COMMONWEALTH BEACON was recognized for journalistic excellence this past weekend by the New England Newspaper & Press Association, taking home multiple awards for its work, including top honors for Best Overall Website and Racial, Ethnic or Gender Issue Coverage.
The group’s annual New England Better Newspaper Competition honors standout work in print and digital media from news organizations across the region. This year’s winners were announced at a ceremony in Portland, Maine, on March 29.
Director of Audience Engagement Yael Mazor took first place in the award for best overall website. The CommonWealth Beacon website underwent a redesign in 2023 in conjunction with the publication’s name change from CommonWealth. The new format includes a dedicated opinion section on the homepage as well as spots that feature in-depth stories and data-based reports.
Reporter Bhaamati Borkhetaria won first place in the award for racial, ethnic or gender issue coverage for her story on the plight of people of color who entered the state’s marijuana sector under the “social equity” licensing preference for members of groups that had been disproportionately affected by the war on drugs when marijuana was illegal. Her story, “Social equity marijuana businesses sold ‘bag of dreams,” documented the rough road faced by these entrepreneurs amid falling pot prices and difficulty accessing capital.
Former editor Bruce Mohl won second place for Investigative/Enterprise Reporting for his story “Why did MassDOT hang T employees out to dry.” an intrigue-filled whodunit about state officials who went strangely silent in failing to back employees facing false charges or to set the record straight with a reporter digging into allegations that top T officials were working remotely from far-flung, out-of-state locations.
Reporter Gintautas Dumcius took second place for Local Election Coverage for his story on new political waves on the North Shore. “In Revere, Latino victory reflects a changing city” told the story of Juan Jaramillo, a Latino union organizer who won a seat on the Revere City Council, only the second person of color to ever win a council seat there.
Reporter Jennifer Smith won second place in the Podcast category for “Pulling the thread on North Shore racial covenants,” an episode of The Codcast exploring covenants barring non-whites and sometimes poor European immigrants from owning property, an ugly history that was unearthed by the North Shore NAACP and a Beverly-based housing nonprofit, Harborlight Homes.
Third place awards went to:
- Bhaamati Borkhetaria (Arts & Entertainment Reporting) for her story “Not easy turning artists into a political force on Beacon Hill,” a look at the challenges those in the creative sector face in lobbying for state funding.
- Gin Dumcius (Crime and Courts Reporting) for “The last of Somerville’s old guard,” the tale of a small-time Somerville pol who faced big problems in federal court.
- Jennifer Smith (Climate Change or Weather Reporting) for “A sea change on managed retreat,” which explored the reckoning coastal property owners are facing with the relentless advance of the Atlantic Ocean.
“I’m immensely proud of the hard work and dedication these awards represent for the CommonWealth Beacon team,” said editor Laura Colarusso. “Day in and day out, this staff demonstrates a commitment to in-depth reporting and telling the stories that matter to the people of Massachusetts.”