PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Greenfield Recorder was recognized as being among the top weekday newspapers in its circulation class for the second consecutive year at a New England Newspaper and Press Association awards ceremony held in Providence, Rhode Island over the weekend.

Taking the 2024 Newspaper of the Year honor for the six New England states was the Daily Hampshire Gazette in Northampton, while the Recorder and Valley Advocate were honored with distinguished awards in the weekday and specialty publications categories, respectively. All three publications are under Newspapers of New England.

“For the Recorder to be recognized back-to-back years among the top three in its class in New England is a testament to the consistency and quality of work being done by our staff,” said Executive Editor Dan Crowley. “It’s certainly an honor given that the judging is done by a select group of readers who find our local journalism to be among the best in the region.”

The Newspaper of the Year award is the only distinction of its kind in the newspaper industry that is judged by audience members. Newspaper readers throughout the region are appointed to evaluate the entries from a news consumer point of view, then decide which deserve the honor.

Those readers evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the newspaper based on quality of reporting and writing, use of photos, design and presentation, digital offering, overall utility and value, and general impressions, answering questions such as does the newspaper inform, educate, entertain, inspire, motivate and lead; does it reflect and care about the community it serves; does it put the interests of the reader first; and is it unique or special in some way?

“The Greenfield Recorder deserves to be recognized again in 2024 as one of the best community newspapers in New England,” said Recorder Publisher Shawn Palmer. “There are very few papers that are as good at telling the story of the communities they serve. I am proud to be associated with such an outstanding team of journalists and I congratulate them for this well-deserved honor.”

Saturday’s event also saw the handing out of Publick Occurrences Awards, an award category celebrating individual and team merit for remarkable journalism in New England, as well as the Allan B. Rogers Editorial Award, the New England First Amendment Award, the Cornerstone Award and the Bob Wallack Community Journalism Award.