Honor comes in public service category
NEWPORT – Ocean State Stories has been named a finalist in the 2025 LION Publishers Sustainability Awards contest. The contest is sponsored by LION, or Local, Independent, Online News, an organization with more than 575 members in the U.S. and Canada.
“We received an incredible 250 award submissions this year, and while many were truly impressive, yours stood out,” LION wrote this week in an email to Ocean State Stories. “Your outstanding work is making a meaningful impact, both in your community and across the independent journalism ecosystem.”
Ocean State Stories is a finalist in the public service category, which “recognizes a LION member that has consistently produced journalism with meaningful and demonstrable impact in its communities and has held those in power accountable,” according to LION.
On its website, LION states its vision as “a world where thriving, independent news organizations provide equitable access to inclusive and impactful news and information.” Its mission, according to the site, “is to strengthen the local news industry by helping independent news publishers build more sustainable businesses.”
“We are honored by being named a finalist in public service, which has been a driving force in our journalism from the start,” said G. Wayne Miller, co-founder and director of Ocean State Stories. “We thank LION for this recognition.”
Said Pell Center director and Ocean State Stories co-founder Jim Ludes: “Wayne Miller has built an important source of local news that covers the most human of stories across the Ocean State. It deserves every recognition it receives.”
Winners of the 2025 contest will be announced at the 2025 LION Publishers Sustainability Awards Ceremony and Dinner in St. Louis on Sept. 3.
Ocean State Stories is a free, non-profit news outlet based at Salve Regina’s Pell Center that began publication in February 2023 and serves residents of Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts. Its focus is “journalism about issues that often are neglected or under-reported — stories that explore healthcare, education, public policy, domestic violence, food and housing insecurities, the environment, agriculture, ageism, suicide prevention, mental health, immigration, veterans affairs, and developmental and intellectual disabilities, among others.”
Last year, Ocean State Stories was a Silver Award winner in the third annual Anthem Awards competition. The win came in the “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – Public Service” category.
