2018 EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM CONTEST
WINNERS AND FINALISTS
The Greater Cincinnati Professional
Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is pleased to announce the
winners and finalists in the 2018 Excellence In Journalism Contest.
We thank the members of the Washington,
D.C, SPJ Pro Chapter for their work in judging the entries.
The awards will be presented Thursday,
June 21, 2018, during the Excellence In Journalism Awards Program at Braxton
Brewery, 7th and Madison Streets, Covington, Kentucky.
Tickets for the event are $30 in advance, prior to June 15. Cost after June 15 and at the door is $35.
Registration is open at Eventbrite:
ALL MEDIA AWARDS
GERALD WHITE MEMORIAL AWARD
WINNER: “Cincinnati Police Department Investigations”
ENTRANT: James Pilcher
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati
Enquirer – cincinnati.com
REMARKS: “The reporting takes a local look at an issue that has
garnered considerable media attention nationwide -- police shootings. It examines many cases and presents the facts
fairly.”
FINALIST:
“Nelson Peltz Coverage ”
ENTRANT: Alex Coolidge
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati Enquirer – cincinnati.com
CAMILLA
WARRICK AWARD
WINNER: “Seven Days of
Heroin”
ENTRANT: Cincinnati
Enquirer Staff
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati Enquirer – cincinnati.com
REMARKS: “Without doubt
this outstanding journalistic achievement gripped the public consciousness by
highlighting the extent to which the drug crisis tears apart family and
community, wrecking lives and inflicting unimaginable pain. The impact of ‘Seven Days of Heroin’ on the
audience extends beyond record online readership, reaching far afield from
Cincinnati to make the nation aware of the need to attack this festering wound
on American life.”
FINALIST: “Activist, Councilmember, Caregiver”
ENTRANT: Sharon Coolidge
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati
Enquirer – cincinnati.com
WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
BEST
NEWS STORY
WINNER: “Cameo Nightclub
Shootings”
ENTRANT: Cincinnati
Enquirer Staff
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati
Enquirer – cincinnati.com
REMARKS: “A comprehensive report that goes beyond the headlines to
provide context and perspective through excellent writing, graphics and
photos.”
FINALIST: “The Tensing
Verdict”
ENTRANT: Cincinnati Enquirer Staff
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati Enquirer – cincinnati.com
BEST
NEWS FEATURE/NEWSMAKER PROFILE
WINNER: “Peltz Deals Have Cost 100K
Jobs”
ENTRANT: Alex Coolidge
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati Enquirer
– cincinnati.com
REMARKS: “The article on hedge fund boss, Nelson Peltz, reviews
his career in light of jobs lost at numerous companies taken over by the
investor. It offers an eye-opening and
disquieting look at the world of high finance today presented in terms the
average reader can understand. A most
remarkable example of researching reporting and organizing material to educate
the news consumer.”
FINALIST: “Moved Aside”
ENTRANT: Nick Swartsell
PUBLICATION CityBeat
FINALIST: “A Beautiful, Broken Life”
ENTRANT: Dan Horn
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati Enquirer – cincinnati.com
BEST BEAT REPORTING
WINNER: “Local Cincinnati Government”
ENTRANT: Paula Christian
& Amanda Seitz
PUBLICATION: WCPO-TV &
wcpo.com
REMARKS: “This duo has
shown a remarkable tenaciousness in covering local government, using multiple
investigative techniques from pursuing public records to finding useful sources
to cover many different problems in city programs, exposing everything from
failures in programs design to help the poor to ownership of abandoned
properties. The pair explained their
stories clearly both in print and broadcast and went after non-obvious
topics. Many of their pieces could have
won an investigative award on their own.”
FINALIST: “Terry DeMio’s
Work”
ENTRANT: Terry DeMio
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati
Enquirer – cincinnati.com
BEST
INVESTIGATIVE/DATABASE REPORTING
WINNER: “Pillars of Favoritism”
ENTRANTS: James McNair
PUBLICATION: CityBeat
REMARKS: “McNair’s
reporting shows that a scandal need not always be illegal. Local government officials got around the law
by hiring family members and political associates not covered by nepotism
rules. The story was well illustrated
with graphs and charts that were easy to understand.”
FINALIST: “Center for Closing The Health Gap”
ENTRANTS: Paula Christian
& Amanda Seitz
PUBLICATION: wcpo.com –
WCPO-TV
BEST
CONTINUING COVERAGE OR SERIES
WINNER: “Company Town”
ENTRANTS: Alexander
Coolidge
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati Enquirer - cincinnati.com
FINALIST: “Gender Issues
on Campus ”
ENTRANT: Kate Murphy
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati Enquirer – cincinnati.com
BEST EDITORIAL
WINNER: “Kevin Aldridge Editorials”
ENTRANT: Kevin Aldridge
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati
Enquirer – cincinnati.com
REMARKS: “A triple
threat: great writing, smart thinking
and a strong voice. These are compelling columns, particularly the idea of
trying to understand prejudice from someone else’s eyes and mind.”
FINALIST: “Bonnie Jean Feldkamp Editorials”
ENTRANT: Bonnie Jean Feldkamp
PUBLICATION: Cincinnati Family
FINALIST: “Dan Hurley
Editorials”
ENTRANT: Dan Hurley
PUBLICATION: Cincy Magazine
BEST BUSINESS NEWS STORY
WINNER: “Company Town At A Crossroads”
ENTRANT: Alexander Coolidge
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati Enquirer - cincinnati.com
REMARKS: “Excellent
overview of a major international company, Procter & Gamble, which helped
shape the city where it is headquartered, with ups and downs over a
century. The story melds personal
vignettes of retirees and employees with the broad sweep of the company’s
history. Nicely packaged. Kept the reader interested and engaged.
FINALIST: “Kroger’s Future Could Hinge On How Well It
Fends Off Amazon”
ENTRANT: Steve Watkins
PUBLICATION: Cincinnati
Business Courier.
BEST
BUSINESS FEATURE/ANALYSIS/COLUMN
WINNER: “Will P&G Listen To Nelson Peltz?”
ENTRANT: Barrett Brunsman
PUBLICATION: Cincinnati Business Courier
REMARKS: “Impressed by all the detailed quotes and colorful
commentary.”
FINALIST: “Which Public
CEOs Delivered the Best Bang for the Buck?”
ENTRANT: Steve Watkins
PUBLICATION: Cincinnati Business Courier
FINALIST: “Procter &
Gamble Shareholders, Retirees Await Peltz’s Impact”
ENTRANT: Alexander Coolidge
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati Enquirer – cincinnati.com
BEST
GOVERNMENT ISSUES STORY
WINNER: “The Banks”
ENTRANTS: Paula Christian
& Amanda Seitz
PUBLICATION: wcpo.com –
WCPO-TV
REMARKS: “The reporters
exhibited real doggedness in examining a major development project in
Cincinnati. It appears that their
reporting has helped to shine a spotlight on the situation and to alert public
officials about aspects of it. Their
writing appears to have brought some transparency to the situation.”
FINALIST: “Nick
Swartsell”
ENTRANT: Nick Swartsell
PUBLICATION: CityBeat
FINALIST: “Between Heaven and Hell”
ENTRANT: Adam Flango
PUBLICATION: Cincinnati Magazine
BEST
EDUCATION STORY
WINNER: “Why Does West High
Kick Out So Many Kids?”
ENTRANT: Hannah Sparling
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati
Enquirer – cincinnati.com
REMARKS: “Extremely thorough, balanced reporting on why one
Cincinnati high school disciplines so many more students that all the others. The article reflects dogged reporting, lots
of credible sources and is nicely packaged with a strong assist from multimedia
graphics and well-done charts. But, after
all that, you wind up wondering what is so different about this school and what
the top administrators are doing about it.
A clear picture of the problem with a not very clear solution.”
FINALIST: “One Night Changes Lives – Puts Colleges On the Spot”
ENTRANTS: Kate Murphy
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati Enquirer – cincinnati.com
FINALIST: “Taft’s Atypical Turnaround”
ENTRANTS: James McNair
PUBLICATION: CityBeat
BEST HEALTH/MEDICAL
STORY
WINNER: “Post Script”
ENTRANT: Philip Eil
PUBLICATION: Cincinnati Magazine
REMARKS: “A well-researched and sourced in-depth article about how
an itinerant doctor cashed in by addicting his patients to opioids. A humanization on a story usually told only
with statistics.”
BEST LIFESTYLE FEATURE
WINNER: “Mightier Than The Sword”
ENTRANT: Maija Zummo
PUBLICATION: CityBeat
REMARKS: “Good lead and strong writing. The story captured the
importance and impact the restaurant has on the neighborhood and vice versa.
Diverse human interest reporting.”
FINALIST: “Draft Queens”
ENTRANT: Danny Cross
PUBLICATION: CityBeat
FINALIST: “Evolution of An American Icon”
ENTRANT: Carol Motsinger
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati Enquirer – cincinnati.com
BEST
COMMUNITY ISSUES STORY
WINNER: “Rape Culture Lives Here”
ENTRANT: Sarah Stankorb
PUBLICATION: Cincinnati
Magazine
REMARKS: “Thoroughly
researched, well-written and very interesting story on a topic of high public
interest. The personal stories of
victims are compelling and call out for change in how cases are handled.”
FINALIST: “Feeling The Strain of Unrelenting Overdoses”
ENTRANT: Terry DeMio
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati
Enquirer – cincinnati.com
FINALIST: “Full House”
ENTRANT: Nick Swartsell
PUBLICATION: CityBeat
BEST ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
STORY
WINNER: “The Art of Being Kathy Y. Wilson”
ENTRANT: Kathy Schwartz
PUBLICATION: CityBeat
REMARKS: “Engaging, inspiring and topical story.”
FINALIST: “Bonding Over
A Blizzard.”
ENTRANT: Kathy Schwartz
PUBLICATION: CityBeat
BEST
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT CRITIQUE
WINNER: “Rick Pender
Critiques”
ENTRANT: Rick Pender
PUBLICATION: CityBeat
REMARKS: “Clear, active writing that engages the reader.”
BEST
SPORTS STORY
WINNER: “Bengals/Steelers Monday Night Game”
ENTRANTS: Paul Dehner, Jim Owczarski & Paul Daugherty
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati Enquirer – cincinnati.com
REMARKS: “Excellent Package.
“Fine reporting and somewhat of a scoop, too.”
BEST
SPORTS FEATURE
WINNER: “Tim Krumrie’s Brain:
A Work In Progress”
ENTRANT: Jim Owczarski
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati
Enquirer – Cincinnati.com
REMARKS: “Very well written – epitome of a sports feature with the
double benefit of raising the awareness of brain injury.”
FINALIST: “Reds & Williams:
The Future Is Bright”
ENTRANT: Steve Watkins
PUBLICATION: Cincinnati Business Courier
BEST
MAGAZINE STORY
WINNER: “Creative Class”
ENTRANT: Justin Williams
PUBLICATION: Cincinnati
Magazine
REMARKS: “This is a deep dive into the prosperity of a city. There are many interesting voices,
perspectives and quotes. The reader
learns a lot about what happened, knows what has happened and what lies ahead. The short profiles of entrepreneurs were a
nice complement to the story.”
FINALIST: “The Fiona Phenomenon”
ENTRANT: David Lyman
PUBLICATION: Cincy Magazine
FINALIST: “Human Chain: Matthew
25 Ministries Is A Disaster Relief Powerhouse”
ENTRANT: Lisa Murtha
PUBLICATION: Cincinnati Magazine
BEST
MAGAZINE INVESTIGATIVE/DATABASE STORY
WINNER: “Rating the Burbs”
ENTRANT: Bill Ferguson, Jr.
PUBLICATION: Cincy Magazine
BEST
NEWS/SPORTS BLOG
WINNER: “The Morning Line”
ENTRANT: Paul Daugherty
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati
Enquirer – cincinnati.com
REMARKS: “Has the ingredients of a must-read blog: popular topics, strong voice, wit, snark,
quick hits, musical meanderings.”
FINALIST: “Politics Extra”
ENTRANT: Jason Williams
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati
Enquirer – cincinnati.com
BEST
NEWSPAPER/MAGAZINE DESIGN
WINNER:
“Cincinnati Magazine – July, 2017 Edition”
ENTRANT: Cincinnati Magazine Staff
PUBLICATION: Cincinnati Magazine
REMARKS: “Beautiful, eye-catching design from front cover to
back. Great use of fonts and color. Good use of creative photographs as well.”
FINALIST: “Cincinnati Business Courier – March 24, 2017”
ENTRANT: Kevin Cox
PUBLICATION: Cincinnati Business Courier
BEST
NEWSPAPER/MAGAZINE GRAPHIC
WINNER: “What Is A Filibuster?””
ENTRANT: Mike Nyerges
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati
Enquirer – Cincinnati.com
REMARKS: “With simple graphic and an eye-catching layout, this
entry was easy to read and understand.
It explained topical political terms in an engaging, straightforward
way.”
BEST
WEB SITE DESIGN
WINNER: “Cincinnati Business Courier Website”
ENTRANTS: Erin Caproni and
Cincinnati Business Courier Staff
PUBLICATION: Cincinnati
Business Courier
BEST
WEB GRAPHIC
WINNER: “Marvin Lewis Era”
ENTRANT: Michael Nyerges
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati
Enquirer – cincinnati.com
REMARKS: “This was a fun, informative video graphic. It is well produced and executed. The music gave it an ‘NFL Films’ feel.”
FINALIST: “The Flood of
1937”
ENTRANT: Michael Nyerges
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati
Enquirer – cincinnati.com
VISUAL COMMUNICATION
BEST
NEWS STORY
WINNER: “Adams County Power Plants Closing”
ENTRANT: Tom McKee
MEDIA OUTLET: WCPO-TV
REMARKS: “A well-done, comprehensive look at economic, government
and local budget implications of a looming utility shutdown. Good array of interviews.”
BEST
FEATURE STORY
WINNER: “Beverly Hills Supper Cub Fire – 40 Years Later”
ENTRANT: Tom McKee
MEDIA OUTLET: WCPO-TV
REMARKS: “Powerful retrospective on a disaster with national
implications.”
FINALIST: “Police Chief In
Fight For His Life”
ENTRANT: Evan Millward
MEDIA OUTLET: WCPO-TV
FINALIST: “Western Hills
Viaduct Crumbling”
ENTRANT: Tom McKee
MEDIA OUTLET: WCPO-TV
BEST HEALTH/MEDICAL
STORY
WINNER:
“HIV Study Fights Stigma”
ENTRANT: Evan Millward
MEDIA OUTLET: WCPO-TV
REMARKS: “Important topic covered thoughtfully and
thoroughly with great sources.”
FINALIST: “Pets For Patients”
ENTRANT: Tom McKee
MEDIA OUTLET: WCPO-TV
BEST SPORTS
FEATURE STORY
WINNER: “Head-to-Head With Bob Trumpy”
ENTRANT: Mike Nyerges
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati Enquirer – cincinnati.com
FINALIST: “NKU Basketball To NCAA”
ENTRANT: Tom McKee
MEDIA OUTLET: WCPO-TV
BEST
NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY
WINNER: “Liz Dufour”
ENTRANT: Liz Dufour
PUBLICATION: Cincinnati
Enquirer – cincinnati.com
REMARKS: “The photographer presents a very solid photo narrative
of a woman’s struggles with heroin addiction including a striking closeup and
emotional shot of her in prison and with her father. The photo told a difficult story.”
FINALIST: “Bockfest Queen”
ENTRANT: Corrie Schaffeld
PUBLICATION: Cincinnati Business Courier
BEST
SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY
WINNER: “Morgan’s First Goal”
ENTRANT: Corrie Schaffeld
PUBLICATION: Cincinnati
Business Courier
REMARKS: “The photographer captures
the vibrant moment of a soccer player’s first goal. Framing and focus are excellent. The viewer is right there in the scene.”
FINALIST: “The Punch”
ENTRANT: Sam Greene
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati Enquirer – cincinnati.com
BEST VIDEOGRAPHY
WINNER: “Seven Days of Heroin”
ENTRANTS: Carrie Cochran
and Meg Vogel
PUBLICATION: Cincinnati
Enquirer – cincinnati.com
REMARKS: “Very compelling story told in a compelling, but not
overly dramatic way. Understated when
the facts alone provided the drama. Good use of video to show the scope of the
problem.”
FINALIST: “Bengals at 50”
ENTRANT: Michael Nyerges
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati
Enquirer – cincinnati.com
AUDIO COMMUNICATION
BEST
NEWS STORY
WINNER: “Metro Looking Into Weapons Policy, Training After
Incident””
ENTRANT: Tana Weingartner
MEDIA OUTLET: 91.7 WVXU
REMARKS: “A natural follow-up to a news story that provides
readers/listeners an overview of how officials are responding to an incident.”
FINALIST: “Cameo Night Club
Shooting”
ENTRANT: Bill Rinehart
MEDIA OUTLET: 91.7 WVXU
BEST NEWS FEATURE STORY
WINNER: “Maintaining The Miraculous Monarch Migration”
ENTRANT: Tana Weingartner
MEDIA OUTLET: 91.7 WVXU
REMARKS: “A well-written, well-sourced exploration of a fascinating
subject made richer with photos and video.”
FINALIST: “Should Jurors Be
Picked From More Than Just Voter Lists?”
ENTRANT: Bill Rinehart
MEDIA OUTLET: 91.7 WVXU
BEST GOVERNMENT STORY
WINNER: “2017 Coverage of the City of Cincinnati”
ENTRANT: Jay Hanselman
MEDIA OUTLET: 91.7 WVXU
BEST HEALTH/MEDICAL
STORY
WINNER: “OTR Native Joins UC Clinical Trial Testing New Drug
That Might Prevent HIV Transmission”
ENTRANT: Austin Fast
MEDIA OUTLET: wcpo.com
REMARKS” “Calm,
compassionate interviewing technique by reporter Austin Fast draws emotional
story from medical volunteer and clear explanations from medical professionals.”
BESTS
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT STORY
WINNER: “Robotic Pets Purr-fect For Oxford Retirement Community”
ENTRANT: Ann Thompson
MEDIA OUTLET: 91.7 WVXU
REMARKS: “Very effective use of actuality and natural sound. Entire story seemed to be told by letting
sound tell the story.”
FINALIST: “Blink: Art For Ears and Eyes”
ENTRANT: Bill Rinehart
MEDIA OUTLET: 91.7 WVXU
FINALIST: “HoneyHoney’s
Suzanne Santo Explores Vice, Accountability In Raw Debut Solo Album ‘Ruby Red’”
ENTRANT: Austin Fast
MEDIA OUTLET: wcpo.com
BEST OF SHOW
BEST OVERALL WRITTEN
REPORTER
WINNER: “Keith Biery Golick
Portfolio”
ENTRANT: Keith Biery Golick
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati
Enquirer – cincinnati.com
REMARKS: “I want to congratulate
Keith for taking complex stories and finding the essence of them – touching
human stories, some of them tragic. I do
want to applaud Keith for taking risks in his writing. Keep at it.”
FINALIST: “Nick Swartsell”s Work”
ENTRANT: Nick Swartsell
PUBLICATION: CityBeat
BEST NEWSPAPER
WINNER: “The Cincinnati
Enquirer”
ENTRANT: The Cincinnati
Enquirer Staff
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati
Enquirer – cincinnati.com
REMARKS: “The Seven Days of
Heroin project shows a commitment of time and resources to covering an issue
that is eating away at the community and doing so in a way that tries to open
the eyes of people who were otherwise uninterested in stories about those
addicted to drugs and the consequences they fact. The cover story on FC Cincinnati presented
answers to the logical questions about an FC MLS bid in a logical way that was
easy to follow.”
FINALIST: “Cincinnati Business Courier”
ENTRANT: Cincinnati Business Courier Staff
PUBLICATION: Cincinnati Business Courier
FINALIST: “CityBeat”
ENTRANT: CityBeat Staff
PUBLICATION: CityBeat
BEST
NEWSPAPER SPECIAL SECTION
WINNER: “Seven Days of Heroin:
This Is What An Epidemic Looks Like”
ENTRANTS: Terry DeMio and
Dan Horn (writers) as part of a team of more than 80 reporters, photographers
and videographers
PUBLICATION: The Cincinnati
Enquirer – cincinnati.com
REMARKS: “An extraordinary endeavor that brings the reality of
heroin addiction to public attention through police reports, conversations with
addicts and their families and unvarnished facts about lost lives. It shows exactly what an epidemic looks like,
as the subhead on the section said.
This section represents journalism at its very best, simply giving
an accurate account of drug carnage in one week in the Cincinnati region.”
BEST
MAGAZINE
WINNER: “Cincy Magazine”
ENTRANT: Eric Harmon,
Corinne Minard, Mike Boyer, Eric Spangler and Guy Kelly
PUBLICATION: Cincy
Magazine, 2017
REMARKS: “Colorful, incisive writing combined with excellent
layouts and strong visual elements.”
FINALIST: “Cincinnati Magazine”
ENTRANT: Cincinnati
Magazine Staff
PUBLICATION: Cincinnati
Magazine
BEST
WEB SITE
WINNER: “Cincinnati Business Courier”
ENTRANTS: Erin Caproni, Cincinnati
Business Courier Staff
PUBLICATION: Cincinnati Business Courier web site
REMARKS: “Very nice, clean layout.
Very well designed so that the reader is drawn in by related stories.”
FINALIST: “91.7 WVXU”
ENTRANT: Maryanne Zeleznik
MEDIA OUTLET: 91.7 WVXU web site
BEST OVERALL VISUAL REPORTER
WINNER: “Liz Dufour’s Work”
ENTRANT: Liz Dufour
PUBLICATION: Cincinnati
Enquirer – cincinnati.com
FINALIST: “Kristin Swilley Composite”
ENTRANT: Kristin Swilley
MEDIA OUTLET: WCPO-TV
BEST RADIO NEWSCAST
WINNER: “91.7 WVXU”
ENTRANT: Maryanne Zeleznik
MEDIA OUTLET: 91.7 WVXU
REMARKS: “Direct, succinct
writing. Good use of actuality. Pleasant delivery and great inflection, which
conveyed meaning and importance.”
BEST OVERALL RADIO REPORTER
WINNER: “Tana Weingartner”
ENTRANT: Tana Weingartner
MEDIA OUTLET: 91.7 WVXU
REMARKS: “Solid writing
from hard news to features and good balance in reporting stories of
controversy. Good delivery.”
