Pathway recognized again for journalism excellence

By Staff

PHOENIX, Ariz. – The Pathway for the second straight year has won first and second place awards in the annual Wilmer C. Fields Awards competition conducted by the Baptist Communicators Association (BCA).

Staff Writer Brian Koonce garnered first place in the feature writing division and second place in the news writing division. In 2007 Koonce won first place in news writing while the newspaper earned second-place awards in photography and layout and design. It did not submit any entries in either category this year.

“We are not about winning awards,” said Editor Don Hinkle. “We are about pleasing God. We are grateful for God’s continued blessing on The Pathway and congratulate Brian for his award-winning contributions. We serve an excellent God who demands excellence from His children and we will continue to work toward that end for His honor and His glory.”

Koonce’s first place entry was a feature story about the First Baptist Churches in Henrietta and Orrick making Bibles – page by page in French – for distribution in Haiti. His second-place article detailed the Missouri Baptist Convention’s (MBC) disaster relief efforts following severe ice storms that crippled Southwest Missouri in January 2007.

Even though this is only the second time the print edition of The Pathway – which was launched in January 2003 – has been honored by a professional organization like BCA, it is not the first time the official news journal of the MBC has been cited for excellence. The Pathway Web site garnered a Golden Web Award for “excellence achieved in Web design, content and creativity” by the International Association of Web Masters and Designers in 2003. Messengers to the MBC’s 2005 annual meeting overwhelmingly approved a resolution expressing their appreciation to The Pathway for being a “reliable publication that furnishes accurate information and news.” The resolution went on to express its appreciation to Hinkle and the staff for their “splendid service rendered” in putting their work “so accurately before the people.”

The Pathway, created by the MBC Executive Board in June 2002 as an alternative to the theologically liberal Word & Way and its trustee board which voted to be self-perpetuating, is known throughout the Southern Baptist Convention for its theologically and politically conservative views.