The board of trustees of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation-Philippine Press Institute Community Press Awards is elevating The Freeman to the Hall of Fame this year after the paper consistently reaped most major awards in the past three years.
The annual awards, set on Wednesday, honors community newspapers nationwide that have shown outstanding work in editing, photojournalism, newspaper design, reporting on business and the economy, science and technology and the environment, and investigative reporting.
The Freeman has won 10 of a total of 22 awards so far given by the KAF-PPI in the past three years.
These include Best Edited Newspaper, Best Editorial Page, Best in Photojournalism, Best in Cultural and Historical Reporting, and Best in Newspaper Design in 1998.
The Freeman also won the Best in Environmental Reporting in 1997 and Best in Photojournalism, Best in Science and Technology Reporting and Best in Newspaper Design in 1996.
To be elevated with The Freeman to the Hall of Fame is another Cebu paper, SunStar Daily.
Nominated for this year's awards in the weekly category are Bandillo ng Palawan, West Leyte Weekly Express, Ang Bagong Katarungan, Leyte-Samar Weekly Express, The Southerner, The Voice, The Reporter, Mindanao Mirror Bulletin, Mindanao Bulletin, Pangasinan Star and Mindanao Cross.
Papers competing in the daily category are Sun Star Clark, Bohol Times, Mindanao Daily Mirror, Negros Daily Bulletin, Sun Star Cagayan de Oro, Visayan Daily Star, Mindanao Gold Star Daily and Sun Star Dumaguete.