4 reporters win honors in journalism contest

Brian Hicks' online column appearing in Charleston.net received first-place honors for Online Humorous Commentary in the The Green Eyeshade Awards, a contest that recognizes journalism excellence in 11 Southern states.

Three other Post and Courier reporters took second-place honors in the breaking business news category for their nearly year-long coverage of the collapse of Charleston economist Al Parish's multimillion dollar investment-fraud scheme. They are Kyle Stock, Schuyler Kropf and Katy Stech.

Executive Editor Bill Hawkins said Tuesday that the awards illustrate the newspaper's continued commitment to quality local reporting.

"Our staff continues to produce work that is among the best in the country, and I think that is reflected not just in the numerous awards this year but also in the strong readership figures for both The Post and Courier and Charleston.net," he said.

Hawkins said Hicks' column will begin regular weekly appearances in The Post and Courier starting Friday. The column will run on Page 2B.

The Green Eyeshade Awards contest drew more than 600 entries in multiple categories from media outlets in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia. The awards, which began 58 years ago, are sponsored by The Atlanta Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.