by Dennis Dalman
Two Newsleaders columnists, Janagan Ramanathan and Dennis Dalman, won honors recently in the Minnesota Newspaper Association’s annual “Better Newspaper Contest.”
Dalman won first place and Ramanathan won third in the category of “Best Columns” for non-daily newspapers with a total readership circulation of more than 7,000. The Newsleaders was founded in 1989 by owner/publisher Janelle Von Pinnon. It now has a circulation of 14,000 for its two publications – the Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader and the St. Joseph Newsleader.
All columnist entrants were asked to submit for the contest three columns of their choice written last year.
There were 4,095 entries in categories that covered virtually every aspect of newspapers: news stories, feature stories, sports, advertising, editorial writing and more. Because of that high number of entries, newspaper peers/judges were recruited from not just one state but from three: South Dakota, North Carolina, New Jersey.
The awards were presented at the 157th annual convention of the Minnesota News Association held Jan. 31-Feb. 2 at the Marriott Hotel in Brooklyn Park.
Ramanathan won for his columns written about national and international issues.
The judge’s comment:
“The entries here make this seem like a very serious column, and that’s not a bad thing at a time when too many of us simply make declarations instead of explaining why we feel as we do. The columns also stand out for clear, well-framed writing.”
“To be honest, I’m surprised I got this award,” Ramanathan said. “I’ve always spoken my mind when talking to people in-person or over social media, but I wasn’t sure I’d be as good at communicating my views in a more formal medium like a newspaper. Ultimately, I’m grateful just to be able to speak freely like this, and winning an award like this is a cherry on top.”
Ramanathan, who has written a twice-monthly guest column for the Newsleaders since April 2023, was raised in Sartell, son of Vasugi and Gajen Ramanathan. He was a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy, training as an officer candidate. In the past year, he has been studying aerospace engineering at the University of Minnesota.
One of Dalman’s column entries, the one the judges deemed a stand-out, was about a kitchen-table conversation he had with two next-door neighbors, Richard and Martha Dubbin. It was a satirical fun take on Martha’s alleged jigsaw-puzzle addiction, “puzzle-itis.”
The judge’s comment:
“This is exactly what a local column should be: a free-roaming conversation that can get whimsical about everyday doings or serious about a troubling national issue. The first-person tone makes the column feel even more like an engaging chat with the reader.”
“I had a good time writing that particular column,” Dalman said. “Many readers told me they really enjoyed its humor. Even Martha, who was teased all through that column, laughed loudly when I read it to her. So yes, it was gratifying to win mainly for something I had so much fun writing.”
Raised in south St. Cloud, Dalman earned degrees in English and mass communications from St. Cloud State University. He has been a news-and-features reporter, editorial writer and columnist for 41 years, 25 of them for the Newsleaders newspapers.
