From Our Archive
March 1, 2002
Scripps Howard Foundation announces National Journalism Award Winners
CINCINNATI -- The Scripps Howard
Foundation today announced the winners of its National
Journalism Awards, a competition open to all news
organizations in the United States honoring work done in
2001.
The awards recognize excellence in 18 categories
including editorial writing, human interest writing,
environmental and public service reporting, business/economics
reporting, commentary, photojournalism, electronic journalism,
college cartooning, Internet reporting and editorial
cartooning.
The awards also recognize distinguished
service to literacy and the First Amendment.
Cash
awards totaling $52,500 will be presented April 12 during a
banquet at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
"The National Journalism Awards were established to
honor and encourage excellence in journalism," said Judith G.
Clabes, president and chief executive officer of the Scripps
Howard Foundation. "The winners of this year’s competition
represent the very best journalism has to
offer."
Kenneth W. Lowe, president and chief executive
officer of The E.W. Scripps Company, said, "Each year, through
the National Journalism Awards, we take time out to honor the
accomplishments of America’s best journalists. The level of
excellence we saw this year reassures us that dedicated,
hard-working journalists make a difference."
The
winners are:
EDITORIAL WRITING
Kate Stanley, Star
Tribune, Minneapolis. Stanley will receive $2,500 and the
Walker Stone Award trophy.
Stanley won for her editorials on
topics including concealed weapons legislation, homelessness,
teen pregnancy prevention and mental health. Judges said, "Ms.
Stanley is an engaging writer, not afraid to try different
approaches to editorial writing." Finalists:
Martha Ezzard, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Saundra
Torry, USA TODAY.
COMMENTARY
Leonard Pitts, The
Miami Herald. Pitts will receive $2,500 and a
trophy.
Pitts won for a selection of his general
interest columns, including a nationally acclaimed commentary
on the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center. Judges said,
"Pitts writes about it all in ways that can enlighten
everyone." Finalist: Nicole Brodeur, The
Seattle Times.
HUMAN INTEREST WRITING
Ken Fuson, The Des Moines
(Iowa) Register. Fuson will receive $2,500 and the Ernie
Pyle Award trophy.
Fuson won for a variety of human
interest stories, including his account of a friendship
between two elementary-aged school girls – one from Iowa, the
other a refugee from Sudan. Judges said, "Ken Fuson tells
powerful, compelling stories that offer large glimpses into
our humanity." Finalists: Cameron Barr, The
Christian Science Monitor; Jim Kenyon, Valley News, West
Lebanon, N.H.
WEB REPORTING
USATODAY.com.
USATODAY.com will receive $2,500 and a
trophy.
USATODAY.com won for a special report on the
evacuation of the World Trade Center. Judges said, "It was not
just vivid reporting that got the judges’ attention. It was
incredibly informative - animated information graphics, slide
shows of outstanding photojournalism, clips of emotionally
moving audio, great video and more."
Finalists: Tampa Bay (Fla.) Online; The
Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING - Over 100,000
circulation
Julie Hauserman, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times.
Hauserman will receive $2,500 and the Edward J. Meeman
Award trophy.
Hauserman won for her special report,
"Poison in Your Back Yard," which warned of arsenic
contamination from the widespread use of pressure-treated
wood. Judges said, "An outstanding job of original reporting
and clear, compelling writing. This package. . .had a profound
impact on the community and led to significant changes."
Finalists: Ben Raines, Mobile (Ala.)
Register; Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal (Margaret Newkirk, Bob
Downing.)
ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING – Under 100,000
circulation
Scott Streater, Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal.
Streater will receive $2,500 and the Edward J. Meeman
Award trophy.
Streater won for an investigative series
of articles, "Hidden Hazard," that explored the link between
high levels of toxic pollution to higher than average cancer
rates in the Pensacola area. Judges said, "The reporting has
great depth. . . a totally first-rate journalistic effort."
Finalists: Hal Clifford, High Country News,
Paonia, Colo.; Jean Hays, Wichita (Kan.) Eagle.
EDITORIAL CARTOONING
John Sherffius, St. Louis
Post-Dispatch. Sherffius will receive $2,500 and a
trophy.
Sherffius won for a selection of cartoons
commenting on a variety of issues, including the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks, the Clinton pardons and the Republican’s
economic stimulus package. Judges said: "We were impressed
with the range of his visual metaphors. . . We felt this was
the most consistently excellent portfolio in a very strong
field." Finalists: Clay Bennett, The
Christian Science Monitor; Jim Borgman, The Cincinnati
Enquirer.
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO LITERACY
Paul
Riede, The Post-Standard, Syracuse, N.Y. Riede will
receive $2,500, the Charles E. Scripps Award trophy and a
$5,000 donation from the Scripps Howard Foundation to the
literacy group of his choice.
Riede won for a series of
articles, "Raising Readers," that took a serious look at the
Syracuse community’s commitment to teaching young children to
read. Judges said, "Paul Riede’s series moved his community to
action. He made literacy everybody’s issue and promoted an
agenda to remedy the problem." Finalist:
Emory READ Literacy Program, Emory University,
Atlanta.
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO THE FIRST
AMENDMENT
Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel. The newspaper will
receive $2,500 and the Edward Willis Scripps Award
trophy.
The Sentinel won for its legal battle to gain
access to autopsy photos following the death of NASCAR driver
Dale Earnhardt. Judges praised the Sentinel for a "head-on
constitutional challenge to defend the public’s right to
know." Finalist: The Miami Herald.
PHOTOJOURNALISM
Aristide Economopoulos, The
Star-Ledger, Newark, N.J. Economopoulos will receive
$2,500 and a trophy.
Economopoulos won, in part, for
his coverage of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World
Trade Center. Referring to the Sept. 11 coverage, judges said,
Economopoulos " takes us progressively deeper into the
disaster. It was a remarkable effort under the worst
imaginable circumstances." Finalist: Alan
Berner, The Seattle Times.
BUSINESS/ECONOMICS
REPORTING
The Wall Street Journal. (Rebecca Smith,
John Emshwiller). The newspaper will receive $2,500
and the William Brewster Styles Award trophy.
Smith,
Emshwiller and the Journal won for an investigative series
exposing financial and accounting irregularities that led to
the fall of Enron Corp. Judges said, "The (Enron) story didn’t
just burst on the scene. These two reporters were able to take
complex financial information and write stories that readers
could understand." Finalists: Judy Thomas,
The Kansas City (Mo.) Star; Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel (Tim
Barker, Mary Shanklin.)
JOURNALISTIC EXCELLENCE IN
ELECTRONIC MEDIA - Small Market Radio
KOSU-FM, Stillwater,
Okla. The radio station will receive $2,500 and the Jack
R. Howard Award trophy.
KOSU won for a series of
reports on the fatal crash of an airplane carrying members of
the Oklahoma State University basketball team and its program.
Judges said, "From the first news of the crash to a moving
memorial, the station kept the coverage professional and
focused."
JOURNALISTIC EXCELLENCE IN ELECTRONIC MEDIA
- Large Market Radio
Latino USA,
National Public Radio, Los Angeles. Latino USA will
receive $2,500 and the Jack R. Howard Award
trophy.
Latino USA won for a story on an industrial accident at
a fruit-packing plant in Washington State. Judges said, "This
project achieves the main goals of journalism: give voice to
the voiceless; hold the powerful accountable."
Finalist: WINS-AM (Infinity), New York, N.Y.
JOURNALISTIC EXCELLENCE IN ELECTRONIC MEDIA -
Small Market TV/Cable
KTUU-TV, Anchorage, Alaska.
KTUU will receive $2,500 and the Jack R. Howard Award
trophy.
KTUU won for a series of stories describing the
disparity between urban and rural school districts in Alaska.
Judges said, "This piece fulfilled and delivered what it
promised from the lead." Finalists: WVVA-TV,
Bluefield, W.Va.; KPVI-TV, Pocatello, Idaho.
JOURNALISTIC EXCELLENCE IN ELECTRONIC MEDIA -
Large Market TV/Cable
WFLD-TV, Chicago. WFLD will
receive $2,500 and the Jack R. Howard Award
trophy.
WFLD won for a special report, "The Experiment
in Black and White," that used a reality television format to
explore racial issues. Judges said, "With an innovative
technique borrowed from popular television. . . (WFLD) brought
to light racial hot points so near the surface the revelations
were both alarming and enlightening."
Finalists: WFAA-TV, Dallas; WCPO-TV,
Cincinnati.
COLLEGE
CARTOONING
Charles M. Schulz Award
Nate Beeler,
The Eagle, American University, Washington, D.C. Beeler
will receive $2,500 and the Charles M. Schulz Award
trophy.
Beeler won for a series of political cartoons
commenting on the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the economy, the
anthrax scare and other national issues. Judges said, "Nate
Beeler has a polished visual style with substantive content in
his editorial cartoons. He has a thoughtful and intentional
approach to his craft." Finalist: Eric
Devericks, Daily Barometer, Oregon State University,
Corvallis.
PUBLIC SERVICE REPORTING - Over 100,000
circulation
The Seattle Times (Duff Wilson, David Heath).
The Seattle Times will receive $2,500 and the Roy W.
Howard Award trophy.
The Seattle Times won for its
report, "Uninformed Consent," which exposed a cancer research
center’s decision to provide incomplete information to
patients about the risks of a clinical trial. Judges said,
"(The Seattle Times) produced. . . a convincing, detailed,
well-packaged investigation."
Finalists: The Dallas Morning News (Reese
Dunklin, Brooks Egerton); The Washington Post (Sari Horwitz,
Scott Higham, Sarah Cohen.)
PUBLIC
SERVICE REPORTING - Under 100,000 circulation (Tie)
York
(Pa.) Daily Record and The York (Pa.) Dispatch/Sunday
News. The newspapers will each receive $2,500 and the Roy
W. Howard Award
trophy.
The newspapers, in separate efforts,
won for spurring a renewed investigation into the 1969 York
race riot deaths of an African-American woman and a white
police officer. Judges said, "These two small staffs dug out
inconvenient facts, challenged powerful local officials and
created a climate in which buried, difficult truths about
York’s past could be pursued and assessed."
Finalist: Poughkeepsie (N.Y.)
Journal.
Dedicated to excellence in journalism, the
Scripps Howard Foundation is a leader in industry efforts in
journalism education, scholarships, internships, literacy,
minority recruitment/development and First Amendment
causes.
Contact: Patty Cottingham, Scripps Howard Foundation, 513-977-3847, cottingham@scripps.com