The Roanoke Times and The Recorder of Monterey have received the Virginia Press Association’s annual Award for Journalistic Integrity and Community Service, in recognition of work done in 2007. The awards were presented Saturday at the association’s annual meeting in Roanoke.

The Times, competing in the 30,000-and-over circulation group, won the award for the eighth time since it was created in 1947. The Times last won the award for the 1997-98 contest year.

The Recorder, a weekly newspaper in the under-30,000 circulation group, has won the public service award six of the last nine years. The Recorder won the award four years in a row, from 1999 through 2002.

The competition was judged by Gregory Favre, retired vice president for news for the McClatchy Company. He is a former president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors and currently serves as current distinguished fellow in journalist values at the Poynter Institute. Under his leadership as executive editor, The Sacramento Bee won two Pultizer Prizes.

Of The Roanoke Times’ entry, Favre wrote:

 “The Roanoke Times’ coverage of the tragedy at Virginia Tech was journalism at its best. At a time when not just a community, but the entire nation, was focused on those tragic events unfolding on the VPI campus, the Times supplied a lifeline to all who were wandering in the wilderness of the unknown.

“The initial blog launched by the Times’ staff was superb in the information it provided. And then day after day, the paper followed with coverage that was done with dignity and grace, never exploiting the situation.

“Section after section, page after page, were devoted to the ongoing story, but also to those whose lives had been taken. We were able to share the memories of who they were and heard the voices and read the words of those who mourned them. And we read of and heard from those who had survived. In addition, editorial after editorial tackled issues that needed to be addressed by university, state and federal officials, and the editors did it with clarity and force.

“And the images that the Times ran were truly memorable, touching readers in a way that will remain in their heads and hearts for years to come.

“It’s easy to say that newspaper staffs always react to the big stories, that our adrenaline flows at that moment, that we are prepared to cover tragedies and disasters. That may be true, but no one has a playbook ready to cover a story like this one. You make up it up as you go along and the Times’ staff did it in print and online, in words and images, in the finest tradition of journalism. They did it with honor and they deeply deserve this honor.”

Of The Recorder’s entry, Favre wrote:

“I had the privilege of growing up on my family’s weekly newspaper in south Mississippi. As I read the Recorder’s work I envied it greatly.

“I know how much of an incredible commitment of time and effort and resources the paper made to give its readers such complete and incisive coverage of the wind energy controversy, the general election, and the Cowpasture River. It was extraordinary.

“And then when you add in the paper’s strong and on-point editorial voice, the community was served with great care and passion.

“Weekly or daily, any paper, any size, would be proud of this body of work.”

Favre selected The Virginian-Pilot as runner-up in the over-30,000 group, “…for its excellent watchdog journalism. The stories on the CM Development folks were simply good, old-fashioned, shoe-leather, paper-chasing, hard-digging investigative work. And the stories netted strong results.

“The paper’s series on suicides and its stories on the felon who had been hired as a city department head were also examples of the kind of journalism that cements that trust we have with our readers.”

In the under-30,000 group, Favre gave runner-up honors to The Hook, from Charlottesville. “I thought the writing in this three-part entry was excellent throughout. And, obviously, The Hook was not afraid to challenge the authorities on behalf of those who may not have a voice in the community.

“Its stories on teenage drinking and the punishment of parents were enlightening, and its questioning of the police department showed courage. All three of its entries were well done.”

The public service award was created to recognize editorial leadership as well as community service above and beyond a publication’s circulation area. It is judged in two circulation categories – greater than 30,000 and less than 30,000 – and is based on a maximum of three projects published during the contest year.

Entries are judged on evidence of a significant effort beyond a publication’s routine scope; the initiative of the publication; the use of editorials in connection with the project or projects; and the results.