The Voice wins 3 awards at NHPA fete including coveted 1st Amendment Award

Inset, Rochester Voice editor Harrison Thorp

The Rochester Voice took home three awards in the New Hampshire Press Association's Distinguished Journalism Contest and awards banquet on Thursday night, including a first place in the coveted First Amendment Award category for a series of articles that highlighted a yearlong battle with the City of Rochester over its refusal to honor the digital daily's Right to Know requests.
The entry, titled "The Rochester Voice v. the City of Rochester: A Right to Know donnybrook," was heralded by judges for demonstrating "laudable leadership and resolve in pressing a news organization's First Amendment mission."
It should be noted that the First Amendment Award is a single class award that is open to all New Hampshire news organizations, large and small.
The Rochester Voice also took home a second place for stories on a former Rochester city councilor who violated the ethics policy he helped write while chairman of Rochester's Codes and Ordinances Committee. The series of articles and editorials titled, "Ethics policy chair violates policy he helped craft," was called spot on by judges, who wrote, "Government stories like this are why journalists are the watchdogs. Great job at relaying to the community how the policy was violated."
In addition The Rochester Voice took home another first place in crime and courts reporting for a series of stories in what became known as the "Only Fans" case in which a Pennsylvania man stalked a Somersworth woman he met on an "Only Fans" website. The man who became obsessed with her ended up breaking into her home and violating her privacy by taking obscene photographs of her while she was sleeping in her own bedroom.
The entry, titled 'Onlyfans' stalking case saw young man go from 'fan' to 'fanatic' proved riveting reading for judges, who noted, "Luridly written, but well-told, the story unfolded almost like fiction but was sadly true. Feature kept my attention throughout the whole piece."
The awards ceremony was held at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics on the campus of Saint Anselm College in Goffstown.