Inaugural Online Journalism Award Winners Announced

Posted on December 1, 2000

The winners of the inaugural Online Journalism Awards (OJAs) have been announced by the Online News Association (ONA) and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. The prizes were presented in front of more than 150 journalists gathered for the first national conference of the ONA. The awards ceremony featured veteran journalist Kurt Andersen, co-founder of Inside.com, who spoke about the dynamic and dangerous new media landscape.

The contest, which honors excellence in Internet journalism, drew more than 600 entries from over 200 English-language media outlets around the world and was judged by a team of distinguished journalists. A list of the winners is provided below, along with a list of the finalists and judges' comments.

Salon and MSNBC.com won for general excellence -- Salon for a site original to the Web and MSNBC.com for a site done in partnership with another medium. Salon was also the winner in the category of enterprise journalism original to the Web, making it the only site to win two prizes.

``This marks the first time that such an ambitious contest has been held for Web journalism, and we are pleased that Columbia was able to help set the standards in this new medium,'' said Tom Goldstein, dean of the school and co-chair of the OJA judges.

Rich Jaroslovsky, president of ONA, co-chair of the judges and managing editor of The Wall Street Journal Online, said: ``One of ONA's major goals is to recognize and honor journalistic excellence, and it's truly gratifying to see just how much tremendous work is being done online. Choosing the best from among this group was a difficult task -- but it's in all of our interests, and the public's, to set a high standard for this new medium.''

A two-step process was used to determine the finalists and the winners. First, a group of about 100 international journalists, working remotely, screened and narrowed the dozens of entries per category to five. These entries were then reviewed by the OJA judges who met at Columbia on Oct. 27 to pick the finalists and the winners.

Online Journalism Awards
Winners & finalists announced Dec. 1, 2000, at ONA Conference at Columbia University.

``Original to the Web'' means the story or series were written exclusively for the website and are not repurposed in any way. ``In Collaboration with another medium'' means that editors on the website added value and content, interactivity or multimedia to the original content provided by the partner or co-created with the partner. e.g., a newspaper website could enter a series of Web articles that are expanded versions of a set of print articles. The judges were allowed to name up to five finalists in each category, but in some cases chose to name fewer finalists.

1A. General Excellence in Online Journalism: Original to the Web

This category honors a website that successfully fulfills its editorial mission, effectively serves its audience, maximizes the unique abilities of the Web and represents the highest journalistic standards. The sites will be judged on excellence of content, interactivity, multimedia, design, navigation and community tools. Entries consist of one main URL and up to 5 additional URLs (in order to highlight specific features).

Winner
Salon.com
A political, cultural and entertainment Webzine.
The judges said: By lowering the barriers to entry, the Web encourages new publications to be born, grow, and thrive, bringing new voices and opinions to public discourse on important issues. No one has succeeded more in this than Salon.com. It covers a broad range of issues -- from politics and business to media and culture -- with authoritative stories and commentaries. It has broken numerous stories. It updates frequently. It encourages discussion. It is a new magazine for a new medium.

1B. General Excellence in Online Journalism: In Collaboration

Winner
MSNBC.com
A general news site which is a joint venture between NBC News and Microsoft.
The judges said: MSNBC.com creates a highly successful blend of online and interactive elements, making innovative use of most every interactive application, such as charts, maps, surveys, and streaming video. The site offers a commendable marriage of original journalism with video resources, and, more broadly, a successful integration of journalism from its partners and alliance members. In this case, bigger surely is better.

2A. Breaking News: Original to the Web

This category honors the coverage of a spot- or breaking-news event or development that displays exceptional reporting. Clear presentation and a creative use of the medium will also be considered. Entries consist of a single piece, series or package.

Winner
CNET News.com: Aftershocks from the Microsoft breakup
Comprehensive treatment of the year's biggest trial, using a limitless news hole to combine straightforward reporting with in-depth legal documents and an explanation of a complicated case.
The judges said: If you were researching the subject and needed to know everything relevant in one place, you couldn't do much better than to use this single site. The report was exhaustive and of high quality. Especially compelling were the interactive graphics describing what's next in the legal path and the full details of the various documents involved in the case.

2B. Breaking News: Collaboration

Winner
ABCNews.com: Chaos in Seattle
Coverage of the World Trade Organization protests last year, featuring on-the-spot reporting with video and graphic elements and capturing the frenzied atmosphere of the moment.
The judges said: With a coherent blend of words, photos, audio and video, ABCNews.com covered the riots in Seattle in a compelling and analytical format. Using simple and clear navigation, the story points readers to relevant sidebars and archival material without overwhelming them with the depth of information.

3A. Enterprise Journalism: Original to the Web

This category honors stories that either break news, are based on the reporters' own exclusive investigations or offer compelling and original analysis and interpretation. Clear presentation and creative use of the medium will also be considered. Entries consist of a single piece, series or package.

Winner
Salon.com: Drug Czar
Report on how network television shows included anti-drug pitches in their programming to cash in on a complex government advertising subsidy.
The judges called this an exclusive story that had significant impact on network television, advertising and the role of government. It reflected deep reporting of an unexplored topic -- the kind of investigative work that Web journalists should aspire to.

3B. Enterprise Journalism: In Collaboration

Co-winner
Associated Press: No Gun Ri
Investigative report about the killing of South Korean civilians by the American military during the Korean War.
The judges said it created a standard for how to employ the Web to enhance investigative reporting with maps, documents, links and story packaging.

Co-winner
The New York Times on the Web: How Race is Lived in America
A landmark series on race relations in America, and how it affects almost every aspect of life but is little understood or discussed.
The judges said it was a powerful series enhanced by display and packaging. The site took a provocative topic and provided a forum where readers could continue a compelling and heartfelt dialogue.

4A. Service Journalism: Original to the Web

This category honors coverage of a single topic that helps users improve the quality of their lives (health, personal finance, lifestyle, education, relationships, family). Emphasis will be placed on the entry's use of interactivity, personalization and/or community tools. Entries consist of a single piece, series or package.

Winner
BabyCenter.com: Your Baby's Health
Coverage of health issues for the first year of a newborn baby.
The judges said it offers new mothers a complete guide to their baby's health for the first 12 months of life. With interactive Q&As, quizzes and bulletin boards, BabyCenter gives parents the confidence to care for their newborn.

4B. Service Journalism: In Collaboration

Winner
Cleveland Live: Choosing Nursing Homes
In-depth report helping readers with the difficult decision of selecting a nursing home for an older relative.
The judges praised the site for studying state records, and for producing a searchable database with a ratings chart of nursing homes that the average reader could benefit from. The package also contained touching notes about individuals' stories, as well as tips for visiting someone in a nursing home -- a very difficult thing to do.

5A. Creative Use of the Medium: Original

This category honors an entry that makes best use of content, design, navigation, multimedia, interactivity, personalization and community tools in telling its story and serving its users. Emphasis will be placed on compelling use of the new technologies available for storytelling. Entries consist of a single story, a series or a package.

Winner
APBNews.com: The Great Basin Murders
Coverage of the unsolved murders of nine women whose bodies were found scattered across the Great Basin desert region of Nevada, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming.
The judges said: ABPNews.com made excellent use of the whole palette of media types to cast light on a series of murders, little known elsewhere. Audio, video, scanned police reports, maps and photos of the victims make the stories come alive in a way that print publications couldn't do.

5B. Creative Use of the Medium: In Collaboration

Winner
TimesUnion.com: The Diallo Case
Comprehensive and creative coverage of the trial of four New York City police officers charged with murdering an unarmed man named Amadou Diallo -- a case tried in Albany.
The judges said: The Times Union took a news event common throughout the ages -- a highly polarized, politicized court case -- and covered it with the best of both traditional journalistic standards and the tools of a new medium. Along with regular trial updates, the site provided outstanding photos in a scroll-along format, as well as 360-degree photos of the courtroom and protests. Readers also enjoyed audio and video from the courtroom. It was a presentation as comprehensive and compelling as its subject matter.

6. Online Commentary

One prize. This category honors a body of work by a single writer for commentary that appears only on the Web. Topics can range from news commentary to essays, reviews, criticism, opinion and humor. The writer should display an original voice, freshness of insight and clear writing. Creative use of the medium will also be considered. Entries consist of up to 5 examples each.

Winner
Emily Prager: ``The Read,'' Oxygen.com to getting accepted to private school.
The judges said: Whether she is writing about the NRA opening a superstore in New York City or offering an interactive quiz on Elian Gonzalez, Prager's columns bring a wry and witty twist on the news. Nothing is too trivial or too sacrosanct to have escaped her eye.

The Online Journalism Awards were launched in May 2000 as a joint effort of the Online News Association and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. The contest honors excellence in Internet journalism and is open to English-language websites around the world. The inaugural awards looked at entries in the following categories: General Excellence in Online Journalism; Breaking News; Enterprise Journalism; Service Journalism; Creative Use of the Medium; Online Commentary. Finalists were announced on Nov. 1 and the winners at the first national conference of the Online News Association on Friday, Dec. 1, 2000, at Columbia University in New York.