Oxford Leader Editor C.J. Carnacchio is adding four more awards to his wall.
The 34-year-old Oxford resident was among the Excellence in Journalism honorees at the Detroit Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) annual banquet held in Troy April 14.
‘Being recognized by your peers always feels fantastic,? Carnacchio said. ‘I’d like to thank my wife Connie, the Sherman family and the community of Oxford for their continued support. I couldn’t do it without all of you.?
Carnacchio won second place for his weekly opinion column ‘My Way.? This is the fifth award he’s won for his pull-no-punches column since 2003.
The editor won third place for his Oct. 21, 2009 editorial entitled, ‘Communication lacking in sexting incident.? The piece concerned the sexual text messages sent to two 15-year-old Oxford High School girls by a former dive coach and the school district’s failure to disclose the incident to the general public.
‘We hope this editorial was effective in pressuring the school district to operate with transparency and good communication,? the judges wrote.
In addition to writing, Carnacchio was also honored for his photojournalism skills.
He received first place in the news photo category for a photo he took at the 2009 Oxford Idol competition.
‘The most emotionally-engaging photo in the class. Very funny. Anyone who ever tried to sing in public will see themselves in this photo,? the judges wrote.
Carnacchio also received first place in the feature photo category for ‘How low can you go?? ? a photo he took at the 2009 Daddy Daughter Dance.
‘What Carnacchio lacks in technique, he makes up for in nailing moments and good expressions. Community events are the bread and butter for small newspapers and he deserves recognition for understanding this,? the judges wrote.
All of Carnacchio’s awards were in the Print Class C classification, which consists of non-daily newspaper, magazine or trade publications with circulations of less than 50,000.
In this class, Carnacchio competed against journalists and photographers from Hour Detroit magazine, Crain’s Detroit Business, Detroit Jewish News, Grosse Pointe News and the C&G Newspapers group.
Since joining the Leader back in May 1999, Carnacchio has now received a grand total of 41 awards ? 28 from the Michigan Press Association, 12 from the Detroit SPJ and one from the National Newspaper Association.