National Journalism Award Winners Announced for 2003 Work

Posted on April 16, 2004

The Scripps Howard Foundation has announced the winners of its annual National Journalism Awards, honoring the best in print and electronic journalism and journalism education for 2003. The awards, which are open to all U.S. news organizations and college journalism educators, recognize excellence in 19 categories. The awards also honor distinguished service to journalism education, literacy and the First Amendment. One new category, Journalism Teacher of the Year, was added for 2003. The Scripps Howard Foundation is the philanthropic arm of The E. W. Scripps Company.

Cash awards totaling $130,000 will be presented April 23 during a dinner at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The winner of the newly established Ursula and Gilbert Farfel Prize for Excellence in Investigative Reporting also will be recognized during the awards dinner. The $25,000 Farfel prize is funded by a gift to Ohio University by Ursula and Dr. Gilbert Farfel. The prize will be awarded in cooperation with the Foundation by the university's College of Communication. The Farfel prize winner will be announced in late March.

"Scripps Howard Foundation sponsors the National Journalism Awards in recognition of the essential role that journalists and journalism educators play in a free and democratic society," said Judith G. Clabes, the Foundation's president and chief executive officer. "The journalists and journalism educators whose work we honor with these awards have achieved the highest levels of dedication and professionalism. By bringing the critical issues of the day to our attention, they serve as catalysts for change and are making a difference for each and every one of us. National Journalism Award winners represent the best of what American journalism has to offer today."

The National Journalism Award Winners

EDITORIAL WRITING
Tom Philp, The Sacramento (Calif.) Bee. Philp will receive $5,000 and the Walker Stone Award trophy.

Philp won for "The Water Barons," a series of 20 editorials that exposed financial abuses by employees of a local water district. Judges said Philp "used facts and language both as tools of powerful persuasion. These editorials are so well written, with a clear call to action and passion without preaching."

Finalists: Chuck Baldwin, Argus Leader, Sioux Falls, S.D., and John Diaz, San Francisco Chronicle.

COMMENTARY
John Kass, Chicago Tribune. Kass will receive $5,000 and a trophy.

Kass won for a selection of his columns, including a series of reflections on an honest Chicago cab driver and an out-of-work waitress. Judges said Kass "performed a columnist's hat trick -- scoring with high quality reporting, writing and commentary."

Finalists: Elaine Witt, Birmingham (Ala.) Post-Herald and Daniel Weintraub, The Sacramento Bee.

HUMAN INTEREST WRITING
Kelley Benham, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times. Benham will receive $5,000 and the Ernie Pyle Award trophy.

Benham won for a collection of human interest stories, including a piece entitled, "One thousand words about the Terri Schiavo you never knew." Schiavo is a Florida woman who has been in a persistent vegetative state for 13 years and is at the center of a nationally reported legal dispute between her husband, who seeks to have her life legally ended, and her parents, who are fighting to keep her alive. Judges said Benham's human interest stories are "the most original, most compelling, most moving and most diverse. Kelley takes a variety of subject matters and writes clearly, creatively and movingly without resorting to melodrama."

Finalist: Jeff Seidel, Detroit Free Press.

WEB REPORTING
Times Union (TimesUnion.com), Albany, N.Y. The newspaper will receive $5,000 and a trophy.

The Times Union won for its project, "Fourth World/Our World," a print and interactive report that detailed connections between Albany and the suffering population of sub-Saharan Africa. Judges said the Times Union "did an outstanding job bringing a global story to the local level. The photos and video were dramatic and compelling."

Finalist: SignOnSanDiego.com, San Diego.

ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING - Over 100,000 circulation
The Washington Post (David B. Ottaway and Joe Stephens). The Washington Post will receive $5,000 and the Edward J. Meeman Award trophy.

The Washington Post won for its series, "Big Green," which brought attention to questionable business practices at The Nature Conservancy, the world's largest, nonprofit environmental group. Judges said, "This was an extraordinary piece of investigative work that also fulfilled the mission of explaining to readers a significant environmental story. It speaks directly to the purpose of journalism."

Finalists: Marla Cone, Los Angeles Times; South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale (Tim Collie and Mike Stocker); and Ann Imse, Rocky Mountain News, Denver.

ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING - Under 100,000 circulation
Naples (Fla.) Daily News. The newspaper will receive $5,000 and the Edward J. Meeman Award trophy.

The Naples Daily News won for its series, "Deep Trouble: The Gulf in Peril," which shed light on serious environmental issues affecting the Gulf of Mexico. Judges said the series is "a remarkable project that delivered incredible insight. It is massive in its scope, but matches its volume with the excellence of its writing, reporting and photography."

Finalist: Candace Page, The Burlington (Vt.) Free Press.

EDITORIAL CARTOONING
Walt Handelsman, Newsday, Melville, N.Y. Handelsman will receive $5,000 and a trophy.

Handelsman won for a selection of cartoons commenting on national issues, including the war in Iraq, affirmative action and the church's protection of Catholic priests accused of pedophilia. Judges said, "With a few clean lines and well chosen words, Walt Handelsman prods the American conscience while tickling its funny bone. His vivid drawings first invite the reader to smile then force the reader to think."

Finalists: Kevin (KAL) Kallaugher, The Baltimore Sun, and Jack Higgins, Chicago Sun-Times.

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO LITERACY
Rochelle Riley, Detroit Free Press. Riley will receive $5,000, the Charles E. Scripps Award trophy and a $5,000 donation from the Scripps Howard Foundation to the literacy group of her choice.

Riley, a columnist for the Detroit Free Press, won for her adult literacy campaign, Metro Detroit Reads. Her columns have resulted in the recruitment of more than 1,000 tutors and the raising of more than $35,000 toward the reading campaign. Judges said Riley "stirred people up and got them moving. The project was methodical and initiated by one dedicated journalist."

Finalist: The Ledger, Lakeland, Fla.

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO THE FIRST AMENDMENT
Dayton (Ohio) Daily News. The newspaper will receive $5,000 and the Edward Willis Scripps Award trophy.

The Dayton Daily News won for its series, "Casualties of Peace," which uncovered a long history of safety and security problems faced by Peace Corps volunteers. The newspaper examined thousands of public documents, traveled to 10 countries and interviewed more than 500 people to complete the project. Judges said, "The story was extraordinarily readable and brought an international story home to Ohio."

Finalist: Stars and Stripes, Washington D.C.

PHOTOJOURNALISM
Brian Vander Brug, Los Angeles Times. Vander Brug will receive $5,000 and a trophy.

Vander Brug's winning portfolio included "Mortal Wounds," a series of photographs that documented the effects of urban homicide on families, loved ones and other survivors. Judges said Vander Brug's "range, presentation and journalism are what made him a winner."

Finalists: Cheryl Diaz Meyer, The Dallas Morning News, and Kuni Takahashi, Boston Herald.

BUSINESS/ECONOMICS REPORTING
Clint Riley, The Record, Hackensack, N.J. Riley will receive $5,000 and the William Brewster Styles Award trophy.

Riley won for his series, "Banking on Your Money," which examined how a New Jersey bank has benefited from political connections with state government officials. Judges said, "A clear, authoritative telling of Commerce Bancorp's phenomenal growth and the intricate web of political and financial clout that helped fuel it."

Finalist: The Wall Street Journal, New York.

JOURNALISTIC EXCELLENCE IN ELECTRONIC MEDIA - Small Market Radio
South Dakota Public Radio, Rapid City. South Dakota Public Radio will receive $5,000 and the Jack R. Howard Award trophy.

South Dakota Public Radio won for "Surviving on the Stream," a documentary that raises questions about the level of services available to Rapid City's homeless, especially homeless Lakota Sioux. Judges said, "The story is rich with music and sounds that makes this documentary a delight to the senses while challenging the treatment to some of our most vulnerable citizens."

JOURNALISTIC EXCELLENCE IN ELECTRONIC MEDIA - Large Market Radio
WBEZ, Chicago, This American Life. The national documentary unit will receive $5,000 and the Jack R. Howard Award trophy.

WBEZ, This American Life, won for "Teenage Embed," its series of reports from Afghanistan by 18-year-old Hyder Akbar. Akbar grew up in California but spent the summer of 2003 in Afghanistan reporting on the U.S.-led effort to restore his father's homeland. Judges said, "Radio is best when it transports listeners to places they have never been. Great stories drench listeners with sound while connecting them to memorable characters. This story does that."

JOURNALISTIC EXCELLENCE IN ELECTRONIC MEDIA - Small Market TV/Cable
KTUU-TV, Anchorage, Alaska (Rhonda Bride). The station will receive $5,000 and the Jack R. Howard Award trophy.

KTUU won for its series, "Wrangell Institute: Legacy of Shame," which detailed incidents of repeated sexual abuse at a remote Alaska boarding school. Judges said they "especially appreciated Rhonda Bride's clearly deep understanding of, and connection to, the native Alaskans she interviews."

Finalists: KNOE-TV, Monroe, La., and KVLY-TV, Fargo, N.D.

JOURNALISTIC EXCELLENCE IN ELECTRONIC MEDIA - Large Market TV/Cable
WCNC-TV, Charlotte, N.C. (Stuart Watson). The station will receive $5,000 and the Jack R. Howard Award trophy.

WCNC won for a series of stories that linked Medicaid dental reimbursement rules to unnecessary dental procedures that were being performed on children. Judges said, "There are many reasons why this story could have died. Many would have written off as too difficult to document or too time consuming to chase down. We are all the beneficiaries of their courageous decision."

Finalists: WFAA-TV, Dallas, and WTHR-TV, Indianapolis.

COLLEGE CARTOONING
Nathaniel R. Creekmore, The Babbler, Lipscomb University, Nashville, Tenn. Creekmore will receive $5,000 and the Charles M. Schulz Award trophy.

Creekmore won for his comic strip, "Maintaining," which offers commentary on everyday campus life. Judges said, "Nathaniel Creekmore's comic strip is the most polished work by a college cartoonist that we've seen in many years. His characters are fully developed, his dialogue is well-written, and his art is sophisticated. He is a very promising young cartoonist."

Finalists: Theo K. Chargualaf, The Daily, University of Washington, Seattle; Julian Narino, The Nerve and K-State Collegian, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia; and Adam Zyglis, The Griffin, Canisius College, Buffalo, N.Y.

PUBLIC SERVICE REPORTING - Over 100,000 circulation
The Seattle Times (Christine Willmsen and Maureen O'Hagan). The newspaper will receive $5,000 and the Roy W. Howard Award trophy.

The Seattle Times won for its series, "Coaches Who Prey," which uncovered an extensive pattern of sexual misconduct by coaches of youth athletics in Washington and Idaho. Judges said, "A dramatic and disturbing expose of betrayal of kids' trust. This extraordinary piece of revelatory journalism should send chills down the spines of parents nationwide."

Finalists: Cathy Frye, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Little Rock; Asbury Park Press/Gannett New Jersey, Neptune, N.J.; and The Blade, Toledo, Ohio.

PUBLIC SERVICE REPORTING - Under 100,000 circulation
Argus Leader, Sioux Falls, S.D. (Stu Whitney and David Kranz). The newspaper will receive $5,000 and the Roy W. Howard Award trophy.

The Argus Leader won for a series of stories that examined former South Dakota Gov. Bill Janklow's liberal and questionable use of his executive powers to pardon convicted criminals and commute sentences. Judges said, "The Argus Leader's dogged pursuit of the extent and nature of secret gubernatorial pardons is an outstanding example of public service journalism. As a result of their efforts, the public's right to know has been broadened in the best tradition of a determined free press."

Finalists: Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette and Lee Williams, The Virgin Islands Daily News, St. Thomas.

JOURNALISM TEACHER OF THE YEAR
Dr. Debashis "Deb" Aikat, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Aikat will receive $5,000 and a trophy.

Aikat, associate professor of journalism and mass communications, joined the faculty at Chapel Hill in 1995 after earning his doctorate in journalism and mass communications from Ohio University's E. W. Scripps School of Journalism. He has been recognized domestically and internationally for his accomplishments as an educator and new media strategist. Judges said, "Dr. Deb Aikat has established himself as one of the top journalism educators, who has combined traditional journalism standards with new technology. As a self- described futurist, he has introduced a new generation of students to creative and effective ways to disseminate the products of journalism."