Copyright Baton Rouge Advocate
Opinion journalists of The Times-Picayune and The Advocate received awards from a national journalism trade association for their editorial writing and commentary on rural Louisiana, vaccines and women’s health care. America’s Newspapers, a group made up of about 1,500 newspaper and associate members, honored the three journalists with awards in the 2025 Carmage Walls Commentary Prize competition. Among papers with over 35,000 circulation, columnist Faimon Roberts received a first-place award and editorial director Stephanie Grace received third place honors in the columns category. In the editorial category, Arnessa Garrett, deputy editor for opinion, received a second-place Carmage Walls prize, which is named after the longtime leader of Southern Newspapers known for his promotion of courageous editorial journalism. Roberts’ award-winning columns included coverage of failing drinking water systems, a mysterious grave market and a small town sex scandal. In each column, Roberts looked beyond Louisiana’s larger cities and the State Capitol. “By telling these stories, it is my goal to help our readers learn and appreciate the breadth and depth of issues facing Louisianans,” he wrote in his submission. Judges praised his compelling writing and significant impact on the community, with one describing it as "the bar" against which others were measured and another remarking that Roberts’ writing was head and shoulders above other submissions. “It feels lovely,” said Roberts, who received a $2,250 cash prize along with a glass plaque. “I didn't know Benjamin Carmage Walls, but upon reading about him, his commitment to local journalism is inspiring, so I am honored to have won an award bearing his name.” Grace, whose third-place honors include a $500 cash prize, submitted three columns about reproductive health care in Louisiana in the years after Roe v. Wade was overturned. Her coverage aimed to chronicle the intended and unintended consequences of Louisiana’s strict anti-abortion laws. Judges described Grace’s writing as “gutsy,” “important” and accessible to an audience across the political spectrum. Garrett, who received a $1,000 cash prize in addition to the honorary plaque, came away with the second-place prize for a trio of editorials arguing for the importance of vaccines and criticizing state leaders for their contribution to public confusion. Judges noted that coming out in favor of vaccines is not an especially brave stand to take, but, given growing skepticism among the public, it has become important to speak eloquently in their favor. "It was truly inspiring to see the level of competition from around the country for this award,” Garrett said. “At a time when editorial pages are increasingly under pressure from partisans of all stripes, it's rewarding to realize that it still matters when newspapers aren't afraid to take a stand on local issues." The first-place prize for editorial writing in a large-circulation paper went to Victor Joecks, a columnist for The Las Vegas Review-Journal in Nevada, for coverage of a long-running dispute between the City Council and a developer. Winners of top prizes in the under 35,000 circulation category included Dave Coffee of The Berkshire Eagle in Massachusetts and Blake Fontenay of Treasure Coast Newspapers in Florida. This year’s awards were presented Nov. 6 at the association’s annual leadership conference in Colorado Springs. The last time a Louisiana newspaper received a Carmage Walls prize was 2019, when they were still being awarded by the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation.
