Black River Technical College (BRTC) Alumni John Allen French recently earned a sleuth of Arkansas Press Association Awards in the 2023 Better Newspaper Editorial Contest for the Pocahontas Star Herald where he is Editor-in-Chief.
French was presented a certificate of performance excellence for first place in the humorous column writing, editorial writing, and headline writing categories. Judges remarked, “This is why I love small town newspapers; his writing makes me feel like I live on Main Street in Pocahontas.”
He earned a first-place certificate of performance excellence for Best Reporting Series in conjunction with BRTC Communications Specialist/freelance journalist Jessica Rainwater for his designs. Judges remarked, “great design, colors and a very well written and informative series. Visually pleasing, easy to read and showcases these survivors as the heroes they are.”
French’s weekly column “Speaking French” also placed second in the humorous category and third in the editorial category. He received honorable mention in the feature photo category and honorable mention in the overall top newspaper category, which means the Star Herald placed fourth in the category.
French earned an Associate of Art from BRTC in 2009. He earned a Bachelor of Art in Journalism and Mass Communication from Arizona State University in 2023, and is currently seeking a Masters of Art in Education from Arizona State University.
He became editor of the Star Herald in 2021 after longtime editor Anita Murphy stepped down.
French is also a fulltime, single father. He and his 15-year-old daughter Presley reside in Pocahontas.