March 18, 2026

TRENTON – Front Runner New Jersey.com and Editor Clyde Hughes received the Media Champion Award for their reporting on diversity in South Jersey at the Center for Cooperative Media’s Excellence in Community Media Awards, held at The College of New Jersey in Ewing Township on Friday, March 13.

Front Runner New Jersey.com, the news and information website that covers the African American and Latino communities in Southern New Jersey, was one of several awardees at the annual event honoring excellence in community media and journalism statewide.

“The Media Champion Award recognizes an individual for their vital role as a connector, educator, or local news stakeholder,” said the citation from the Center for Cooperative Media, based at Montclair State University.

“This year’s award goes to Clyde Hughes, publisher of Front Runner New Jersey, a daily publication founded in 2017. FRNJ offers a fresh perspective on the people, events, and issues impacting African Americans and Latinos in South Jersey. Hughes’ emphasis on community uplift is well documented in annual features such as the 30 Under 40 lists for top Black and Latino leaders of South Jersey.”

At the event — where Gov. Mikie Sherrill served as one of the keynote speakers — Hughes thanked the Center and the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium for their support, along with his team of freelancers who have helped the publication reach new heights in viewership over the past several years.

“Some people may not pay a lot of attention to South Jersey, but for us, it is our priority,” Hughes said after receiving the award. “We are proud of our coverage because we believe that every voice needs a platform and should be heard.”

Camden’s Rann Miller, a columnist with Front Runner New Jersey, also won an award for opinion pieces published by New Jersey Urban News. RadioCATA, based in Bridgeton (102.6 FM), was recognized for its twice‑a‑month program “Sí Se Puede” (“Yes We Can”), which documents real‑life stories of immigrants and farm labor workers.

Front Runner New Jersey.com began as a small WordPress blog and has grown into one of the leading news outlets in South Jersey covering Black, Hispanic, and other communities of color. According to Hughes, pageviews have tripled over the past three years, and current monthly views are at all‑time highs. He said that is evidence of the strong interest in the news and information the website provides.

AC JosepH Media is the parent company of Front Runner New Jersey.com, which was founded by Hughes as a content-creation company that works with media outlets and other small businesses.