REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 8, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Msnbc.com was named the top large news site at the 2010 Online Journalism Awards. The site won the award for general excellence in online journalism at the 11th annual Online News Association (ONA) awards ceremony. The ONA recognizes sites that push the envelope of innovation and excellence in digital storytelling and distribution. Msnbc.com topped three other finalists: NPR, New York Magazine and The New York Times.
"It is a huge honor to be recognized as the best big news website," said Jennifer Sizemore, msnbc.com editor-in-chief. "But what really matters is how we reach our audience – through great stories no one else has, incredible visual storytelling, and the ability to deliver all that where and when people want and need it."
Msnbc.com was recognized for The Elkhart Project, its original journalism covering the economic crisis through the prism of a single town and its citizens; its Stimulus Tracker, which allows users to follow federal stimulus spending down to the county level; and Haiti's Amputees: Building a Life Worth Living, extensive coverage of the plight of amputees in the wake of the devastating Haitian earthquake.
The site also published distinctive original content – from a blog devoted to science and space, Cosmic Log, to a franchise that advocates on behalf of consumers, The Red Tape Chronicles, to a destination source for politics, First Read.
In other efforts, msnbc.com also reported on the White House's grudging release of visitor logs and offered a Daily Dose of fact-checking about the health insurance overhaul.
The Online News Association is the world's largest association of online journalists. ONA's mission is to inspire innovation and excellence among journalists to better serve the public. The membership includes news writers, producers, designers, editors, bloggers, technologists, photographers and others who produce news for the Internet or other digital delivery systems, as well as academic members and others interested in the development of online journalism. ONA also hosts the annual Online News Association annual conference and administers the Online Journalism Awards.
About the Msnbc Digital Network
The Msnbc Digital Network is a collection of innovative and powerful news brands that deliver the most compelling, diverse and visually engaging stories on the consumer's platform of choice. The world-class brands featured in the digital network include msnbc.com, TODAYshow.com, Nightly.msnbc.com, TV.MSNBC.com, NBCSports.com, BreakingNews.com, Newsvine and EveryBlock. The Msnbc Digital Network provides something for every news consumer with its comprehensive array of offerings that deliver the best in breaking news, original journalism, lifestyle features, commentary and local updates down to the block level.