SPRING HOPE — Ken Ripley, The Enterprise’s editor and publisher emeritus, has earned a top award in the North Carolina Press Association’s annual journalism competition for his political commentary.
Ripley won first place for serious columns among Division A newspapers in the NCPA’s 2022 News, Editorial & Photojournalism Contest. Awards were presented Aug. 24 during the association’s 150th annual meeting at the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel.
“The biggest hope I have is for the readers that I can have some positive effect on any conversations,” Ripley said.
A seasoned journalist with more than 45 years of experience, Ripley has received more than 50 individual awards for reporting, photography and opinion writing.
Each entry in the serious columns competition consisted of three columns by the same author. Ripley entered columns headlined “We, the people, must work together,” published this March, “Vulgar outburst shows arrogance and contempt,” published March 3, 2022, and “When secrets leave the White House,” published Jan. 25.
The Division A judge praised “Vulgar outburst” as “a very well-written column that rightly outs an uncouth blowhard.”
“We’ve all met crass individuals like this, and it is a joy to see one of them get their comeuppance,” the judge wrote. “Great job!”
Working journalists and advertising sales professionals in Alabama judged this year’s contest in a reciprocal agreement between the NCPA and Alabama Press Association. To protect the integrity of the competition, judges’ identities are not revealed.
Altogether, Restoration NewsMedia newspapers collected 27 awards in the annual News, Editorial and Photojournalism Contest and the NCPA’s Best Ad Contest. The family newspaper company includes The Enterprise, The Wilson Times, Johnstonian News in Smithfield, The Wake Weekly in Wake Forest and The Butner-Creedmoor News.
Ripley owned and operated The Enterprise for four decades before Restoration NewsMedia acquired the publication in 2018.
