‘Press’ receives national accolade

The Riverdale Press earned an honorable mention as Newspaper of the Year in this year’s Local Media Association contest. 

LMA, the industry association for community media across America — formerly known as Suburban Newspapers of America — calls it an “extremely competitive contest,” judged by industry experts. 

“This is the result of an outstanding group effort,” said Riverdale Press Editor Kate Pastor. “Our staff’s commitment not only to quality journalism, but also to the community we serve, makes me proud week after week. The readers are what keep us all going, and for that they deserve a huge thanks.”

The judge’s comments pointed out the paper’s hard-hitting editorial content. 

“While there’s the usual community listings, events and features, The Riverdale Press excels at its news coverage: shootings, fires, teacher-student encounters, suspicions of ticket fixing and community uproar about a competing newspaper. A robust editorial/opinion page keep the action going. Headlines stand out and the text is easy to read.”

Press Publisher Richard Stein expressed pride that once again the newspaper had been named one of America’s best. It won the top award in 2008, the year the paper joined the Richner Communications family and last year Kate Pastor was named Editor of the Year by the LMA.

“Of course,” he said, “we cover a unique corner of the world. The opportunity to write about the northwest Bronx and work with an editor like Kate attracts top-notch young journalists. There’s always something interesting happening and, I hope, our enthusiasm for our communities comes through,” Mr. Stein said.

Cliff Richner, co-owner of Richner Communications, the parent company of The Riverdale Press, traced the paper’s continued success back to its roots. 

“At a time when the newspaper industry is going through fundamental changes, The Riverdale Press continues to adhere to the principles of good journalism that have served it well since its founding by David and Ceil Stein nearly 63 years ago,” he said. “It’s nice, once again, to be recognized by our peers in media for our work. My congratulations to Editor Kate Pastor, Mekea Hurwitz, who served as publisher during the period for which the award was given, and to the entire staff.”