The Star Democrat has the Best Move of 2023

May 3, 2024


The logo for The Star Democrat, featuring the newspaper name in black text with an eagle, and a blue URL with a star.

The Star Democrat was awarded the Best Move of 2023 for its Summer Speaker Series: PIVOT: Conversations to Spark Change.  This series continues the momentum of their Women to Watch program with five sessions of panel discussions, one for each county on the Midshore. 


This award is chosen by the viewers of the MDDC Contest broadcast.  The Best Moves category asks “what was the most important thing your organization did during the contest year?”  Ideas implemented could come from any area of the business, and nominee interviews are recorded with video for judging. 


The Star Democrat created the PIVOT series to capitalize on the conversations and energy captured in its popular Women to Watch program.  Each panel discussion starts off with breakfast and networking, and a dedicated headshot station staffed by a professional photographer.  The main attraction is a panel discussion featuring a few of the Women to Watch honorees.  This series was grounded in each of the featured counties, Kent, Dorchester, Caroline, Queen Anne’s and Talbot, highlighting local women through substantive discussion. 


Listen to the podcast episode for this Best Move. 


Honorable Mention – Nominees

The AFRO


The AFRO was awarded the Best Move of 2023 for its launch of the AFRO Digital Billboard network, which was supported by the Google News Equity Fund.   


This award is chosen by the viewers of the MDDC Contest broadcast.  The Best Moves category asks “what was the most important thing your organization did during the contest year?”  Ideas implemented could come from any area of the business, and nominee interviews are recorded with video for judging. 


This project expanded The AFRO’s reach to the local African American communities in the Baltimore and Washington DC metropolitan areas using digital “out of home” and “in-home” technologies.  The AFRO sees great value in building an information ecosystem that can push content to targeted underrepresented areas with an intentional prioritization on representation.   


For over 130 years the AFRO has supported small businesses, and that tradition continues by offering our AFRO Digital Billboard Network (DBN) gratis to host sites.   


The Digital Billboard Network launched in the Randallstown and Owings Mills area since there is a significant number of AFRO subscribers in the area and a large concentration of their target market. The Network has 9 locations with an additional screen at The AFRO headquarters.   


Read the full nomination letter here. 


Listen to the podcast episode for this Best Move. 


The Baltimore Sun has the Best Move of 2023 


The Baltimore Sun was awarded the Best Move of 2023 for its deeply researched searchable database of 309 people with ties to the Catholic Church who were accused of child sexual abuse or misconduct and lived or worked anywhere in Maryland, regardless of where the alleged acts occurred. 


This award is chosen by the viewers of the MDDC Contest broadcast.  The Best Moves category asks “what was the most important thing your organization did during the contest year?”  Ideas implemented could come from any area of the business, and nominee interviews are recorded with video for judging. 


The Sun published the database in December 2023, which adds 107 names, researched by Sun reporters, to the people listed in the attorney general report issued in April. The tool allowed former students, campers and workers to make connections to the people and parishes involved in the abuse and its cover-up. The Sun developed the database in part because neither the church nor the attorney general’s office has one, nor are their public lists comprehensive. The Sun decided before publication to make and keep the database outside the paywall as a community service. 


Read the full nomination letter here. 


Listen to the podcast episode for this Best Move. 


The Baltimore Banner


The Baltimore Banner was awarded the Best Move of 2023 for adding a fully-staffed sports department to its newsroom. The addition of this group of 10 reporters and editors, expanded The Baltimore Banner’s ability to meet the needs of its audience, broadened the scope of its coverage and bolstered its visibility to significantly enhance its relevance online.    


This award is chosen by the viewers of the MDDC Contest broadcast.  The Best Moves category asks “what was the most important thing your organization did during the contest year?”  Ideas implemented could come from any area of the business, and nominee interviews are recorded with video for judging. 


The decision to add sports was always part of the roadmap but The Banner expedited that decision due to the evolving needs and preferences of its audience. They assembled a team of talented sports journalists to cover local sports along with the Baltimore Orioles and Baltimore Ravens. They also hired a columnist to bring perspective and be the voice of sports fans in the region.   From accountability reporting regarding the Camden Yards lease with the state to in-depth profiles of players and coaches, The Banner’s sports coverage has strengthened its editorial offering and become a driver of subscriptions and audience engagement.    


Read the full nomination letter here. 


Listen to the podcast episode for this Best Move. 


The Daily Record


The Daily Record was awarded the Best Move of 2023 for its launch of the Empowering Women event, which highlights and recognizes the companies and organizations that elevate women.   


This award is chosen by the viewers of the MDDC Contest broadcast.  The Best Moves category asks “what was the most important thing your organization did during the contest year?”  Ideas implemented could come from any area of the business, and nominee interviews are recorded with video for judging. 


With almost 30 years of recognizing female leaders through various awards events, The Daily Record wanted to find a way to highlight the companies and organizations that do their part to elevate women.  Through The Daily Record’s Maryland’s Top 100 Women event almost 1,800 women have been honored, and its Leading Women awards has recognized almost 700 up-and-coming female leaders 40 and under.  Adding to this, is the Women’s Leadership Summit that brings these groups together along with others for learning about critical topics, networking and more.  


The Daily Record launched Empowering Women in this supportive environment.  Despite its long record of honoring women across Maryland, they weren’t sure how the new event would be received. They ended up with 47 applications and honored more than 30 of them. The Daily Record held the inaugural event following our Women’s Leadership Summit, which proved to be quite popular.  


Read the full nomination letter here. 


Listen to the podcast episode for this Best Move. 


The Daily Record


The Daily Record was awarded the Best Move of 2023 for the redesign of its own website and the integration of that website with other sister publications.  


This award is chosen by the viewers of the MDDC Contest broadcast.  The Best Moves category asks “what was the most important thing your organization did during the contest year?”  Ideas implemented could come from any area of the business, and nominee interviews are recorded with video for judging. 


With the increased prominence of digital journalism and the need for a refresh, The Daily Record led its sister publications into integrated sites that can more easily share content and ideas with readers.  The effect has been powerful, with increased page views and visits year over year. 


Listen to the podcast episode for this Best Move. 


The Frederick News-Post


The Frederick News-Post was awarded the Best Move of 2023 for its DayTripper – Summer and Fall edition.  DayTripper was inserted into The Frederick News-Post and other sister publications in the area, providing readers with ideas and promotions for fun jaunts in the area. 


This award is chosen by the viewers of the MDDC Contest broadcast.  The Best Moves category asks “what was the most important thing your organization did during the contest year?”  Ideas implemented could come from any area of the business, and nominee interviews are recorded with video for judging. 


The Frederick News-Post created the publication in just three weeks as a print-only guide to local attractions.  It filled a need for many local tourism boards, which supported the publication with advertising and ideas for day trips.  Based on the success of the summer edition, this publication has turned into a thrice-yearly edition and features expanded circulation in several sister markets. 


Listen to the podcast episode for this Best Move. 

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