News environmental reporter Carol Thompson for Guarding the Great Lakes, a five-part series published in October and November 2023 about how climate change is impacting the lakes.