CARY — In an update to our earlier report on the North Carolina Press Association’s recognition of Coastal Review’s editorial excellence, last week the North Carolina Bar Association presented a special award to Assistant Editor Jennifer Allen for her reporting on legal matters.
The award was presented along with other awards during the press organization’s annual convention held Thursday and Friday at the Cary Embassy Suites.
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Allen received the Media and the Law Award of Excellence for her story, “Coastal commission lawyer: CAMA a 50-year ‘balancing act,’” published Dec. 16, 2024.
According to the contest rules, judges were to look for “insightful coverage of law-related topics that foster greater public understanding of the legal system and the role of lawyers in today’s society.”
Allen’s report detailed the history and implementation of the state’s 50-year-old Coastal Area Management Act, better known simply as CAMA.
“This award is what we’re all about: helping the public understand North Carolina’s complex coastal management laws and policy and the rationale behind their creation,” said Coastal Review Editor Mark Hibbs in reaction to the award.
Allen joined Coastal Review in 2017. She was previously the Coastal Living editor with the Carteret County News-Times.
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This was the press association’s 152nd annual convention, and members were honored for excellence in news, photojournalism and advertising. The awards were for work published between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025. Coastal Review’s work was judged in the online-only category.
The Nebraska Press Association judged the contest this year.
A full list of contest winners is available online.
Launched in 2012, Coastal Review is published daily, Monday-Friday, by the North Carolina Coastal Federation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit group dedicated to protecting and preserving the North Carolina coast. Coastal Review provides objective reporting, information and commentary on issues, policy and notable figures and history with a specific focus on the environment and people of the state’s 20 coastal counties.
