Lexington Herald-Leader again recognized as Kentucky’s best large-market media site
The Lexington Herald-Leader has again been recognized as the top large-market newspaper in Kentucky.
The Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com won first place in general excellence, beating out the Louisville Courier-Journal, Owensboro Messenger Inquirer and other large newspapers across the state. It marked the third year in a row the Herald-Leader has won the general excellence award at the Kentucky Press Association banquet.
In all, the Herald-Leader won 35 individual awards, including 11 first-place awards, Friday night at the annual KPA banquet.
Reporter John Cheves was also the co-winner of the Jon Fleischaker Freedom of Information Award, a prize for a reporter who revealed important information using public records. He shared the award with Josh Wood of the Courier Journal.
“Great newsrooms and their journalists are never in this industry for awards and attention,” said Richard Green, the Herald-Leader’s executive editor. “But it’s rewarding when our peers recognize the outstanding level of fair and fearless journalism our staff pursues and publishes.
Green added, “We are proud to serve our readers and the taxpayers in Lexington and around the commonwealth. We’ll use our strong showing as incentive to work even harder, smarter and better in delivering revelatory stories in 2025.”
Here are all the Herald-Leader’s winners:
First-place winners
▪ Linda Blackford, best editorial writer.
▪ Tessa Duvall and Austin Horn, best general news story.
▪ Ben Roberts, best sports story.
▪ Taylor Six, best enterprise/analytical story.
▪ John Cheves, best ongoing/extended coverage story.
▪ Bill Estep, best leads.
▪ Herald-Leader staff, best use of social media/multimedia.
▪ Ryan Hermens, best picture essay.
▪ Silas Walker, best sports picture.
▪ Ryan Hermens, best sports picture essay.
▪ Andrew Henderson, best headline writer.
Second-place winners
▪ Chris Leach, Monica Kast and Beth Musgrave, best breaking news coverage.
▪ Blackford, best columnist.
▪ Roberts, best sports columnist.
▪ Roberts, best sports story.
▪ Bill Estep, best enterprise/analytical story.
▪ Cheves, best investigative story/series.
▪ Janet Patton and Kast, best business/agribusiness story.
▪ Duvall, best leads.
▪ Herald-Leader staff, best use of social media/multimedia.
▪ Brian Simms, best video.
▪ Hermens, best sports picture essay.
▪ Michael Yparrea, best front page.
▪ Simms and Patton, best headline writer.
Third-place winners
▪ Herald-Leader staff, best breaking news coverage.
▪ Duvall, best general news story.
▪ John Clay, best sports columnist.
▪ Roberts, best sports story.
▪ Blackford, best leads.
▪ Herald-Leader staff, best use of social media/multimedia.
▪ Hermens, best video.
▪ Hermens, best picture essay.
▪ Jackie Starkey and Aaron Mudd, best headline writer.
Certificate of Merit
▪ Simms, best breaking news photo.
▪ Blackford, best editorial page.