Readers of The Brooklyn Paper have known it for years, but now it’s official: Mike McLaughlin is the best young journalist in the state of New York.
That judgement was rendered last Saturday in Saratoga Springs by the New York Press Association, a statewide trade association that represents hundreds of daily and weekly newspapers, big and small.
In tight competition, the judges cited McLaughlin, 30, for an “engaging writing style,” and stories that are “well-organized, informative — a treat to read.”
They also responded to McLaughlin’s “broad range of stories,” including hard news; his scoops on Coney Island and other development topics; his bright features; and even “Mike McLaughlin’s The Search,” his ongoing series about finding love in the Big City of Brooklyn.
Readers of The Brooklyn Paper have also come to admire McLaughlin in his newest role, as the “Butcher of Flatbush Avenue Extension,” our theater critic.
“I feel great!” McLaughlin said after hearing the news from Publisher Emeritus Ed Weintrob, who collected the trophy for the rookie. “I can’t say more right now, because I have to go call my mom.”
Brooklyn Paper Editor Gersh Kuntzman was more effusive than the humble scribe.
“Now it can be told: Mike McLaughlin is one of the greats,” Kuntzman said. “It’s customary in these instances for editors to take credit for their leadership, but in this case, it would be unwarranted: Mike is a natural who hands in stellar, crystal clear copy every day.”
Before joining The Brooklyn Paper in 2007, McLaughlin had earned a masters degree at New School University in that most useful of disciplines, international affairs. He also had several short stints at WNYC and the Buenos Aires Herald, an English-language newspaper.
