Exponent brings home seven national awards

Lou Jacquet, editor and general manager, was recognized with five awards.
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Catholic Exponent, newspaper of the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, received seven awards at the recent Catholic Press Association convention in Orlando, Fla. They are:
UFirst place for Best Editorial on a Local Issue in 17,011-40,000 circulation group for Lou Jacquet, editor and general manager, on his editorial, "When Catholic Schools Close, Parents Must Shoulder Some of the Blame."
UFirst place for Best Editorial on a National or International Issue in same circulation group for Jacquet on "150,000 and More Put Aside Scandals, Embrace Beacon of Hope" about priest sex abuse scandals.
USecond place for Best Regular Column: Family Life category for all circulation groups for Jacquet's "Everyday Faith."
UThird-place in Best Reporting on Teenagers with a story by free-lance writer Nancilynn Gata of Howland on "Eat Your Veggies." The story was part of The Exponent's "With YOUth in Mind" page that features youth from diocesan high schools and parishes. Elaine Polomsky Soos coordinates and designs the section.
UHonorable mention in the General Excellence category, the top award, for newspapers with a circulation of 17,001 to 40,000. The Exponent goes to 37,000 households 26 times a year.
UHonorable mention in Best Editorial on a Local Issue in same circulation group for Jacquet's editorial on "Jews, Christians Respect One Another Across Great Divide of Faith" that was written in reaction to Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" controversy.
UHonorable mention in Best Sports News category for Jacquet's sports feature on Ursuline High School's girls basketball title celebration.
The Exponent, which serves Mahoning, Columbiana, Trumbull, Stark, Portage and Ashtabula counties, has won 13 awards in recent years at the CPA convention that involves 175 Catholic newspapers and 75 magazines.