{"id":105236,"date":"2020-09-23T23:30:25","date_gmt":"2020-09-24T03:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/?p=105236"},"modified":"2021-07-28T09:15:37","modified_gmt":"2021-07-28T13:15:37","slug":"meet-the-2020-lion-awards-finalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/meet-the-2020-lion-awards-finalists\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the 2020 LION Awards Finalists"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019re excited to announce the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">finalists for the 2020 LION Awards<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which celebrates the best of independent online media across the U.S. and Canada, from solopreneurs to large newsrooms.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is the second year for the awards, which invited nearly 30 judges from across the industry to evaluate 169 entries from LION members \u2014 more than double the number of entries from last year.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This year, we added several new categories to reflect where we think our members excelled: Public Service; Best Coronavirus Coverage; Emerging Publisher; and Collaboration of the Year. L<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ION staff will also award a member who has gone above and beyond in supporting their fellow LION members and community. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019d like to give a special thanks to the 2020 judges: Madeleine Bair, Heather Bryant, Sterling Cosper, Kat Duncan, Rick Edmonds, Patricia Gaston, Rodney Gibbs, Sommer Ingram Dean, Jiquanda Johnson, Damon Kiesow, Yvonne Leow, Frank LoMonte, Ben Monnie, Josh Moore, Meghan Murphy, Alexandra Nicolas, Gonzalo Peon, Aron Pilhofer, Rachel Rohr, Mary Sanchez, Linda Shaw, Mazin Sidahmed, Craig Silverman, Chrissy Towle, Ryan Tuck, Sisi Wei and Yumi Wilson.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>We\u2019ll honor the finalists\u2019 hard work and announce the winners on Thursday, Oct. 22, with a free virtual awards ceremony sponsored by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rjionline.org\/\">Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute<\/a> and Google News Initiative. You can RSVP for the ceremony <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/the-2020-lion-publishers-second-annual-local-journalism-awards-tickets-121250759285\">here<\/a>. More details on the ceremony coming soon.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>2020 Finalists by Category<\/b><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-105281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Public-Service.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2249\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Public-Service.png 2249w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Public-Service-300x84.png 300w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Public-Service-1024x287.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Public-Service-768x215.png 768w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Public-Service-1536x430.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Public-Service-2048x574.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2249px) 100vw, 2249px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eltimpano.org\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>El T\u00edmpano<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its reporting <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on gaps in local news serving Latinx and Mayan immigrants in Oakland, particularly in the wake of COVID-19<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicsource.org\">Public Source<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its project,&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe True Cost of Court Debt\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.richlandsource.com\">Richland Source<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its community listening tour and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">series looking at trash issues in the city of Mansfield, Ohio<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-105280\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Emerging-Publisher.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2249\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Emerging-Publisher.png 2249w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Emerging-Publisher-300x84.png 300w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Emerging-Publisher-1024x287.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Emerging-Publisher-768x215.png 768w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Emerging-Publisher-1536x430.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Emerging-Publisher-2048x574.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2249px) 100vw, 2249px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/austonia.com\">Austonia<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A public benefit corporation focusing on &#8220;all things Austin&#8221;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebeacon.media\">The Beacon<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Kansas City-based nonprofit online news outlet focused on in-depth journalism in the public interest in Kansas and Missouri<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mainstreetdailynews.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Main Street Daily News<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A local independent online news site dedicated to telling the story of Gainesville and Alachua County in Florida<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/sahanjournal.com\">Sahan Journal<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> An independent, nonprofit digital newsroom dedicated to providing authentic news reporting for and about immigrants and refugees in Minnesota<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-105277\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Coronavirus-Coverage.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2249\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Coronavirus-Coverage.png 2249w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Coronavirus-Coverage-300x84.png 300w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Coronavirus-Coverage-1024x287.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Coronavirus-Coverage-768x215.png 768w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Coronavirus-Coverage-1536x430.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Coronavirus-Coverage-2048x574.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2249px) 100vw, 2249px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<h3><strong>Solo<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.calhealthreport.org\">California Health Report<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its stories <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">covering how COVID-19 affected low-income Californians of color early in the pandemic<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/charlotteledger.substack.com\">The Charlotte Ledger<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">series, &#8220;Hidden Health Crisis in Charlotte,&#8221; which examined isolation of seniors, substance abuse, child abuse, people not seeking needed heart care, and anxiety and depression during the pandemic<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/documentedny.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Documented<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its r<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">esource guide in Spanish, English and Simplified Chinese on where undocumented immigrants could get funds and food, and answered questions on labor rights and tenant rights; its reporting on the virus\u2019 disproportionate impact on immigrant communities and ICE\u2019s continuation of deporting children during the pandemic.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<h3><strong>Small<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/xtown.la\">Crosstown<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its interactive COVID-19 map that showed the impact on different communities in Los Angeles, and its&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">dynamic social content that&nbsp;helped alert people to the growing domestic violence crisis<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/detourdetroiter.com\/\">Detour Detroit<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its coverage that sought to directly answer reader questions about the pandemic and engage readers through virtual events and social media<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sanjosespotlight.com\"><strong>San Jose Spotlight<\/strong><\/a> for its coverage of COVID-19&#8217;s impact on&nbsp;Silicon Valley&#8217;s massive homeless encampments and disadvantaged East San Jose students&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<h3><strong>Medium<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/thenevadaindependent.com\">The Nevada Independent<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">COVID-19 data page, weekly &#8220;Coronavirus Contextualized&#8221; series and accompanying enterprise reporting<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicsource.org\">Public Source<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its expanded coverage <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of COVID-19, including breaking news, a podcast, video production from quarantine and over 30 first-person essays<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<h3><strong>Large<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/crosscut.com\/\">Cascade Public Media\/Crosscut<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">more than 250 original news stories, videos, podcast episodes and commentaries on the coronavirus pandemic, and its commitment to highlight the inequitable impacts of COVID-19<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chalkbeat.org\/\">Chalkbeat<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its coverage of COVID-19&#8217;s impact on schools and educators, which<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&nbsp;amplified the enormous educational inequities students of color in underserved communities face in non-COVID times<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/\">VT Digger<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its daily and investigative reporting on COVID-19, and new critical projects including a 24\/7 liveblog, a daily COVID-19 newsletter (with 8,000+ subscribers), coronavirus tip drop email address, an essential services business directory, a searchable FAQ knowledge base for readers and a Vermont Remembrances series about people who have died of the virus<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-105276\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Collaboration-of-the-Year.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2249\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Collaboration-of-the-Year.png 2249w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Collaboration-of-the-Year-300x84.png 300w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Collaboration-of-the-Year-1024x287.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Collaboration-of-the-Year-768x215.png 768w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Collaboration-of-the-Year-1536x430.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Collaboration-of-the-Year-2048x574.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2249px) 100vw, 2249px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chalkbeat.org\/\">Chalkbeat<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its work with The Chicago Tribune on the impact of COVID-19 on schools, and its work with THE CITY reporting on flaws in the New York City Public School&#8217;s special education program<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/manchesterinklink.com\">Manchester Ink Link<\/a><\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for its work with the Granite State News Collaborative \u2014 sharing daily content and pooling freelancers, and greatly expanding statewide COVID-19 coverage<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\">VT Digger<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its work with&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vermont Public Radio to tell the backstory about how local white supremacists and their sympathizers drove Vermont\u2019s only Black woman lawmaker out of office, and how state and local investigators failed to fully probe the case<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-105275\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Business-Idea-of-the-Year.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2249\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Business-Idea-of-the-Year.png 2249w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Business-Idea-of-the-Year-300x84.png 300w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Business-Idea-of-the-Year-1024x287.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Business-Idea-of-the-Year-768x215.png 768w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Business-Idea-of-the-Year-1536x430.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Business-Idea-of-the-Year-2048x574.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2249px) 100vw, 2249px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>This award is sponsored by&nbsp;<a class=\"c-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rjionline.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"https:\/\/www.rjionline.org\/\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\">Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute<\/a>&nbsp;and includes a cash award for the winner.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/detourdetroiter.com\">Detour Detroit<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for&nbsp;its <a href=\"https:\/\/detourdetroiter.com\/keep-detroit-local-small-business-ad-giveaway\/\">Keep Detroit Local initiative<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.richlandsource.com\">Richland Source<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its <a href=\"https:\/\/sourcebrandsolutions.com\/\">Source Brand Solutions<\/a> digital marketing agency<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.taprootedmonton.ca\">Taproot Edmonton<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.taprootpublishing.ca\/spotlight\">curated newsletter<\/a> for businesses<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\">VT Digger<\/a>&nbsp;<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for its <a href=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/press-release-portal\/\">press release portal<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-105279\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Technology-Innovation.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2249\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Technology-Innovation.png 2249w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Technology-Innovation-300x84.png 300w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Technology-Innovation-1024x287.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Technology-Innovation-768x215.png 768w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Technology-Innovation-1536x430.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Technology-Innovation-2048x574.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2249px) 100vw, 2249px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/documentedny.com\">Documented<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its <a href=\"https:\/\/documentedny.com\/whatsapp\">WhatsApp news app in Spanish<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/\">Montana Free Press<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.montanafreepress.org\/montana-2020\/\">interactive election guide<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/thenevadaindependent.com\">Nevada Independent<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its <a href=\"https:\/\/thenevadaindependent.com\/coronavirus-data-nevada\">comprehensive COVID-19 data<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\">VT Digger<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its <a href=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/press-release-portal\/\">reader services platform<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-105274\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Best-Solutions-Project-of-the-Year.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2249\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Best-Solutions-Project-of-the-Year.png 2249w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Best-Solutions-Project-of-the-Year-300x84.png 300w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Best-Solutions-Project-of-the-Year-1024x287.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Best-Solutions-Project-of-the-Year-768x215.png 768w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Best-Solutions-Project-of-the-Year-1536x430.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Best-Solutions-Project-of-the-Year-2048x574.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2249px) 100vw, 2249px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/meet-the-2020-lion-awards-finalists\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>California Health Report<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its coverage of increased domestic violence during the pandemic, including how&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;housing first&#8221; programs in California offer survivors housing as a first step in the next chapter of their lives<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chalkbeat.org\">Chalkbeat<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its coverage of the&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">challenges that hold low-income students back and the innovations that are underway to propel them forward<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/milwaukeenns.org\">Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reporting on state preparations for closing two youth prisons, an examination of what juvenile justice looks like in New York, and its implications for Milwaukee<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.richlandsource.com\">Richland Source<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">listening tour in each of Mansfield&#8217;s six wards as part of its pre-election coverage<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-105273\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Best-Coverage-of-Underserved-Communities.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2249\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Best-Coverage-of-Underserved-Communities.png 2249w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Best-Coverage-of-Underserved-Communities-300x84.png 300w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Best-Coverage-of-Underserved-Communities-1024x287.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Best-Coverage-of-Underserved-Communities-768x215.png 768w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Best-Coverage-of-Underserved-Communities-1536x430.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Best-Coverage-of-Underserved-Communities-2048x574.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2249px) 100vw, 2249px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/crosscut.com\">Cascade Public Media\/CrossCut<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its coverage of&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">diverse communities throughout western Washington \u2014 immigrants, farmworkers, grocery shoppers in rural and urban areas alike \u2014 in its reporting on food deserts<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.calhealthreport.org\">California Health Report<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its coverage of&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Californians who are low-income, live in rural parts of the state and are immigrants, many of whom are undocumented; children who are medically fragile; and foster youth in California, who are disproportionately Black and Native American.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/detourdetroiter.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Detour Detroit<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emerging Voices fellowship, which recruited citizens of color with an interest in journalism or writing but limited to no professional experience from underrepresented Detroit neighborhoods<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/documentedny.com\">Documented<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its coverage of&nbsp;New York\u2019s immigrants and the policies that affect their lives; particularly coverage of news stories in Spanish through a WhatsApp news service<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-105278\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Publisher-of-the-Year-Solo-Small-and-Large.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2249\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Publisher-of-the-Year-Solo-Small-and-Large.png 2249w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Publisher-of-the-Year-Solo-Small-and-Large-300x84.png 300w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Publisher-of-the-Year-Solo-Small-and-Large-1024x287.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Publisher-of-the-Year-Solo-Small-and-Large-768x215.png 768w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Publisher-of-the-Year-Solo-Small-and-Large-1536x430.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Publisher-of-the-Year-Solo-Small-and-Large-2048x574.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2249px) 100vw, 2249px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<h3><strong>Solo<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lymeline.com\">LymeLine.com<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Community News for Lyme and Old Lyme, Connecticut<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tapinto.net\/towns\/westfield\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>TAPInto Westfield<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Online local news in Westfield, New Jersey<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<h3><strong>Small&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\">Montana Free Press<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: A<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">n independent, nonprofit source for in-depth Montana news, information and analysis<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sanjosespotlight.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>San Jose Spotlight<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: T<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he city\u2019s first nonprofit news organization dedicated to independent political and business reporting<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tucsonsentinel.com\">TucsonSentinel.com<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A nonprofit local independent online news organization that covers Southern Arizona<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<h3><strong>Large<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.citysidejournalism.org\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Cityside<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization committed to building community through local journalism at Berkeleyside and The Oaklandside<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicsource.org\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Public Source<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: A n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">onprofit digital-first news organization that delivers public-service reporting and analysis in the Pittsburgh region<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.richlandsource.com\">Richland Source<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: An <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">online community news organization serving North Central Ohio<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-105282\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Investigative-Report-of-the-Year.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2249\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Investigative-Report-of-the-Year.png 2249w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Investigative-Report-of-the-Year-300x84.png 300w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Investigative-Report-of-the-Year-1024x287.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Investigative-Report-of-the-Year-768x215.png 768w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Investigative-Report-of-the-Year-1536x430.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Investigative-Report-of-the-Year-2048x574.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2249px) 100vw, 2249px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<h3><strong>Solo<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/theaustinbulldog.org\">The Austin Bulldog<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its investigation of <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the Travis Central Appraisal District that&nbsp;exposed faulty management decisions that resulted in more than three times the number of formal Appraisal Review Board hearings, skyrocketing costs, doubled complaints, and more litigation over unresolved value disputes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.calhealthreport.org\/\">California Health Report<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its investigation into&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">how much federal money for mental health care California counties left on the table<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/charlotteledger.substack.com\">The Charlotte Ledger<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its investigation of the&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">complicated and troubling history of a man who was once one of Charlotte&#8217;s most influential economic development officials, who in recent years had a string of court cases involving stalking and harassment<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lincolnsquirrel.com\">The Lincoln Squirrel<\/a> <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for its investigation <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">revealing that a major town department had almost no oversight by officials for years<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<h3><strong>Small<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/bethesdamagazine.com\/Bethesda-Beat-Sign-Up\/\">Bethesda Beat<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">investigation into AirBnB rental violations under a newly passed law that left the county no options for enforcement<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.coloradoindependent.com\">The Colorado Independent<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its investigation into a police killing of a man <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and the community&#8217;s lack of discussion around mental health issues<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/highlandscurrent.org\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>The Highlands Current<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its investigation of&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">how legislators had attempted to quietly enact a statute that would allow any county employee or contractor to write \u201cConfidential\u201d on a document to keep it secret from the public, press and even other elected officials<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tucsonsentinel.com\">TucsonSentinel.com<\/a><\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">its coverage of a Latino man&#8217;s death while in Tucson police custody, which <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">prompted the adoption of new internal review, transparency and notification policies by the Tucson Police Department and City Council<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<h3><strong>Large<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chalkbeat.org\">Chalkbeat<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its investigation that revealed&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indiana\u2019s most struggling high schools had marked down 3,700 students as leaving to home-school \u2013 but in actuality they were dropping out<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\">VT Digger<\/a> <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for its investigation s<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">urrounding the Kiah Morris case, in which a white supremacist harassed Vermont\u2019s only Black lawmaker until she resigned, only to avoid criminal charges<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-105270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Breaking-News.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2249\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Breaking-News.png 2249w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Breaking-News-300x84.png 300w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Breaking-News-1024x287.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Breaking-News-768x215.png 768w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Breaking-News-1536x430.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Breaking-News-2048x574.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2249px) 100vw, 2249px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/bethesdamagazine.com\/bethesda-beat\/\">Bethesda Beat<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its reporting on the first COVID-19 cases in Maryland<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/thisisreno.com\">This is Reno<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its reporting <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that rioting was not a part of a Black Lives Matter demonstration earlier in the day, and how one of its &nbsp;journalists was assaulted<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tucsonsentinel.com\">TucsonSentinel.com<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">breaking the news of a Latino man&#8217;s death while in Tucson police custody<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/wausaupilotandreview.com\">Wausau Pilot &amp; Review<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its reporting on a&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">man who rigged his apartment with explosives, then shot three victims at the cemetery where he once was employed<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-105272\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Visual-Journalism-Project.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2249\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Visual-Journalism-Project.png 2249w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Visual-Journalism-Project-300x84.png 300w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Visual-Journalism-Project-1024x287.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Visual-Journalism-Project-768x215.png 768w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Visual-Journalism-Project-1536x430.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Visual-Journalism-Project-2048x574.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2249px) 100vw, 2249px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<h3><strong>Small<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebatavian.com\">The Batavian<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its coverage of <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the first-ever civil rights protest in its community<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebeacon.media\">The Beacon<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its coverage of Black Lives Matter protests in Kansas City<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/oilcity.news\">Oil City News<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its coverage of&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the bittersweet closure of a beloved local business after 103 years; the joy of a graduation ceremony in the middle of a pandemic; and the pride of a community coming together to march peacefully for justice<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sweetwaternow.com\">SweetwaterNOW<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its coverage of the&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">local American Legion baseball team as it navigated the early stages of spring training and the opening of the season<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<h3><strong>Medium<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/thenevadaindependent.com\">The Nevada Independent<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its COVID-19 data visualizations<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicsource.org\/\">Public Source<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for &#8220;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Good River: Stories of the Ohio&#8221; \u2014 a collaborative, visual reporting project about the waters and ecosystem that helped to build and sustain the region<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<h3><strong>Large<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\">VT Digger<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its coverage examining why deaths at the hands of police are rising in Vermont and what can be done to prevent police shootings<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/crosscut.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Cascade Public Media\/Crosscut<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for its coverage of life during the pandemic<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-105292\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Judges-will-award-vendors-who-offer-best-in-class-products-and-customer-service-for-LION-Publishers.-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2250\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Judges-will-award-vendors-who-offer-best-in-class-products-and-customer-service-for-LION-Publishers.-2.png 2250w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Judges-will-award-vendors-who-offer-best-in-class-products-and-customer-service-for-LION-Publishers.-2-300x84.png 300w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Judges-will-award-vendors-who-offer-best-in-class-products-and-customer-service-for-LION-Publishers.-2-1024x287.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Judges-will-award-vendors-who-offer-best-in-class-products-and-customer-service-for-LION-Publishers.-2-768x215.png 768w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Judges-will-award-vendors-who-offer-best-in-class-products-and-customer-service-for-LION-Publishers.-2-1536x430.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Judges-will-award-vendors-who-offer-best-in-class-products-and-customer-service-for-LION-Publishers.-2-2048x573.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2250px) 100vw, 2250px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/broadstreetads.com\">Broadstreet Ads<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rebelmouse.com\">RebelMouse<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/townnews.com\">TownNews<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/webpublisherpro.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Web Publisher PRO<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We\u2019re excited to announce the finalists for the 2020 LION Awards, which celebrates the best of independent online media across the U.S. and Canada, from solopreneurs to large newsrooms.&nbsp; This is the second year for the awards, which invited nearly 30 judges from across the industry to evaluate 169 entries from LION members \u2014 more&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":668,"featured_media":105244,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[141,2,146],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/https-cdn.evbuc_.com-images-111937369-355816428189-1-original.20200918-152712.jpeg",1080,540,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/https-cdn.evbuc_.com-images-111937369-355816428189-1-original.20200918-152712-150x150.jpeg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/https-cdn.evbuc_.com-images-111937369-355816428189-1-original.20200918-152712-300x150.jpeg",300,150,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/https-cdn.evbuc_.com-images-111937369-355816428189-1-original.20200918-152712-768x384.jpeg",768,384,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/https-cdn.evbuc_.com-images-111937369-355816428189-1-original.20200918-152712-1024x512.jpeg",1024,512,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/https-cdn.evbuc_.com-images-111937369-355816428189-1-original.20200918-152712.jpeg",1080,540,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/https-cdn.evbuc_.com-images-111937369-355816428189-1-original.20200918-152712.jpeg",1080,540,false]},"post_excerpt_stackable":"<p>We\u2019re excited to announce the finalists for the 2020 LION Awards, which celebrates the best of independent online media across the U.S. and Canada, from solopreneurs to large newsrooms.&nbsp; This is the second year for the awards, which invited nearly 30 judges from across the industry to evaluate 169 entries from LION members \u2014 more than double the number of entries from last year.&nbsp; This year, we added several new categories to reflect where we think our members excelled: Public Service; Best Coronavirus Coverage; Emerging Publisher; and Collaboration of the Year. LION staff will also award a member who has&hellip;<\/p>\n","category_list":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/category\/news\/announcements\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Announcements<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/category\/news\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/category\/news\/programs-and-events\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Programs and Events<\/a>","author_info":{"name":"Kelsey Ryan","url":"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/author\/kelseyryan\/"},"comments_num":"0 comments","yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Meet the 2020 LION Awards Finalists - LION Publishers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/meet-the-2020-lion-awards-finalists\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Meet the 2020 LION Awards Finalists - 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