By Staff
Staff Report
Two Washington Daily News staff members were presented awards at the North Carolina Press Association’s annual Winter Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Thursday.
Mike Voss, the Daily News’ contributing editor, took first place in the lighter-columns category in Division D, which is for newspapers with daily circulations under 15,000 subscribers. Staff writer Jonathan Clayborne took third place in the deadline-news reporting category of Division D.
The contest period covered material written from Oct. 1, 2009, to Sept. 30, 2010.
“I’ve worked with Mike and Jonathan for a long time now,” publisher Ray McKeithan said. “I think it’s fitting for Mike to have taken first place for his column. I know our readers enjoy it, and I think he has fun with it, too. He has a special connection to readers and the community at large. Mike has been a stabilizing force in the newsroom through many periods of change and I am grateful for his leadership, journalistic integrity and good humor.
“I’m not at all surprised that Jonathan won an award in the deadline-news reporting category. He is an exceptionally hard worker, excellent writer, and devoted reporter. He has great news instincts and is  fair and sensitive when dealing with difficult subjects like his award-winning story. He is comfortable in many roles and willing to take on a variety of assignments. He exemplifies, as well as anyone here, our mission to inform and entertain.”
Clayborne’s winning entry, “Single-vehicle wreck claims three lives,” was about a single-vehicle wreck on Dec. 28, 2009, that resulted in three people dying and two others being injured.
The accident occurred in an “S” curve near a bridge that crosses Cherry Run Creek. The Sidney Dive Team was called in to remove victims from the submerged vehicle.
The black, two-door 2009 Ford Mustang apparently veered off Cherry Run Road about 200 to 300 feet before the bridge and took out some trees before plunging into the creek. The car was traveling at an estimated 90 mph before it reached the water, according to the N.C. State Highway Patrol.
The award is Clayborne’s first in the N.C. Press Association competition.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by my peers in the newspaper industry, but it should be noted this award represents one day in the life of a newspaper,” Clayborne said. “My colleagues and I have written many stories that haven’t been recognized within the industry, but have received positive feedback from the community. Getting an NCPA nod is great, but hearing a reader say ‘Job well done’ still is better praise than any industry award.”
Voss’ award was for three of his columns — “I was an exploited child laborer,” “Gub’ment cheese saved the day” and “Cursed by whumpa, whumpa, whumpa.”
“I am thrilled to take first place in the lighter-columns category. Writing those columns gives me a break from writing about City Council meetings, fatal accidents, crimes and court cases,” Voss said. “My columns allow me to be more expressive and creative than front-page stories. What I write must be resonating with the readers. Several times a week, people stop me in the grocery store, at church or on a downtown sidewalk to tell me they enjoy my columns. With that kind of feedback, I’m going to keep writing columns as long as one person finds enjoyment in reading them.”
Voss took a second-place award for lighter columns from the NCPA in 2006. In 2005, he received a third-place award in the NCPA’s general news-reporting category. Voss received a first-place award from the NCPA for investigative reporting in 1991. He and Betty Mitchell Gray, now a contributing writer for the Daily News, shared an NCPA second-place award for investigative reporting in 1990.
“Mike and Jonathan anchor our newsroom,” WDN managing editor Christ Prokos said. “They are committed to providing in-depth news coverage in a clear and concise manner. I am honored to have them on our team.”