Butler Eagle wins numerous Professional Keystone Media awards
The Butler Eagle was the recipient of 11 Professional Keystone Media awards and honored with the Sweepstakes award in its division by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association.
“The Sweepstakes award is given to the news organization with the most points for excellence in journalism garnered during Keystone Media Awards,” said Donna Sybert, Eagle managing editor.
The Butler Eagle was recognized as an award winner in Division II, which includes multi-day publications with a circulation of 10,000-24,999.
Three of the awards involved coverage of the July 13, 2024, attempted assassination attempt of then candidate President Donald Trump.
“During the past year, the Butler Eagle -- your community newspaper -- has more than met the moment with breaking news, investigative and continuing coverage of the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt of Trump and the fatal shooting of our neighbor, Corey Comperatore,” Sybert said.
The Butler Eagle tied for first place in the investigative reporting category for “Secret Service flaws enabled Trump assassination attempt,” which was written through a collaboration that included former staff writer Irina Bucur, assignment editor Tracy Leturgey and community editor Eddie Trizzino.
The investigation by Spotlight PA, ProPublica and the Butler Eagle revealed that the weaknesses that led to the assassination attempt were not unique to the July rally, but the inevitable breakdown of an already vulnerable system.
The Butler Eagle also took first place in breaking news for a staff report entitled “Trump rally shooting in Butler County: Attendees ‘at a loss’ after assassination attempt.”
Copy desk chief Joe Genco won first place for his news page design on the assassination attempt, “Trump shot: Shooting creates chaotic scene at Butler Farm Show grounds.”
“I am proud of our staff and how everyone pulled together to cover the event in real time and then, the next day, turn around and create a special section combining that information and so much more,” Sybert said.“ The demand for that section with its iconic print front page showed how people still turn to newspapers when they want to save a slice of history.
“And while coverage of that shocking, horrendous event continued, so did other news in Butler County. Our staff worked to serve the community by reporting – whether it is breaking news such as a fire or trends on the football field.”
Genco and Leturgey were also recognized for work beyond the assassination attempt.
Genco received an honorable mention in the news page design category for “Rain pounds county: Flooding leads to rescues, closures.”
Leturgey received an honorable mention for her column, entitled “The Sunday Wrapup: Editor’s take on a week’s worth of local news.”
For podcasts, Laura Crago, host of the Butler Eagle’s Alter Eagle podcast, won two awards. She placed first for “Motherhood: Joy, Grief, and Everything in Between” and second for “Beyond the Struggle: Changing the Conversation on Addiction.”
Staff photographer Morgan Phillips won two awards in two separate categories. She won second place for both her breaking news photo, “Saving the dog: Fireman carries dog out of house fire,” and her photo essay, “Ready to grow: Thiele farm prepares for upcoming planting season.”
Sports editor Jake Merda Adams took home second place in the sports enterprise category for his article, “Why Butler County high school football teams are adopting Guardian Caps during practice.”
Finally, The Butler Eagle was recognized with first place in the graphic and photo illustration for former staff writer Austin Uram’s “Cost of a DUI” graphic which was part of the staff series Pathways to Recovery about those struggling with addiction in Butler County.
“I am very proud of the efforts of the staff, from editors, writers, photographers, designers and podcast producer,” said publisher Tammy Schuey. “It was a very challenging year but they rose to the occasion to produce outstanding work. I am grateful for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association for recognizing their efforts and awarding them this prestigious honor.”
The Keystone Media Awards were previously called the Keystone Press Awards before merging with the Pennsylvania Associated Press Media Editors Media Awards in 2020.
According to its website, the awards aim to “reinforce excellence by individuals in the news media profession by recognizing journalism that consistently provides relevance, integrity, and initiative in serving readers and audiences, and faithfully fulfills its First Amendment rights/responsibilities.”
Winners will be honored at the Keystone Media Awards Luncheon on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Harrisburg.
