Gregory Bacon

An OBSERVER and Post-Journal staff member has won two statewide awards in digital and print journalism.

Gregory Bacon won first place for Spot News Coverage for the article “North County man behind bars for sexual assault of children” and second place in Public Service for the article “Good, bad and ugly of recycling in Chautauqua County” from the Journalists Association of New York.

The awards were for newspapers with a circulation of less than 75,000 a week and were announced over the weekend in Saratoga Springs.

The Journalists Association of New York (JANY) was formerly known as the New York State Associated Press Association, a nonprofit organization overseen by a volunteer board of journalists from across the state.

The article “North county man behind bars for sexual assault of children” was about Dustin Post who allegedly would befriend moms with young children, build trust with them, and sexually assault the children. The ages range of the victims were from 1 to 12 years of age. Post is still behind bars and his case has not gone to trial.

In the judges’ comments, they wrote, “A good, solid reporting of a breaking news press conference. This article hit all the bases.”

The article “Good, bad and ugly of recycling in Chautauqua County” was a feature about the positives and negatives when it comes to recycling things like scrap metal, plastic, paper, cardboard, glass, tires and electronics. The article was published near Earth Day, 2021.

In the judges’ comments, they wrote, “Good coverage, explaining some of the things consumers could not be aware of.”

This is the first time Bacon has won an award for article writing. He previously won an Associated Press award for headline writing.

Bacon has worked for the OBSERVER and The Post-Journal since 1999. A Cassadaga resident, he is married to Angela (nee O’Neal). They have three children, Christopher and Abigail of Cassadaga, and Judith (Ronald Walter) Gabalski of Frewsburg.