Freyer

Providence Journal medical writer Felice J. Freyer was named “master reporter” Friday by The New England Society of Newspaper Editors.

The society honored editors, reporters and photographers for excellence in the newsroom during its annual conference at The Boston Globe.

Freyer, a veteran reporter, was singled out for her clear and sensitive stories, including her look at the state’s hospital emergency rooms the night of the Station nightclub fire.

“In a highly competitive field of top notch, veteran reporters doing deep and comprehensive work around New England, Felice J. Freyer of The Providence Journal stands out for her often elegant writing and her ability to dispassionately report both complicated developments and horrific events on her health and medical beat,” the judges said.

Freyer writes with a quiet authority, and excels at telling “personal stories of individuals” struggling with debilitating diseases, severe burns and other injuries and illnesses, the judges said. She explains esoteric medical procedures clearly and keeps readers interested “by focusing on the humanity of those she covers.”

Freyer has been The Journal’s medical writer since 1989. She started at The Journal in 1982 as a copy editor.

Others receiving awards Friday were: community photographer, Sean Elliott, The Day, New London; headline writer, Elissa Bass, The Day, New London; master photographer, Gregory Rec, Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram; and community reporter, Stephanie Hooper, The Telegraph, Nashua.

The Judith Vance Weld Brown Spirit of Journalism Award, which recognizes the accomplishments of an outstanding woman in journalism, was presented to Mary Pat Rowland, managing editor of Foster‘s Daily Democrat, Dover, N.H.

pdavis@projo.com