DAILY NEWSPAPERS AND NEWS SYNDICATES
Spot News in daily newspapers, all sizes
First Place
“Parkland: The first 36 hours”
Staff
South Florida Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Judges’ comments: Unlike the law enforcement who answered the call, Sun Sentinel journalists were prepared to do their jobs. Their first tweet was less than 12 minutes after hearing about the shooting, their first story published 19 minutes after the scanner crackled and 27 minutes after the gunman started firing. This is the blueprint for how breaking news should be done and it was masterful.
Second Place
“Capital Gazette shooting”
Staffs of The Baltimore Sun and Capital Gazette
The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore, Md. and the Capital Gazette, Annapolis, Md.
Third Place
“Redding Record Searchlight: Carr Fire” Redding Record Searchlight: Carr Fire staff Redding Record, Redding, Calif.
Local news beat coverage or continuing story by an individual or team
First Place
“Wall of Forgotten Natives”
Chris Serres
Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn.
Judges’ comments: When social services reporter Chris Serries spotted a new tent village along the side of a highway, his reporter’s curiosity led to reporting that brought attention to a community of homeless Native Americans. That attention in turn sparked a response that ultimately provided shelter for many of those in the camp.
Second Place
“Hospital Safety Oversight”
Stephanie Armour
The Wall Street Journal, New York, N.Y.
Third Place
Lauren FitzPatrick
Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago, Ill.
International news beat coverage or continuing story by an individual or team
First Place
Aaron Nelsen
San Antonio Express-News, San Antonio, Texas
Judges comments: Aaron Nelson’s reporting was so good, I worried about his safety. His stories were true dispatches from a turbulent area that has become central in the national political conversation. His stories were peopled, colorful and authoritative.
Second Place
“Alfredo Corchado’s coverage of the Mexican Election” Alfredo Corchado
The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas
Third Place
“Ramadan Reunion and Other Tales from Guantanamo Bay” Carol Rosenberg
Miami Herald, Miami, Fla.
News series in daily newspapers Top 20 Media Market
First Place
“USA TODAY: Surviving Suicide”
Laura Trujillo, Alia Dastagir, Anne Godlasky
USA TODAY, McLean, Virginia
Judges comments: This was a bold, meaningful, effective and helpful series about an issue the country continues to struggle with. Laura Trujillo wrote a brave and painful remembrance of her mother’s suicide, as well as her own rape, and USA cushioned the story with those of others, and offered meaningful ways to deal with the issue. Beautifully done.
Second Place
“Test of Faith: The Unchurching of America” Jean Hopfensperger and Leila Navidi
Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn.
Third Place
“Unsolved: 75 shot”
Chicago Tribune staff Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
News series in newspapers not in top 20 media market
First Place
“No turning back: The story of a transgender man’s experience as a Navy sailor”
Courtney Mabeus
The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Virginia
Judges’ comments: This was a compelling, timely and human bit of storytelling that took hard work: Access, time, sensitivity, clear-mindedness and courage. We kept talking about this story for days after reading the entry. Readers were given an important glimpse of an issue that is an increasing part of the national conversation.
Second Place
“Cultivating a Community”
James E. Causey
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee, Wis.
Third Place
“Stolen future”
Michele Munz, Cristina M. Fletes and Christian Gooden St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Mo.
Local interest column on a variety of subjects
First Place
Rochelle Riley
Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich.
Judges’ comments: ”She brought joy to heartbreak — and joy won.” That’s how Rochelle Riley described Aretha Franklin in covering the singer’s funeral. And Riley used an uncommonly strong writing voice to call on Michigan State President Lou Anna Simon to resign after the Larry Nasser scandel. And Riley’s touching piece on a Detroit student’s rise from a chaotic upbringing to academic achievement was outstanding. Great work, Rochelle; we loved it.
Second Place
Tom Hallman Jr.
The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
Third Place
Frank Cerabino
The Palm Beach Post, West Palm Beach, Fla.
Special or feature column on one subject by an individual
First Place
Jay Cridlin
Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Judges’ comments: Jay’s columns are delightful and surprising in their love for the unloved. It’s a refreshing point of view, and one I’m sure resonates with his readers.
Second Place
Stefano Esposito
Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago, Ill.
Third Place
Bethany Jean Clement
The Seattle Times, Seattle, Wash.
Editorial writing by an individual or team
First Place
“After the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School”
Rosemary O’Hara and Martin Dyckman
South Florida Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Judges’ comments: Three somewhat unconventional positions, each fully reasoned and convincingly argued. A refreshing entry.
Second Place
“Editorials on Sex Trafficking”
The Dallas Morning News staff
The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas
Third Place
“The Invading Sea: Can South Florida be saved?”
Three editorial boards, and public radio
South Florida Sun Sentinel, Miami Herald, The Palm Beach Post, WLRN
Sports column by an individual
First Place
Dennis Anderson
Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn.
Judges’ comments: Dennis Anderson shows us a different side of sports-column writing with his detail-filled style, resulting in articulate storytelling on topics not common to every-day sports writing. We wanted more!
Second Place
John Canzano
The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
Third Place
Luke DeCock
The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.
Sports writing by an individual or team
First Place
Andrew Carter
The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.
Judges’ comments: Andrew Carter shows us how excellent sports writing is achieved by combining a strong style and an ability to convey human drama into great stories. His entries on the community that lost everything to flooding, Tommy Hatton’s troubles with concussions and the debate on Silent Sam are great reads from beginning to end.
Second Place
“Youth Basketball”
Brad Schmidt and Jeff Manning The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
Third Place
Rachel Blount
Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn.
Feature writing on a variety of subjects by an individual
First Place
“The Iraqi Spy Who Infiltrated ISIS”
Margaret Coker
The New York Times, New York, N.Y.
Judges’ comments: Margaret Coker’s story does double duty. She tells how a man trying to find his mission and passion in life becomes an accidental hero. Then she shows how the country he loved has been shedding its reputation as a home for terrorists and becoming a reliable Western ally in the war on terror. Coker’s reporting makes the case for recognizing how Iraq might be changing.
Second Place
Doug Moore
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Mo.
Third Place
Tom Archdeacon
Cox Media Group Ohio, Dayton, Ohio
Business news coverage, business commentary and/or business columns by an individual or team
First Place
Rick Barrett
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee, Wis.
Judges’ comments: Hundreds of Wisconsin dairy farms are going under as a glut of milk on the market collapses prices and profits. Rick Barrett’s in-depth and insightful reporting puts a human face on a crisis that is punching Wisconsin farmers in the gut.
Second Place
“Death on Foot”
Eric D. Lawrence, Nathan Bomey and Kristi Tanner Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich.
Third Place
“UAW scandal”
Robert Snell
The Detroit News, Detroit, Mich.
Education writing by an individual or team
First Place
Lauren FitzPatrick
Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago, Ill.
Judges’ comments: A great selection of stories. Two dealt with areas that most parents will have on their radars at some point in their child’s education — cleanliness of his/her school and the school nurse — and took parents to areas they might not be aware of, while the third helped the reader see a personal side to the superintendent and consider the effects of violence. Solid numbers, well-written, led to changes.
Second Place
“Parkland and beyond: How schools hide and spin the facts” Staff
South Florida Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Third Place
Bethany Barnes
The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
Health, medical and science writing by an individual or team
First Place
“Deadly Deliveries”
Alison Young and Laura Ungar
USA TODAY, McLean, Va.
Judges’ comments: The United States is the most dangerous place in the developed world to deliver a baby. It’s hard to get your head around that. USA Today took a deeper dive at why this is the case. The writing is compelling, the examples and numbers strong, and the need for continued change and oversight obvious.
Second Place
“Bad Medicine”
John Fauber, Matt Wynn and Kristina Fiore Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee, Wis.
Third Place
“Aging Parents, Stressed Families” Jackie Crosby
Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn.
Environmental writing by an individual or team
First Place
“Risky Business: The failure to test for a cancer-causing chemical in Illinois”
Michael Hawthorne
Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
Judges’ comments: A tip from a source led Michael Hawthorne to investigate a little-known government database. His thorough reporting led to easy-to-follow stories that not only raised reader awareness about unusually high cancer risks in their neighborhoods, but also led to state and federal officials calling for investigations of their own, and finally a call for the plant at the center of the problem to be shut down.
Second Place
Josephine Marcotty
Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn.
Third Place
“Poisoned Cities, Deadly Border”
Ian James
The Desert Sun, Palm Springs, Calif.
Investigative reporting in newspapers in top 20 media market
First Place and BEST IN SHOW
“Perversion of Justice”
Julie K. Brown and Emily Michot
Miami Herald, Miami, Fla.
Judges’ comments: Once again the judges are in awe of the work by Julie K. Brown of the Miami Herald, a past winner. Her persistence in tracking down the Jane Does years after their violations by a serial pedophile and giving them voice unleashed a wave of outrage both in Florida and nationally that was felt in the hearings rooms of Congress.
Second Place
“Heartbroken”
Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Third Place
“The Innocents: How U.S. Immigration Policy Punishes Migrant Children” Martha Mendoza and Garance Burke
Associated Press, New York, N.Y.
Investigative reporting in newspapers not in top 20 media market.
First Place
“Stalk. Murder. Repeat.”
Ian Cummings, Glenn E. Rice and Tony Rizzo
The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Mo.
Judges’ comments: Kansas City Star reporters sewed together an exhaustive well-told tale of a serial killer who had stalked the region for decades.
Second Place
“How Florida Ignited the Heroin Epidemic”
Pat Beall
The Palm Beach Post, West Palm Beach, Fla.
Third Place
“Alabama’s ‘Beach House Sheriff’” Connor Sheets
Alabama Media Group
Public service performed by publishing material in a daily newspaper
First Place
“Public officials after Parkland: Hide, deny, spin”
Staff
South Florida Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Judges’ comments: The staff of the Sun Sentinel showed how to hold government officials accountable for its failings while keeping a community engaged, even when facing immense pressure to drop the story. They did this all while remaining sensitive, responsive and connected to the victims of a tragedy in their community.
Second Place
“Betrayed”
Chicago Tribune staff Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
Third Place
“Project Homeless”
Project Homeless staff
The Seattle Times, Seattle, Wash.
Editorial cartoons
First Place
Rob Rogers
RobRogers.com
Judges’ comments: This collection of cartoons gets high marks for originality, diversity of topics, quality of artwork and clarity of message. An outstanding entry all around.
Second Place
Ward Sutton
The Boston Globe, Boston, Mass.
Third Place
Michael Ramirez
Las Vegas Review-Journal, Las Vegas, Nev.
Journalistic innovation
First Place
“Hostile Waters: Orcas in Peril”
The Seattle Times staff
The Seattle Times, Seattle, Wash.
Judges’ comments: An all-hands-on-deck approach to innovation on a story that is a part of the soul of the Pacific Northwest: the fate of orcas. Several smart approaches, from Facebook Live with officials to texting for more from the reporters, from a documentary to strong use of historical footage in an inviting web design — well done.
Second Place
“The Alzheimer’s Chronicles”
Will Doolittle, Bella Doolittle and Adam Colver The Post-Star, Glens Falls, N.Y.
Third Place
“Parkland: Voices of Change”
Mike Stocker, Doreen Christensen and Yiran Zhu South Florida Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Best political coverage
First Place
“A year of upheaval in Missouri, Kansas politics”
The Kansas City Star staff
The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Mo.
Judges’ comments: Watchdog reporting across multiple races yielded stories that voters surely appreciated. Good role model for papers across the country.
Second Place
“Mayor Barry Scandal”
The Tennessean staff
The Tennessean, Nashville, Tenn.
Third Place
“Texas Midterm Election coverage”
The Dallas Morning News staff
The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas
MAGAZINES
Magazine coverage of a major news event or topic
First Place
“19-Year-Old Skylar Richardson Says She Had a Stillborn Baby. So Why Is She On Trial For Murder?”
Sonia Chopra
Cosmopolitan
Judges’ comments: The reporting was remarkable, given that the principal characters were unavailable because of judicial gag order/patient-client confidentiality/conducting an investigation or simply refused to talk. The narrative was pieced together from interviews with secondary sources, by monitoring social media and following up with commenters, etc. Bravo to the reporter. The writing tied it all together masterfully.
Second Place
“Lost In The Storm”
Sheri Fink and Luke Mitchell New York Times, New York, N.Y.
Third Place
“How Did We Let James Hardy Slip Through the Cracks?” Brian Burnsed
Sports Illustrated
Magazine feature writing by an individual on a variety of subjects
First Place
Mina Kimes
ESPN
Judges’ comments: The writing is wonderful on all of these, clearly elevated by the author’s skills as a listener and observer. The quotes, anecdotes and descriptions of nonverbal responses make the subjects come alive.
Second Place
Shawn Tully Fortune
Third Place
Geoff Colvin Fortune
Magazine column by an individual on a variety of subjects
First Place
Peter Keating
ESPN
Judges’ comments: This collection demonstrated a wide range of knowledge across the sporting world.
Second Place
Simi Horwitz
Film Journal International
No third-place award given
Magazines political coverage
First Place
“Political Corruption and the Art of the Deal”
Anjali Kamat
Type Investigations
Judges’ comments: A compelling look at the Trumps’ real estate dealings in India.
No second- or third-place award given
PHOTOGRAPHY AND GRAPHICS FOR DAILY NEWSPAPER, MAGAZINES, NEWS SERVICE AND SYNDICATES
Newspapers spot news photography
First Place
Rose Baca
The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas
Judges’ comments: This photo clearly captured the emotions of this trial verdict in one simple, evocative, well-composed image.
Second Place
Marcus Yam
Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Calif.
Third Place
Andrew Carter
The News and Observer, Raleigh, N.C.
Newspapers feature photography
First Place and BEST IN SHOW
“Woolsey fire burns all the way down to the coast”
Wally Skalij
Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Calif.
Judges’ comments: Composition, subject matter and color come together to create an emotional visual moment.
Second Place
“Dressed to Dig”
Robert Cohen
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Mo.
Third Place
“Freedom”
Robert Gauthier
Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Calif.
Newspapers sports action photography
First Place
“Right in the face”
Tim Tai
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pa.
Judges’ comments: Powerful image perfectly reflects a powerful moment in this match.
Second Place
“Hail Mary”
Steven M. Falk
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pa.
Third Place
“Leap of Fate”
Robert Gauthier
Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Calif.
Magazines, news services or syndicates spot news photography
First Place
“Botham Jean”
Shaban Athuman
The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas
Judges’ comments: The viewer can feel the grief and anguish of this mother and her son in the photographer’s coverage of this prayer service.
Second Place
“Waiting for News” Joel Auerbach Associated Press
Third Place
“Advance Team Block” Evan Vucci Associated Press
Magazines, news services or syndicates feature or sports photography
First Place
“Ostrich”
Smiley N. Pool
The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas
Judges’ comments: Lighting, action, composition and unique subject matter made the viewer stop, look and love.
No second- or third-place award given
Photography portfolio
First Place
Robert Cohen
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Mo.
Judges’ comments: This photographer’s portfolio stood out from the rest. Nice variety of singles with unique color and composition. The Broken Homes, Broken Lives story gave the edge to this portfolio.
Second Place
Smiley N. Pool
The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas
Third Place
Thomas A. Ferrara Newsday, Melville, N.Y.
Photo essay/story
First Place
“A Caravan”
Rodrigo Abd
Associated Press
Judges’ comments: The migrant caravan captured national and international attention as the huge group of Central Americans made their way north seeking asylum inside the U.S. border. Traveling with them, this photographer used a variety of powerful images to put viewers inside their journey and their hearts.
Second Place
“Yemen: Life in Ruins” Nariman El-Mofty Associated Press
Third Place
“Lincoln’s Shot”
Lara Cerri
Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Portrait
First Place
“Songs of Praise”
Alejandra Villa Loarca
Newsday, Melville, N.Y.
Judges’ comments: The personality and passion of this prayer leader comes through loud and clear in the compelling moment captured in this photo.
Second Place
“Master Luthier, Charles Rufino” Thomas A. Ferrara
Newsday, Melville, N.Y.
Third Place
“Robert Wilonsky”
Carly Geraci
The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas
Pictorial
First Place
“Dallas Moonrise”
Ryan Michalesko
The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas
Judges’ comments: The photographer’s mastery of technical skills and knowledge of the community was evident in the presentation of the full moon over Dallas.
Second Place
“Fair reflections”
Richard Tsong-Taatarii
Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn.
Third Place
“Flash in the night sparks King history” Robert Cohen
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Mo.
Disaster coverage
First Place
“Ravaged by Wildfire”
Noah Berger, John Locher and Ringo H.W. Chiu
Associated Press
Judges’ comments: Each image by the AP photographers was so powerful and storytelling that it could have stood on its own. Together, they present a clear and horrifying narrative of this tragedy.
Second Place
“Parkland news photography”
Photography Staff
South Florida Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Third Place
“Woolsey fire burns to the coast”
Los Angeles Times staff
Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Calif.