2014 Metro Journalism Awards

METRO DAILY NEWSPAPERS/ WIRE SERVICES

  • CONTINUING COVERAGE
    • First Place: Antoinette Konz The Courier Journal—“Academic genocide in JCPS?”
      • Judges’ comments: “Thorough, consistent reporting on a most meaningful topic. Good depth of sourcing. Antoinette Konz exhibited diligence and drive, which Jefferson County residents no doubt appreciated. It must be said, the runner-up’s work was outstanding as well.”
    • Second Place: Amanda Beam News and Tribune—Acknowledging an anniversary” (stories about the March 2012 tornadoes in southern Indiana)
  • ENTERPRISE/ INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
    • First place: Amanda Beam & Daniel Suddeath News and Tribune—“Life after prison” (three stories)
      • Judges’ comments: “The trio of stories places a spotlight on the plight of nonviolent drug offenders by illustrating the dire problem of state correctional facility crowding…and, through the eyes of a former inmate, the potential individual and societal benefits of rehabilitation.”
  • BUSINESS REPORTING
    • First Place: Business First staff—“Taking its toll: Paying for bridges could be costly for trucking industry”; “Stroke of genius: IdeaFestival prompts creative thinking”; “Is the holiday bonus back?”
      • Judges’ comments: “From the depth of reporting on the toll bridge package to the layers of information in the other entries, it is clear this organization understands how to create dynamic content for its audience.”
    • Second Place: Andrew Robinson Business First—“When curiosity gets disruptive”, “Commercial breaks”, “Getting social”
    • Third Place: Cary Stemle Business First—“Globe trotting”, “Fostering flexibility”, “Horseshoe southern Indiana”
  • MINORITY/ WOMEN’S AFFAIRS REPORTING
    • First Place: Joe Sonka LEO Weekly—“Access Denied” (re: access to abortion in KY); “Faking the funk?” (Rand Paul’s outreach to the African-American community); “Politics over protection” (federal funding cuts to domestic violence prevention efforts)
      • Judges’ comments: “In a class with strong writing and subject matter, the winner delivered a trio of stories in the women-minority category of interest to a wide audience. The Rand Paul story offered the quote of the contest, with a source declaring he couldn’t “take the funk” and fall in line with Paul’s sudden interest in civil rights issues.
    • Second Place: April Corbin LEO Weekly—“When the B stands for barriers”, “Invisible War, real wounds” , “Labored decisions”
    • Third Place: Amanda Beam News and Tribune—“I am not what happened to me”, “Dalai Lama’s nephew charts his own path for Tibetan freedom”; “Acquittal in Zimmerman trial sparks local rally”
  • EDITORIAL WRITING
    • First Place: Deborah Yetter Courier Journal—“Regain Control of a runaway cabinet”
      • Judges’ comments: “Solid, well-supported stand on an important issue. The watchdog function is on full display in this entry, which gives readers a clear breakdown of the series of poor decisions by public officials.”
  • COLUMN WRITING
    • First Place: Amanda Beam News and Tribune—“The bonds that stick”; “Unwarranted monochromatic tendencies”, “The reluctant heroes”
      • Judges’ comments: “Clearly the class of this field. Insightful commentary that encourages thoughtful reflection. Her readers are fortunate that she shares her writing gift with them regularly.”
    • Second Place: Sarah Kelley LEO Weekly “Cancer, interrupted”
    • Third Place: Al Cross Political columns for the Courier Journal “Kennedy spoke to the ‘better angels’ of our nature”
  • FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY
    • First Place: Matt Stone The Courier Journal—Three photos
      • Judges’ comments: No comments received
    • Second Place: Tim Harris Business First
  • SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY
    • First Place: Matt Stone The Courier Journal
      • Judges’ comments: No comments received
  • REVIEW/CRITICISM
    • First Place: Sara Havens Film Reviews—“Just say yes to “Drugs”; “Free Willy for good”; “Catching Fire” fever
      • Judge’s comments: No comments received
  • GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION
    • First Place: Brooke Timmons Business First—“Leaves of green: Tobacco settlement money funds…agriculture support in Jefferson and nearby counties”
      • Judges’ comments: No comments received
  • PAGE DESIGN
    • First Place: Brooke Timmons Business First—“Commercial Breaks”
      • Judges’ comments: No comments received
  • FEATURE WRITING
    • First Place: April Corbin LEO Weekly—“U of LGBT: How the University of Louisville became the most gay-friendly public university in the South”; “Here lies the dearly forgotten; Louisville’s neglected cemeteries”; “Trails and tales of The Parklands at Floyds Fork”
      • Judges’ comments: “The set of three stories contained colorful descriptions, history and voice of direct participants necessary to bring each to life. I felt as if I was in the room with LGBT individuals, looking out on grounds of an old cemetery and walking in the terrain of a new park system.”
    • Second Place: Antoinette Konz The Courier Journal—“Kentucky a national leader in instituting Common Core math and reading”; “Kentucky among nation’s leader in nationally certified teachers”; “JCPS schools rethink math”
    • Third Place: Amanda Beam News and Tribune—“Standing behind accused son, brother takes toll on Camm family”; “Woman on a kayak journey for PTSD awareness”
  • HEALTH CARE REPORTING
    • First Place: Cary Stemle Business First
    • “Hearty services; Rehab programs focus on keeping heart care patients from returning to hospitals” Judges’ comments: “The package on cardiac care clearly outlined the problem and the response by a collection of hospitals. The sidebars lining out individual cases made a significant contribution to the reporting.”
    • Second Place: David A. Mann “Fine tuning patient care”
  • GOVERNMENT/ POLITICS
    • First Place: Joe Sonka LEO—“Fables of coal”; “Fancy, brutish and short”; “Ready for launch”
      • Judges’ comments: No comments received
  • PERSONALITY/PROFIILE REPORTING
    • First Place: Amanda Beam News and Tribune—“From Columns to Conifers; Bob Hill Finds New Life”; “Nothing “Tiny” About Barthold’s Accomplishments”; “Rinpoche’s Journey to Indiana Remarkable.”
      • Judges’ comments: “Amanda, you have a very distinctive voice which enables you to tackle some very different, very interesting characters. We found all three very interesting, especially Bob Hill. Keep up the good work.”
    • Second Place: Josh Abner Business First “CFO of the year: Jay Wilson”

 NON-DAILY/ COMMUNITY PAPERS

  • BEST NEWS STORY
    • First Place: Meaghan Downs—“Terror, then anger”
      • Judge’s comment: “Nicely done!”
  • CONTINUING COVERAGE
    • First Place: Marnie McAllister & Jessica Able, The Record—Three articles on the election of Pope Francis
      • Judges’ comments: “The profiles on Pope Francis were as delightful as they were informative, and the piece about the student ballots was very interesting.”
  • HEALTH CARE REPORTING
    • First Place: Ben Keeton, Melanie Wolkoff Wachsman, Chelsea Nichols & Sally McMahon—Medical News
      • Judges’ comments: “The writing is solid. The graphics, etc. are nice. The topics are timely. Very nicely done!”
    • Second Place: Ben Keeton, Melanie Wolkoff Wachsman, Chelsea Nichols, Sally McMahon— “Medical News for You” January 2013 & May 2013
    • Third Place: Jessica Able, The Record—“Campers learn about nutrition and exercise”
  • MINORITY/ WOMEN’S AFFAIRS REPORTING
    • First Place: Marnie McAllister, The Record—“Service Calls Attention to Human Trafficing”; “Entering Convent was a Family Affair”; and “Refugee Program to be Shared Nationally”
      • Judges’ comments: No comments were given
    • Second Place: Ben Keeton, Melanie Wolkoff Wachsman, Chelsea Nichols, Sally McMahon—“Medical News for You”
    • Third Place: Ben Keeton, Melanie Wolkoff Wachsman, Chelsea Nichols, Sally McMahon—“Medical News”
  • SERVICE REPORTING
    • First Place: Melanie Wolkoff Wachsman Medical News—“Marketing Tune-up”; “Does your staff know how to handle conflicts with patients?”
      • Judges’ comments: No comments received
    • Second Place: Chelsea Nichols Medical News for You
  • FEATURE WRITING
    • First Place: Jessica Able The Record—“Dainty Contest”, “Prison Ministry” & “Faith Clubs”
      • Judge’s comments: “The writing flows very nicely. It’s very easy to read and it’s also quite pleasant to read what you’ve written.”
    • Second Place: Meaghan Downs The Anderson News—“Heels, faces and fans”; “The lifelong education of Louise Perry”; “Machine-gunner, soldier, mom”
  • COLUMN WRITING:
    • First Place: Meaghan Downs The Anderson News—“He’s for equality, but against gay marriage”; “From Germany, with love for Lawrenceburg”; “Bringing sewing machines back to life”
      • Judges’ comments: “Fine storytelling with commentary woven in. Meaghan does an especially nice job of leveraging quotations, allowing her subjects’ comments to drive home her points.”
  • EDITORIAL WRITING
    • First Place: Marnie McAllister The Record—“Curbing this “brutal business”
      • Judges’ comments: “Well-written and purposeful. Good work tackling the local impacts of an international issue.”
    • Second Place: Ben Keeton Medical News—“Frankfort decisions will have major impact on healthcare in Kentucky”; “A case for expanding Medicaid”
    • Third Place: Glenn Rutherford The Record—“Sometimes there are no words”
  • SPORTS WRITING
    • First Place: John Herndon The Anderson News—“Longtime brothers, finally teammates”; “No home field advantage for Bearcat baseball”; “Dream season ends in Final Four”
      • Judges’ comments: No comments received
  • PAGE DESIGN
    • First Place: Brian Orms Medical News for You—“Happy Birthday MN4U”; “Get Fit Together”
      • Judges’ comments: No comments received
    • Second Place: Brian Orms Medical News
  • GOVERNMENT/ POLITICS
    • First Place: Ben Keeton, Melanie Wolkoff Wachsman, Chelsea Nichols & Sally McMahon Medical News—“Legislative wrapup”
      • Judges’ comments: No comments received
  • PERSONALITY/ PROFILE REPORTING
    • First Place: Wesley Kerrick The Voice Tribune—“The Smell of Success”
      • Judges’ comments: “The scene set in the store gave the reader good insight into the subject’s personality.”
    • Second Place: Meaghan Downs The Anderson News—“The letter writer”
    • Third Place: Marnie McAllister The Record—“Sister Prisca recalls her early life and vocation”; “Brother Ed Driscoll to lead Xaverians”; “Couple to mark 75 years of marriage”

MAGAZINE

  • BUSINESS REPORTING
    • First Place: Josh Moss Louisville Magazine—“The best bourbon you’ll never taste”
      • Judges’ comments: “Good job”
    • Second Place: ENTRY WAS NOT PROPERLY UPLOADED COULD NOT BE JUDGED
  • FEATURE WRITING
    • First Place: Jenni Laidman Louisville Magazine—“A quest for super horses”; “Cairo to Hickman”; “Mom Island”
      • Judges’ comments: “Well written. Good job.”
    • Second Place: Jack Welch Louisville Magazine—“The dirty Derby”; “Stopover before the storm”; “The great changeover”
    • Third Place: Cary Stemle Business First—“Aiming high”
  • EDITORIAL/ CARTOON
    • First Place: Robby Davis & Josh Moss Louisville Magazine—“Kentucky State Fair”
      • Judges’ comments: “Love the illustrations and the descriptions. Good job.”
  • COLUMN WRITING
    • THE JUDGES DID NOT AWARD A WINNER IN THIS CATEGORY!
  • SPORTS WRITING
    • First Place: Kane Webb Louisville Magazine—“11 days in November; How U-of-L won the battle for the ACC”
      • Judges’ comments: “Great writing. The article intrigued me about what would happen next. Great flow in the storytelling. Good descriptions in the article. I could picture the people, the stress, the hard work going into this.”
  • PHOTO PACKAGE
    • First Place: Ted Tarquinio Louisville Magazine—“Whiskey Row pt. 3”; “The Grand Design”; “View from the Bridge.”
      • Judges’ comments: “What a great eye for detail. You capture not only the images but the heart and soul of your subjects.”
    • Second Place: Mickie Winters Louisville Magazine—“A quest for super horses”; “Trouble in mind”; “Homes of the parkways”
    • Third Place: Melissa Donald & Jessica Alyea—“Returning to our roots”Z; “The sound of style”
  • SERVICE REPORTING
    • First Place: Staff of Louisville Magazine—“The West End”, “Sweat It” and “Day Tripping”
      • Judges’ comments: “Good job. We can tell you put a lot of time into research. Good writing and good descriptions.”
    • Second Place: James Nold, Jr. Kentucky Living—“Successful aging”
  • MINORITY/WOMEN’S AFFAIRS REPORTING
    • First Place: Yelena Sapin & Jessica Alyea Today’s Woman—“A day in her shoes”; “Returning to our roots”
      • Judges’ comments: “Tight writing. Very good descriptions and comparisons. The article came to life on the page, drawing the reader into the story.”
  • HEALTH CARE REPORTING
    • First Place: Anita Oldham, Tiffany White, Jessica Alyea, Torie Temple & Yelena Sapin Today’s Woman—“2013 Breast Cancer Supplement”
      • Judges’ comments: “Good, tight writing. Good articles”
    • Second Place: Yelena Sapin, Amanda Beam, Jessica Alyea—“Aging gracefully”
    • Third Place: Jenni Laidman Louisville Magazine—“Trouble in mind”; “Lost in thought”; “Her sugar wasn’t sweet”
  • EDUCATION REPORTING:
    • First Place: Anne Marshall Louisville Magazine—“Back To Work”
      • Judges’ comments: “Good writing. Love the description of Jocelyn Salinas’ delicate white rose earrings and (the) wrenches in (her) back pocket. Your descriptions paint a picture for your readers. “Brillo pad goatee. Never played with dolls. I was a mud kid.” Great imagery to your writing.”
  • HEADLINE WRITING
    • First Place: Jack Welch Louisville Magazine—“Her Sugar wasn’t sweet”; “Songs for the lesser sung”; “Stopover before the storm”
      • Judges’ comments: The headlines draw the reader into the story. Good job.”
  • GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION
    • First Place: Carrie Neumayer Louisville Magazine—“Greetings from Dale Hollow”; “Various Colored Veils”; “Made with the ‘Shade”
      • Judges’ comments: “Nice illustrations. Good job.”
    • Second Place: Silvia Cabib Today’s Woman—“The facial hair speaks”
  • PAGE DESIGN
    • First Place: Brooke Timmons Business First—“Toasting Local Brews”
      • Judges’ comments: “Nice job. Layout design and pictures draw your eyes to the story.”
    • Second Place: April Allman Today’s Family—“Family Fun Night”; “Kidfree Vacation”; “Are you an angel or devil parent?”
    • Third Place: Kathy Bolger, Jessica Alyea Today’s Woman
  • COVER DESIGN
    • First Place: Kathy Bolger, Anita Oldham, Melissa Donald, Tiffany White & Jessica Alyea Today’s Woman
      • Judges’ comments: “Great images”
    • Second Place: Laura Snyder, Gunnar Deatherage, Clay Cook Nfocus August issue
    • Third Place: April Allman, Anita Oldham, Melissa Donald, Silvia Cabib, Emily Burke Today’s Family
    • October/November issue, December issue & February/March issue
  • PERSONALITY/ PROFILE REPORTING
    • First Place: Anne Marshall Louisville Magazine—“The Heart of Meyzeek”
      • Judges’ comments: “Love this story about teacher Sharonda O’Bannon-Morton. Your description of her and the students pulled me into the story. I felt like I was standing beside her, seeing her interact with her students. I feel like I know her and I would recognize her if it ran into her. Great job!”
    • Second Place: David Serchuk Louisville Magazine—“Master of his domain”

COLLEGE

  • NEWS STORY
    • First Place: Aprile Rickert Indiana University Southeast—“Strike; Students rally to protest rise in tuition”
      • Judges’ comments: “Excellent work. Terrific lead. Good flow in the story from one point to the next. Well-sourced. Balanced. Lots of promise here in the writing. Well done.”
    • Second Place: Morgan Eads Kentucky Kernel—“Balloon fight raises security questions”
    • Third Place: Simon Isham The Louisville Cardinal—“To catch a fraudster: Recent embezzlement unraveled.”
  • FEATURE STORY
    • First Place: Tessa Duvall Western Kentucky University—“The night the dreams died”
      • Judges’ comments: “Wow, what an excellent read. This writer dug in deep with the reporting, obviously spending tons of time interviewing sources and investigating the many dimensions of this story…This is knock-you-down, remarkable reporting- and it’s from a college student?? I’m totally impressed. Excellent work, Ms. Duvall. Excellent work.”
    • Second Place: Joel Stinnett Indiana University Southeast “Zombie lawn gnomes: All part of the family business”
    • Third Place: Joel Stinnett Indiana University Southeast “Former IUS student finds peace helping others”
  • SPORTS STORY
    • First Place: Sam Weber Indiana University Southeast—“Legend of the high-five”
      • Judges’ comments: “Interesting story that was set up well. The lead was a little long, although once into the story it flowed very well. Quotes were used well and did not seem to be just thrown in to make story longer.”
    • Second Place: Sam Draut The Louisville Cardinal—“Long journey back for senior Tia Gibbs”
    • Third Place: Tina Reed Indiana University Southeast—“Double-teamed”
  • EDITORIAL/ COLUMN
    • First Place: Becca Clemons Kentucky Kernel—“Kernel was first to call for UK sports integration”
      • Judges’ comments: “Excellent column that went beyond the traditional sports story and put sports in perspective with life and the changing times of American society. This was very well done in a way that wasn’t preachy. It simply stated the facts. It was a pleasure to read.”
    • Second Place: Tajh Chappell Kentucky State University—“Sporting double standard”
    • Third Place: Kendra Farmer Kentucky State University—“KSU’s cycle of silence”
  • NEWS/FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY
    • First Place: Somto Adi Kentucky State University—Student Protest photo
      • Judges’ comments: “Clear winner. Photo catches concern of students on an important subject. Shot is nicely framed. There’s little clutter”
    • Second Place: Samantha Frazier Indiana University Southeast—“International festival”
    • Third Place: Hanna Woods Indiana University Southeast—“Strike”
  • SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY
    • First Place: Tessa Lighty Kentucky Kernel—“Renaissance Coach”
      • Judges’ comments: “Sheer volume wins the day here. Good, multiple images capture the personality of the coach. Shots are framed well.”
    • Second Place: Sam Weber Indiana University Southeast—“Wiley Brown”
    • Third Place: Mychal Harris—“Basketball brothers”
  • GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION
    • First Place: Samantha Frazier Indiana University Southeast—“The Halloween Issue Cover”
      • Judges’ comments: “Very effective; makes reader want to see what’s coming inside. The frame is full. The font style and color are good choices. The fuzzy clock tower in the background adds to the mood. Lighting gives the impression that a beam of moonlight is hitting the pumpkin.”
    • Second Place: Bryan Jones Indiana University Southeast—“Welcome back issue cover
    • Third Place: Julius Stallworth Kentucky State University—“Gala donations”
  • PAGE DESIGN
    • First Place: Stephen Allen Indiana University Southeast—“Shaved heads, saved lives”
      • Judges’ comments: “Good, balanced design like this requires an artist’s touch. Everything about this page is attractive. Art head is effective. Text can be easily read. Three photographic images are blended well without chopping off body parts.”
    • Second Place: The Concord Staff Bellarmine University—“Vision 20/20″
    • Third Place: Simon Isham The Louisville Cardinal—“Who’s who at U of L”
  • ONLINE BEST WEB SITE
    • First Place: Rachel Aretakis, Amelia Orwick, David Schuh & Becca Clemmons—The Kentucky Kernel
      • Judges’ comments: No comments received
    • Second Place: Staff: iushorizon.com—Indiana University Southeast
    • Third Place: Regina Deveary, Simon Isham, Annie Moore—The Louisville Cardinal web site
  • BEST USE OF VIDEO
    • First Place: Adam Taylor and Jims Porter Indiana University Southeast—“Walking in a winter college land”
      • Judges’ comments: “Nice concept for a story. Well told and well produced. Good use of graphics… All in all, well done.”
    • Second Place: Elijah Lossner and Taylor Ferguson Indiana University Southeast—“2013 Jeffersonville Italian Festival”

ONLINE AFFILIATED

  • BEST WEB SITE
    • First Place: Ed Green & Business First staff
      • Judges’ comments: No comments received
    • Second Place: Mike Dever, Travis Kircher, Dave Creek wdrb.com
    • Third Place: Staff wfpl.org
  • BREAKING NEWS REPORTING
    • First Place: John R. Karman III Business First—“Humana heads for the suburbs”
      • Judges’ comments: “Very good story about Humana’s plans. But the best part is the extensive coverage of the impact it will have on the commercial real estate market and other downtown businesses.”
  • BEST VIDEO
    • JUDGES DID NOT AWARD A WINNER IN THIS CATEGORY
  • BEST BLOG
    • First Place: Travis Kircher WDRB.com—“Camm Trial Blog”
      • Judges’ comments: “Kircher made the readers feel like they were at the Camm trial. He did an excellent job conveying the emotions and the events at the trial.”
    • Second Place: Marc Weinberg, Jude Redfield, Jeremy Kappell, Rick Deluca—WDRB weather blog
    • Third Place: Phillip M. Bailey—“Noise and Notes” WFPL News
  • BEST SLIDE SHOW
    • First Place: Gabe Bullard WFPL News—“Urban Chicken Keepers”
      • Judges’ comments: “Off-beat story with a lot of appeal. Loved the audio track, which anyone could play while scrolling through the various pictures and captions. Well done!” (does the “well done comment have anything to do with the topic of chickens?? S York)
    • Second Place: Brooke Timmons & Ron Bath Business First—“Forty Under 40 honorees honored”
  • BEST POLITICAL COMMENTARY
    • First Place: Keith Runyon WFPL News—“Keith Runyon Commentaries”
      • 1. “Louisville Chooses Asthmapolis (that is, technology and data) to Fight Pulmonary Disease”
      • 2. “Louisville’s Suzy Post: At the Gates of Freedom”
      • 3. “Kentucky’s Intersection of Religion, Energy and the Environment”
        • Judges’ comments: “Terrific work on very interesting topics focusing on the people who are the fabric of Louisville. Thoughtful! Easy to read! Concise!”
    • Second Place: Eric Crawford WDRB TV
    • Third Place: John David Dyche WDRB TV
  • BEST SPORTS COVERAGE
    • First Place: Rick Bozich and Eric Crawford wdrb.com—“U of L wins national championship”
      • Judges’ comments: “A series of articles combined into a long-form book, this captured the season U of L had winning the NCAA championship. It delved into the players and games in a way that fans can relive the excitement…The writing is tight. It flows easily from one chapter to the next.”
    • Second Place: Eric Crawford wdrb.com—“The Run: U-of-L’s march to the NCAA Championship”
    • Third Place: Joseph Lord wfpl.org—“Five years after Eight Belle’s death in the Kentucky Derby”
  • BEST FOOD, ARTS CRITICISM
    • First Place: Steve Coomes Insiderlouisville.com Dining Coverage:—“Kentucky Bourbon Festival”; “Tipping in Restaurants is Outdated”; “Why Did Lynn Winter Close Lynn’s Paradise Cafe”?
      • Judges’ comments: “Steve Coomes does a great job at grabbing readers’ attention and keeping it throughout the review. Great job!”
    • Second Place: Erin Keane wfpl.com Theatre reviews
    • Third Place: Kevin Gibson insiderlouisville.com Dining coverage
  • BEST FEATURE STORY
    • First Place: Melissa Chipman Insider Louisville—“We are aware of breast cancer”
      • Judges’ comments: “Chipman wrote a riveting and emotional feature that shed new light on a disease that has become more associated with pink merchandise than the brave battles of survivals.”
    • Second Place: Joseph Lord wfpl.org—“Independent record shops come roaring back in Louisville”
    • Third Place: Joseph Lord, Devin Katayama wfpl.org—“Eating healthfully and crazily at the Kentucky State Fair”
  • INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
    • First Place: R.G.Dunlop WFPL News—“The man with many chances”
      • Judges’ comments: “The epitome of using a specific example through shoe-leather reporting and records gathering to show larger flaws in an overall system. A brilliant piece of work, if tragic…A great investigative piece.”
    • Second Place: R.G. Dunlop, Jonathan Meador—“John Arnold ethics case”
    • Third Place: Erin Keane wfpl.org—“Kentucky Shakespeare Festival”
  • GOVERNMENT/ POLITICS
    • First Place: R. G. Dunlop and Jonathan Meador WFPL News—“John Arnold Ethics Case”
      • Judges’ comments: “Very thoroughly researched and well-written investigation story. It raises key questions and provides important solutions for citizens. Well done!”
    • Second Place: Chris Otts wdrb.com—“Small cities complicate Louisville mayor’s local-option sales tax plan”

ONLINE NON-AFFILIATED

  • BEST WEBSITE
    • First Place: Elizabeth Myers & Dan Crutcher louisville.com
      • Judges’ comments: “Very nice web site, Easy to navigate. Informative. Very useful to anyone visiting the site.
  • BEST SPORTS COVERAGE
    • First Place: Jessie Oswald louisville.com—“Derby 139 profile: Orb” “Orb wins Derby 139” “Derby winner Orb retired”
      • NO JUDGES COMMENTS
  • FOOD, ARTS CRITICISM
    • First Place: Michelle Rynbrandt louisville.com for Theater Coverage:
      • 1. “The Mountaintop at Actors Theatre”
      • 2. “War Horse charges on with unconventional appeal”
      • 3. “War Horse rides into town: an interview with cast member and Kentucky native Spiff Wiegand”
        • Judges’ comments: “In reading a review-whenever a person feels as though he or she is actually seeing a play or a concert- it makes the story more memorable. That’s what happened here. Well done.”
    • Second Place: Selena Frye louisville.com—Music criticism
  • BEST FEATURE STORY
    • First Place: Brandon Vigliarolo Louisville.com—“Friends of Eastern Cemetery Work To Restore Forgotten Graves.”
      • Judges’ comments: “Vigliarolo has done an intriguing job of writing a feature that has everything from great writing to emotional impact.”
    • Second Place: Ashlie Danielle Stevens Louisville.com—“A peak inside the fridges of popular Louisville eateries”

RADIO

  • INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
    • First Place: Erica Peterson WFPL—“Hollowed mountains, hollowed towns”
      • Judges’ comments: “Extremely interesting story. Thorough reporting. Great presentation. Enjoyable to hear. Plus, a very important story for the future of the Commonwealth. Well done”
  • SPOT NEWS REPORTING
    • First Place: Gabe Bullard WFPL—“Less potent Maker’s Mark not going down smoothly”
      • Judges’ comments: “Well done. Nice story on a topic of extreme importance to Kentucky and bourbon drinkers everywhere. The fact that NPR picked up the story validates the importance.”
  • GENERAL NEWS REPORTING
    • First Place: Gabe Bullard WFPL—“A black jockey at the Kentucky Derby, again”
      • Judges’ comments: “Nicely written and voiced. Easy to visualize as the reporter speaks. Great topic, too.”
  • FEATURE REPORTING
    • First Place: Gabe Bullard WFPL News—“Cartoonist Hugh Haynie, through his son’s eyes”
      • Judges’ comments: No comments received.
    • Second Place: Joseph Lord & Devin Katayama WFPL News—“Eating right and wrong at the state fair”
    • Third Place: David Serchuk WFPL News—“What’s with all the hookah lounges in Louisville?”
  • BUSINESS REPORTING
    • First Place: David Serchuk WFPL News—“Guitar Emporium likely to reopen this month”
      • Judge comments: Nice use of natural sound to carry through the story. Pleasing voicing”
  • MINORITY/ WOMEN’S AFFAIRS REPORTING
    • First Place: Jonathan Bastian WFPL—“Public accommodations, 50 years later”
      • Judges’ comments: “What a history lesson! Tremendous conversation about the changes that have taken place in civil rights and the work that remains to be done. Very interesting. Well done!”
  • SPORTS REPORTING
    • First Place: Rick Howlett WFPL News—“Once rivals, former coaches now share the mic.”
      • Judges’ comments: “Nice feel-good story about two legends of basketball in the Commonwealth. Well put-together with just the right amount of historical play-by-play material.”
    • Second Place: Rick Howlett WFPL News—“Corky Miller profile”
  • BEST NEWSCAST
    • First Place: Jonathan Bastian & WFPL Staff WFPL—“Morning newscasts”
      • Judges’ comments: “Very nice work. Good mix of news, features and sports stories. The use of natural sound throughout the various segments was tremendous. Obviously a very skilled group of people with a good sense of what’s important to Louisville.”
  • EDITORIAL/ COMMENTARY
    • First Place: Keith Runyon WFPL—“Remembering Grady Clay”
      • Judges’ comments: “If you didn’t know or know of Grady Clay, this commentary certainly puts his importance to Louisville in perspective. Visionaries aren’t always recognized at the time, but when their accomplishments live beyond them, it’s a testament to greatness. Nicely done.”
  • SERIES REPORTING
    • First Place: Erica Peterson WFPL News—“Rubbertown and health”
      • Judges’ comments: “The quality of this series- the depth of the reporting- and the professionalism in the presentation, are just phenomenal. What an important story for every resident of Louisville. The scope of the problem is mind-boggling. The impact on citizens is incredible. Well done!”
    • Second Place: Erica Peterson WFPL News—“Black carbon in Louisville”
  • GOVERNMENT/ POLITICS
    • First Place: Devin Katayama WFPL News—“School volunteer rejections affect lowest performing JCPS schools.”
      • Judges’ comments: “Interesting story about a constituency that’s usually ignored for not being “sympathetic”. Nicely voiced.”
    • Second Place: Phillip Bailey WFPL News—“City buildings are falling apart”

 

TELEVISION

  • SPOT NEWS REPORTING
    • First Place: Jennifer Keeney, Elizabeth Woolsey, Gilbert Corsey WDRB TV—“David Camm verdict”
      • Judges’ comments: “(WDRB was) well prepared for this event; planning ahead makes the breaking news much easier. You could see someone had put a lot of thought into the verdict- how to present it- and be ready for it- either way. Good job.”
    • Second Place: Scott Adkins , Miles Jackson WAVE TV—“Exit 34; officer down”
  • GENERAL NEWS REPORTING
    • First Place: Kelly Davis & Jeff Gordon WDRB TV—“Gun Violence Impact”
      • Judges’ comments: “Very good look at the problem with lots of human perspective. Fortunately, it avoided the usual “talking points” on either side of the gun control issue”
    • Second Place: Bennett Haeberle & Sarah Haeberle WDRB News—“Empty gardens”
    • Third Place: Dawne Gee WAVE TV—“Remember my son”
  • FEATURE REPORTING
    • First Place: Chris Sutter and Kyle Lizenby WDRB—“Inspirational fiddler”
      • Judges’ comments: “Very good. Well written, excellent photography, good music mix.”
    • Second Place: Rachel Collier & Dominik Fuhrmann WDRB TV—“The last POW”
    • Third Place: Connie Leonard & Miles Jackson WAVE TV—“One shell of a friend”
  • BUSINESS REPORTING
  •   First Place: Valerie Chinn, Marcus Green & Tyler Lizenby WDRB TV—“Bluegrass Pipeline Controversy”
      • Judges’ comments: “Good hard-hitting piece. Good investigation on a controversial and somewhat complicated issue.”
    • Second Place: Kyle Lizenby, Chris Monroe & Tyler Lizenby WDRB News—“Falls City Beer”
    • Third Place: Steve Burgin Paul Ahmann WLKY TV—“Riverport resurgence”
  • HEALTH CARE REPORTING
    • First Place: Rachel Collier & Dominik Fuhrmann WDRB TV—“The race against time”
      • Judges’ comments: “What put this package over the others was the great nat sound pops with the child. You also did a great job matching the writing with the video, like how much energy he had, and the teasing with his best friend.”
    • Second Place: Sterling Riggs Tyler Lizenby WDRB News—“Healing waters”
    • Third Place: Scott Adkins & Derrek Kupish WAVE TV—“Million dollar smile”
  • MINORITY/WOMEN’S AFFAIRS REPORTING
    • First Place: Steve Burgin & Paul Ahmann WLKY TV—“Policy of petty punishment” (Louisville Metro Housing Authority)
      • Judges’ comments: No comments received
  • SPORTS REPORTING
    • First Place: Tom Lane WDRB TV—“Whitney Foster”
      • Judges’ comments: “Good package. Was put on top (of the other competitors) because of the personalized storytelling. Liked the nats- would have loved even more.”
    • Second Place: Scott Adkins WAVE TV—“Out of a hole”
    • Third Place: Tom Lane, Steve Andress & Eric Crawford WDRB TV—“U-of-L wins Sugar Bowl”
  • EDITORIAL/ COMMENTARY
    • First Place: Bill Lamb “Point of View” WDRB—“Uncertain justice revisited” (David Camm case); “For God’s sake, it’s science”; “Equal representation a must for Louisville”
      • Judges’ comments: “Good hard-hitting editorials. Well written.”
  • SERIES REPORTING
    • First Place: Gilbert Corsey & Neil Johnson WDRB TV—“Sickness in the system”
      • Judges’ comments: “This story won, not just because of the content, but the opening sequences in the package that drew me in. The package was “made” by the opening nat sound, music- and the court appearances you got to go with the outside shots.”
    • Second Place: Steve Burgin & Paul Ahmann WLKY TV—‚“Toxic neighbors”
    • Third Place: Valerie Chinn, Jeff Gordon, Dave White—“Homeless students”
  • SPOT NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY
    • First Place: Dominik Fuhrmann WDRB TV—“UPS plane crash”
      • Judges’ comments: No comments received
  • GENERAL NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY:
    • First Place: Doug Druschke WAVE TV—“Big Four opening day”
      • Judges’ comments: “Good example of how strong photography and editing can sometimes be much more affective in storytelling than the face of a reporter on camera.”
  • FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY
    • First Place: Dominik Fuhrmann WDRB TV—“POW-MIA”
      • Judges’ comments: “Excellent story. Good shooting and production techniques complement the great soundbites to produce a compelling piece of television.”
    • Second Place: Doug Druschke WAVE TV—“Joe’s trees”
  • SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY
    • First Place: Doug Druschke WAVE TV—“Not so Ironman”
      • Judges’ comments: “Can’t imagine what it took to get all those shots over this kind of a massive/ long race. Good job using everything at your disposal.”
    • Second Place: Dominik Fuhrmann WDRB TV—“Cyclocross”
  • INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
    • First Place: Gilbert Corsey & Lee Atherton WDRB TV—“The runaways”
      • Judges’ comments: “What the judge liked best about this entry over the others was the beginning of the story with the nat sound and soundbites.”
    • Second Place: Adam Walser WHAS TV—“Tyson cancer cluster”
    • Third Place: WDRB News—“Problematic officers”
  • BEST NEWSCAST
    • First Place: Cara Catlett WDRB—“WDRB News @ 4”
      • Judges’ comments: “It was a pretty close decision between this and number 2 (in this category). The headlines were fast-paced- and opened great…Overall, pretty good team coverage.”
    • Second Place: Aaron Ellis, Christi Reynard, Bill Shory WAVE 3 News at 11 Third Place:—Jessica Denson WDRB News @10