August 8, 2007: Vol. 30, No. 30

The Brooklyn Paper is a Suburban News­papers of America “Newspaper of the Year,” the group announced on Monday.

Finding that “The Brooklyn Paper was strongly and brightly written throughout,” SNA’s judges heaped special praise on the newspaper for its reporting on the Atlantic Yards mega-development.

“The Brooklyn Paper’s aggressive, read­able coverage of local developer Bruce Ratner stood out,” they wrote.

The SNA is a leading newspaper professional and trade association, representing more than 2,000 daily and weekly newspapers in both suburban and urban community markets across the country. The contest was judged by the American Press Institute.

The Paper was cited for general excellence in its category of newspapers, the com­petitive class of larg­est circulation week­lies.

Publisher Ed Weintrob said he was particularly pleased that the judges singled out The Paper’s Atlantic Yards coverage for praise.

“This story — the biggest Brooklyn story in our lifetimes — is one we’ve stayed with over four years, despite strong commercial pressures to do otherwise, and despite appearing out on a limb, given the determination of other New York newspapers to either ignore it or misreport it.”

Publisher Celia Weintrob said her staff “should be rightfully proud to receive this recognition of their outstanding work.”

Paper Editor Gersh Kuntzman was less florid. “It is customary for editors who bring home awards like this to get hefty raises,” Kuntzman said. “I will use a portion of mine to take the entire staff out for a well-earned drink.”

Turning to The Brooklyn Paper’s back pages, the judges celebrated the newspaper’s “accessible and reader-friendly” color classifieds.

Up front, the judges praised the “use of graphical elements, [which] illuminates and draws readers into stories.”

The award will be presented during the SNA’s Publishers’ and Advertisers Directors’ Conference, in October in Philadelphia.

©2007 The Brooklyn Paper