NEWS WRITING AND REPORTING
SMALL PUBLICATIONS
(daily and non-daily with circulation up to 35,000)
A1. General Reporting
32 entries
First place
Katy O’Grady
Daily
News Sun
“Sex Offenders find refuge in Sun City”
“Unlike so many stories in this category, this story starts with a real person. Not only that, but a person we too often fail to talk with, a sex offender. It also tells us something that isn’t obvious. Nice initiative, good research, clean writing. The story comes full circle by bringing us back to Greg Stopka. Good work.”
Second place
Cindy Barks
The Daily
Courier
“Gateway Mall was a long time coming”
“Sometimes it’s a good idea to go back to a story we covered in a piecemeal fashion and put it in perspective. Ms. Barks does that nicely here, gathering an array of sources and giving us a sense of how the mall came to be.”
Third place
Ken Hedler
Kingman
Daily Miner
“Officials defend handling of Colorado City complaints”
“Decent job of handling what must be a tough topic. Mr. Hedler did a fine job of gathering officialdom for his story, but I wanted to know more. This story feels like a gold mine waiting to be developed.”
Honorable mention
Matt Loeschman
Surprise
Independent
“Mayor’s biography contained false info”
“This story is a tease — it gives us something interesting, but doesn’t really put it into context. The reader learns something — that the mayor fudged her resume — but is also left with a sense that there’s something unsaid. Namely, how did this come up?”
A3. Sustained coverage/series
23 entries
Judge: Dave Newbart covers higher education for the Chicago Sun-Times. He was a Pew Fellow in 1999.
First place
Allen Kalchik
HeatStroke News
“Getting it together? Possible ASU consolidation addressed at forum”
Second place
Erin Reep
Daily News-Sun
“Terry Hiles series: ‘Waiting to survive,’ ‘Sun Citian treats new heart with tender, loving care’ and ‘Plenty to be thankful for’”
Third place
Katy O’Grady
Daily News-Sun
“AARP membership sinks in local chapters”
SMALL PUBLICATIONS
A2. Personality profile/feature writing
30 entries
Judge: Pat Waters is features editor of the Omaha World-Herald. He has been a reporter, city editor and managing editor.
First place
Jeff Tucker
Arizona Daily Sun
“Housing squeeze in Flag confirmed”
“The reporter put a human face on an important but possibly dry story: the lack of affordable housing in the city. But it wasn’t just fluff. He provided the essential nuts and bolts: census data, median home prices, average income. It was a seamless and perfect melding of meat-and-potatoes reporting and good writing.”
Second place
Allen Kalchik
HeatStroke News
“Bigot City Grill”
“Thoroughly researched, this story sheds light on a situation in Arizona of which the public may be unaware. Even to an outsider — in terms of residence and sexual orientation — it was an engrossing read.”
Third place
Mirsada Buric-Adam
The Daily Courier
“PHS class of ‘42 recalls good times and war’s interruption”
“An engaging and detailed tale of a different time and a different sensibility.”
A2.5. Personality profile
21 entries
Judge: Sheila Toomey, a senior reporter for the Anchorage Daily News, has won numerous awards for her writing and was a member of the Daily News team that won the 1989 Pulitzer Prize Gold medal for Public Service for a series on alcoholism and forced acculturation in Alaska’s indigenous communities.
First Place
Allen Kalchik
HeatStroke
News
“Arizona’s own webcam boys”
“This writer overcomes the inherent weaknesses of a reporter-in-the-middle approach. He understands the story is not about him and lets the subjects dominate, keeping the ‘I’ to a minimum. Moving many of the expected questions to a sidebar allowed him to streamline the piece into a good, straight-ahead read. While it’s true that much of the story’s impact comes from the bizarre subject matter, the writer’s skill saved it from the tawdry voyeurism it might have become.
That said, this story has a serious flaw. In his enthusiasm to become one with the subjects, he accepts their behavior unquestioningly. ‘Gee Whiz’ is a place to start but not enough. I very much doubt that this is anywhere near normal behavior except perhaps on the far fringes of the gay world.”
Second Place
Katy O’Grady
Daily
News-Sun
“Locals among Buffett’s Phlock”
“This is an excellent example of how good writing can turn a silly subject into an informing read about a segment of society one is not likely to run across. (Or so one hopes.) What I found most impressive about this piece is O’Grady’s confident handling of language and her tight structure.
I would have liked her to tell me just a bit more about a couple of these people. Not too much, please. Are they like the cheese heads and part-time Elvis impersonators? Or are they just regular people nostalgic for a youthful experience that can’t ever be repeated? I also could have done without most of the promotion of their good works. One or two brief examples would have gotten the idea across. Still, a very enjoyable read.”
Third Place
Aubin Tyler
Casa
Grande Dispatch
“O’odham linguist Zepeda left so she could return”
“An interesting story about a poet, professor, and doctor of linguistics whose work is steeped in her Native American culture. The story is strengthened by the writer’s clear prose and descriptive talent. But the writer doesn’t use either of these talents enough here. The piece starts out strong then loses its power in too many grafs of unnecessary chronology and uninspired quotes from people other than the subject. This woman is a poet. The story should be full of her voice and feelings. The writer made me want to know Zepeda, but in the end didn’t satisfy.”
SPORTS WRITING AND REPORTING
SMALL PUBLICATIONS
A5. Sports reporting
21 entries
Judge: Les Carpenter covers the NFL for The Seattle Times and won the
Associated Press Sports Editors Award for distinguished sportswriting last
Year.
First place
Patrick O’Grady
Surprise Today
“Stadium will honor city sports dean”
“The writer took what could be a short news story and told the story of a man getting the greatest honor of his life. The quote ‘It’s good to have something like this given to you when you are able to see and before you cash in your chips’ quote made this story work.”
Second place
David M. Ward
Chandler Connection
“Thornton follows dad’s path to dirt-tracking racing”
“This story put a human face on a sport that always doesn’t have one. Nice imagery in the lead.”
Third place
Steve Stockmar
The Daily Courier
“The crack is back”
“A good enterprise piece, something papers (especially smaller papers) don’t do enough of. You can tell a lot of work went into this story.”
COMMENTARY
SMALL PUBLICATIONS
A4. Commentary/analysis
32 entries
Judge: Reynaldo Mena is the editor of Excelsior newspaper in Orange County, California. He has worked at the San Jose Mercury News and the Fort Worth-Star-Telegram.
First place
Larry Ward
Ahwatukee
Foothills News
“Old glory’s value”
“Highlights an interesting point: that in these times when flags have become omnipresent, we must question our patriotism if we choose to buy cheap flags made overseas.”
Second place
John Reid
Sedona
Red Rock News
What do the simple folk do?”
“Forces readers to question their values in a society where ‘multiple pagers are a sign of prestige ad cellular phones stuck in ears are the rigueur of especially the young.’”
Third place
Jerry Thebado
Payson
Roundup
“Players owners need to remember baseball’s magic”
“Shows how baseball offers a loud playing field where he or his family members can enjoy each other’s company despite their differences, a reason players should stick with the sport despite recent disputes.”