We won – we won - awards galore

We are over the top excited to announce that we (ECB Publishing, Inc.) won 13 awards at the recent annual Florida Press Association Convention.
The FPA awards, as they’re known, recognizes the best stories, columns, special sections, pictures and overall general content of all Florida newspapers. We are deeply grateful for this recognition – and also for our shiny new trophies and certificates.
Several ECB Publishing staff members traveled to Sarasota, Fla. for several days to attend the many learning sessions and meetings that the Florida Press Association provides during the convention. Then, on Friday afternoon, we were excited to receive our awards of:
First Place – Sports Feature Story
Second Place – Front Page Makeup
Second Place – General News Story
Second Place – Informational Graphic
Second Place – Faith and Family Reporting
Second Place – Health, Medical & Science Reporting
Second Place – Agricultural & Environmental Reporting
Third Place – General Excellence
Third Place – Front Page Makeup
Third Place – Community History
Third Place – Roads and Transportation
Third Place - Education Feature

And for our Front Porch magazine:
Third Place – Best Writing: Column

I, personally, would like to commend the staff we have at ECB Publishing, Inc. I know the heartfelt love of their job that each employee has and the dedication that each one pours into their work.
There are no 40-hour weeks and this is not “just a job.” This is our passion; it is our love to tell the stories of our communities. We give our all every day. It is what is in our blood!
The press was given priority and tremendous responsibility by our Founding Fathers, who placed it in the First Amendment along with Freedom of Speech and Religion.
Along with our reasonability comes a lot of pressure. We are often deemed as the enemy. We receive more hate mail, nasty phone calls, and death/harmful threats than we do congratulatory statements. However, we can only stand by the statement, “We don’t make the news; we just report it!”
We are not the enemy of the people.
Yes, we make mistakes; and when we make mistakes – we print them for the world to see. We then publicly correct them – once again for the world to see.
But, most importantly, we care. We do our job to keep our community informed. It’s not about a paycheck! It’s about loving our neighbors, loving our community, loving our country, and knowing that an informed community is needed for our republic to survive.
We are committed to serving and providing the informational needs of our community; searching for new ways to serve our readers and strengthen our communities; helping boost the local economy through advertising and news coverage; spotlighting “mom and pop” businesses in order to reach more prospective customers; telling of the good news within the community – news of civic club fundraisers, church gatherings, little-league registrations, chamber of commerce happenings, students who make the honor roll, anniversaries and birthdays, and helping neighbors get to know each other better.
We also have the duty to serve as “watchdogs” to hold elected government official accountable. We sometimes have to use public records requests in order to uphold the “Freedom of Information” so that our community citizens are kept informed.
We not only work here, but we also live here! We are your neighbors and your friends! We share your values and we love our community because we are a part of it! It is our passion to share the community news with its citizens!
Here at ECB Publishing, Inc. … we are more than just a newspaper – we are family! With a news staff of approximately 10 people, the work required to publish our community newspapers is a team effort.
Thank you, our dear readers, for your support! It is because of you that we strive to do better each and every day!