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By NANCY WEST, InDepthNH.org

I want to talk to you about winners if you’ve got a minute. InDepthNH.org took home nine awards in our small newspaper category Thursday night at the NH Press Association banquet in Manchester.

But we have more winners than that over these last seven years posting news that matter on InDepthNH.org.

I can tell you one thing for certain that everyone who shares their talent with InDepthNH.org does so because they believe in our mission – ethically reporting unbiased news without fear or favor while holding the powerful accountable. They are all underpaid or unpaid folks who are working hard as contract workers – piece work workers really – to keep the news going.

Why? Because they believe in our mission and hope to salvage what’s left of a financially troubled news business in New Hampshire.

I will list our winners in a minute. But I want to make sure that you – our readers and supporters – know that you are winners, too. I am often rattling the tin cup to help us keep going for another couple of months at a time.

We don’t rely on the latest grant jargon to get donations. We tell the truth. We report the truth. And you folks get it.

We are also working on our NH Sustainable News Summit project all summer to find a way for all of us to survive, to pay our way and rely less on charity.

InDepthNH.org’s senior reporter, Paula Tracy, received numerous awards Thursday night, including the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award. Well-earned Paula, my friend.

She is InDepthNH.org’s fourth Lifetime Achievement Award winner joining the ranks of State House bureau chief Garry Rayno, Editorial Cartoonist Mike Marland and founder Nancy West. Quite a line-up.

Garry Rayno and Paula Tracy are both respected across the state. Together this year they took home second place in our division for both health and government reporting. And Garry Rayno took second in the coveted category Journalist of the Year.

I really don’t want to overlook our podcasters Roger Wood, who is also associate publisher, who took first place in recurring podcasts and Wayne King who took second place. And one of our excellent columnists took third place for best column – Michael Davidow for Radio Free New Hampshire.

And George Liset earned first place for Writing on the Fly, his delightful column about fly fishing, and Terry Farish for feature stories.

I was awarded first place in the First Amendment category, proud to say.

And John Harrigan is promising to rant again soon.

But there are many people who didn’t win awards in this particular contest, but who have won in the past and will in the future like Susan Dromey Heeter for her work in Joyful Musings. And other fine journalists like Thomas Caldwell, Beverly Stoddart and Damien Fisher who did win an award with another news outlet.

There are others who you rarely see their names like Bob Charest and Montana West who we couldn’t do without.

There aren’t enough thank yous to you all and others I am sure I am forgetting. I am lucky enough that I have known all of these people for many years.

I know how great they truly are. They know, hopefully, how much I respect them, and love them, too.

There are fewer and fewer reporters working and we all work very hard for you. We thank you for your support.

Contests are subjective. Winning is nice. But loving the people you work with joined together toward an important goal is even more rewarding. Thank you all. Nancy West