2013 Sigma Delta Chi Award Honorees

The Society of Professional Journalists is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2013 Sigma Delta Chi Awards for excellence in journalism.

Judges chose the winners from 1,800 entries in categories covering print, radio, television and online. The awards recognize outstanding work published or broadcast in 2013.

Dating back to 1932, the awards originally honored six individuals for contributions to journalism. The current program began in 1939, when the Society granted the first Distinguished Service Awards. The honors later became the Sigma Delta Chi Awards.

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press.

Sigma Delta Chi award winners will be honored at an awards banquet on June 20 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Newspaper/Wire Services

Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)

“Nightmare's End,” by staff, The Boston Globe
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Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 50,001-100,000)

Boston Marathon bombings and manhunt coverage, by staff, Boston Herald
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Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 1-50,000)

“Massacre at the Navy Yard,” by staff, The Washington Times
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Deadline Reporting (Non-Daily Publication)

“Miners Risked Death in Efforts to Save Two Who Died,” by Samantha Tisdel Wright, The Watch Newspaper
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Non-Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)

“Testing the Tests,” by Heather Vogell, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Non-Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation 50,001-100,000)

“txt + drvng = risk,” by Nate Rau, Jessica Bliss and staff, The Tennessean
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Non-Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation 1-50,000)

“Ghost Town,” by Jim Steinberg, Rachel Luna and Paul Penzella, San Bernardino Sun
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Non-Deadline Reporting (Non-Daily Publication)

“Champ,” by Michael E. Miller, Miami New Times
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Investigative Reporting (Daily Circulation 100,001+)

“Gaming the Capital,” by staff, The Wall Street Journal
Download [PDF]

Investigative Reporting (Daily Circulation 50,001-100,000)

“Other than Honorable,” by Dave Philipps, Colorado Springs Gazette
Read online

Investigative Reporting (Daily Circulation 1-50,000)

Concussions in college football, by Nathan Fenno, The Washington Times
Download [PDF]

Investigative Reporting (Non-Daily Publication)

Coverage of Nizah Morris case, by Timothy Cwiek, Philadelphia Gay News
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Feature Reporting (Daily Circulation 100,001+)

“Invisible Child,” by Andrea Elliott, The New York Times
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Feature Reporting (Daily Circulation 50,001-100,000)

“Six:01,” by Marc Perrusquia, The Commercial Appeal
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Feature Reporting (Daily Circulation 1-50,000)

“Silence of the Wolves,” by Louise Knott Ahern, Dave Wasinger and Rod Sanford, Lansing State Journal
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Feature Reporting (Non-Daily Publication)

“The Lifers Book Club,” by Alan Prendergast, Westword
Read online

Editorial Writing (Daily Circulation 100,001+)

“Reform our marijuana laws,” by Bruce Ramsey and Jonathan Martin, The Seattle Times
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Editorial Writing (Daily Circulation of 1-100,000/Non-Daily Publication)

“Beyond Bankruptcy,” by Jessica Keating, San Bernardino Sun
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Washington Correspondence

Washington lawmakers, by David A. Fahrenthold, The Washington Post
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Foreign Correspondence

Bangladesh, by staff, The Wall Street Journal
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General Column Writing (Daily Circulation 100,001+)

Matthew Tully, The Indianapolis Star
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General Column Writing (Daily Circulation 1-100,000/Non-Daily Publication)

Mark D. Harmon, Knoxville News Sentinel
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Sports Column Writing (Daily Circulation 100,001+)

Tom Archdeacon, Cox Media Group Ohio
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Sports Column Writing (Daily Circulation 1-100,000/Non-Daily Publication)

Les East, The Advocate
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Public Service Journalism (Daily Circulation 100,001+)

“Idaho Prisons,” by Rebecca Boone, Associated Press
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Public Service Journalism (Daily Circulation 50,001-100,000)

“Morir por la belleza / Deadly plastic surgery,” by María Pérez, El Nuevo Herald
Read online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |

Public Service Journalism (Daily Circulation 1-50,000)

“South Dakota takes hands-off approach to uranium mining,” by Joe O'Sullivan and Daniel Simmons-Ritchie, Rapid City Journal
Read online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Public Service Journalism (Non-Daily Publication)

“Out of the Shadows: A top-flight school district's dysfunctional response to bullying,” by Terri Lobdell, Jocelyn Dong and Chris Kenrick, Palo Alto Weekly
Download [PDF]

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Magazines

Magazine Investigative Reporting (National Circulation)

“Unmasking the NRA's Inner Circle,” by Frank Smyth, Mother Jones
Read online

Magazine Investigative Reporting (Regional/Local Circulation)

“Getting Away with Murder,” by Noah Isackson and David Bernstein, Chicago magazine
Read online

Magazine Writing (National Circulation)

“Drowning Kiribati,” by Jeffrey Goldberg, Bloomberg Businessweek
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Magazine Writing (Regional/Local Circulation)

“Greetings From Gun Valley,” by Neil Swidey, The Boston Globe
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Public Service in Magazine Journalism (National Circulation)

“Tungsten's Tainted Trail,” by Michael Smith, Alex Webb and Tim Culpan, Bloomberg Markets
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Public Service in Magazine Journalism (Regional/Local Circulation)

“The State of Family Homelessness in Pierce County,” by Jeff Burlingame, Lauren Foster and Danielle Meeker, South Sound magazine
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Art/Graphics

Breaking News Photography (Newspaper Circulation 100,001+, Affiliated Website, National Magazine)

“Chaos at the Finish Line,” by John Tlumacki, The Boston Globe

Breaking News Photography (Newspaper Circulation 1-100,000, Regional Magazine, Non-Daily Publication or Online Independent)

“Boston Bombing: Cowboy Hat Hero,” by Kelvin Ma, Bloomberg

Editorial Cartooning (Newspaper Circulation 100,001+, Affiliated Website, National Magazine)

Jen Sorensen, freelance
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Editorial Cartooning (Newspaper Circulation 1-100,000, Regional Magazine, Non-Daily Publication or Online Independent)

Angelo Lopez, Philippines Today
Download [PDF]

Feature Photography (Newspaper Circulation 100,001+, Affiliated Website, National Magazine)

“Glimpsing the Distant Finish,” by Bill Greene, The Boston Globe
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Feature Photography (Newspaper Circulation 1-100,000, Regional Magazine, Non-Daily Publication or Online Independent)

“Shadows of What Was,” by John Partipilo, The Tennessean
Download [PDF]

Informational Graphics (Newspaper Circulation 100,001+, Affiliated Website, National Magazine)

“How intelligence agencies spend $52 billion,” by Todd Lindeman, Wilson Andrews and Julie Tate, The Washington Post
View online

Informational Graphics (Newspaper Circulation 1-100,000, Regional Magazine, Non-Daily Publication or Online Independent)

“After the Flood,” by Al Shaw, Jeff Larson and Robert Lewis (for WNYC), ProPublica
View online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Sports Photography (Newspaper Circulation 100,001+, Affiliated Website, National Magazine)

“V for Victory,” by Stan Grossfeld, The Boston Globe

Sports Photography (Newspaper Circulation 1-100,000, Regional Magazine, Non-Daily Publication or Online Independent)

“Fest ride,” by Matt Stamey, The Gainesville Sun

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Radio

Breaking News Reporting (1-100 Market or Network Syndication)

Moore, Okla., tornado coverage, by KGOU, KOSU, StateImpact Oklahoma and Oklahoma Public Media Exchange

Breaking News Reporting (101+ Market)

“Flooding Wreaks Havoc In Colorado,” by KUNC News Staff, KUNC-FM

Investigative Reporting (1-100 Market or Network Syndication)

“With No Officers To Respond To 911 Calls, Josephine Co. Considers Tax Levy,” by Amelia Templeton, Eve Epstein and Michael Clapp, Oregon Public Broadcasting

Investigative Reporting (101+ Market)

“From Birth to Death Behind Bars,” by Natasha Haverty and Brian Mann, North Country Public Radio

Feature Reporting (1-100 Market or Network Syndication)

“March on Washington 50th Anniversary,” by Pam Coulter, CBS News Radio

Feature Reporting (101+ Market)

“Wild Goose Church,” by Robbie Harris and Connie Stevens, WVTF and Radio IQ

Documentaries (1-100 Market or Network Syndication)

“The View From Here: Autism Grows Up,” by Paul Conley, Catherine Stifter, Pauline Bartolone, Ben Adler, Julia Mitric, Andrew Nixon, Alan Ray and Joe Barr, Capital Public Radio
Read story and listen online

Documentaries (101+ Market)

“Kentucky Dam: Power for the People,” by Todd Hatton and Chad Lampe, WKMS-FM
Read story and listen online

Public Service in Radio Journalism (1-100 Market or Network Syndication)

“The Black Carbon Series,” by Erica Peterson, WFPL News

Public Service in Radio Journalism (101+ Market)

“Rail Freight Danger: Lac-Megantic to New York State,” by Brian Mann and David Sommerstein, North Country Public Radio

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Television

Breaking News Coverage (Large-Market Station, 1-50 market)


“Asiana Flight 214 Crash and Investigative Details,” by staff, KNTV NBC Bay Area
Watch online

Breaking News Coverage (Small-Market Station, 51+ market)


“West, Texas Fertilizer Plant Explosion,” by staff, KWTX-TV
Watch online

Breaking News Coverage (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)


“Boston Marathon Bombings,” by NBC News Specials, NBC News
Watch online

Documentaries (Large-Market Station, 1-50 market)


“After Aurora,” by Chris Vanderveen, Chris Hansen, John Kuhrt and Blair Shiff, KUSA-TV
Watch online

Documentaries (Small-Market Station, 51+ market)


“The Climb For Closure,” by Alex Rozier, Gabe Ferguson and Jordan Caskey, KHQ Local News
Watch online

Documentaries (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)


“WEED: Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports,” by staff, CNN
Watch online

Feature Reporting (Large-Market Station, 1-50 market)


“Bay Area Proud,” by Garvin Thomas, NBC Bay Area
Watch online

Feature Reporting (Small-Market Station, 51+ market)


“Asher's Story,” by Mary Sturgill, Patrick Owens, Vanessa Holmes and Chase Conner, KBMT/KJAC
Watch online

Feature Reporting (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)


“Nightline: The Gift of Sight,” by David Muir, Christine Romo, Almin Karamehmedovic and Jeanmarie Condon, ABC News
Watch online

Investigative Reporting (Large-Market Station, 1-50 market)


“Incapacitated: Florida's Guardianship Program,” by Adam Walser, Fran Gilpin, Randy Wright and Doug Iten, WFTS-TV
Watch online

Investigative Reporting (Small-Market Station, 51+)


“Body of Evidence,” by Lee Zurik, Donny Pearce, Jon Turnipseed and Greg Phillips, WVUE-TV
Watch online

Investigative Reporting (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)


“Fault Lines: Haiti in a Time of Cholera,” by Fault Lines Staff, Al Jazeera America
More information

Public Service in Television Journalism (Large-Market Station, 1-50 market)


“The Gift of Time: Exposing a District Attorney's Secret Perk for his Appointees,” by Jenna Susko, Julie Putnam, Jeremy Carroll and Matt Goldberg, NBC Bay Area
Watch online

Public Service in Television Journalism (Small-Market Station, 51+ market)


“The Compassion Project,” by Jennifer Livingston, Mike Thompson and Anne Paape, News 8 News Team, WKBT-TV
Watch online

Public Service in Television Journalism (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)


“Baltimore Abandoned Buildings,” by Patricia Shevlin, Jeff Pegues, Guy Campanile, Kimberly Godwin and Alturo Rhymes, The CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley
Watch online

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Newsletters

Public Service in Newsletter Journalism

Communications Daily Coverage of Government Shutdown, by staff of Communications Daily, Warren Communications News
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Research

Research about Journalism

“Measuring Impact: The art, science and mystery of nonprofit news,” by Charles Lewis and Hilary Niles, Investigative Reporting Workshop
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Online Reporting

Deadline Reporting (Affiliated)

“Tornadoes rip through Genesee County,” by staff, The Flint Journal-MLive.com
Read online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Deadline Reporting (Independent)

“Texas Tribune: Abortion Filibuster,” by staff, Texas Tribune
Read online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Investigative Reporting (Affiliated)

“Out of Breath: The Untold Story of Big Money, Black Lung and Doctors for the Coal Companies,” by Matt Mosk, Chris Hamby, Lee Ferran and Brian Ross, ABC News and The Center for Public Integrity
Read online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Investigative Reporting (Independent)

“Civil rights group's FCC positions reflect industry funding, critics say,” by Jason McLure and John Dunbar, The Center for Public Integrity
Read online

Non-Deadline Reporting (Affiliated)

“The Lobotomy Files,” by Michael M. Phillips and the Wall Street Journal Staff, The Wall Street Journal
Read online

Non-Deadline Reporting (Independent)

“After the Meltdown,” by Alison Fitzgerald, Daniel Wagner, Lauren Kyger and John Dunbar, The Center for Public Integrity
Read online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Online Column Writing (Affiliated)

“American Gulag,” by Andrew Cohen, The Atlantic
Read online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Online Column Writing (Independent)

Maya Schenwar, Truthout
Read online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Digital Audio

“WBUR's Commonhealth Podcast,” by Carey Goldberg, Rachel Zimmerman and George Hicks, WBUR
Read story and listen online

Audio Slide Show

“Boston Marathon Bombing: In Their Own Words,” by Lisa Tobin and Forrest Marvez, WBUR
Read story and listen online

Digital Video

“The Ripple Effect: Putting Ashley Hardmon to Rest,” by Jessica Koscielniak and Peter Holderness, Chicago Sun-Times
Read story and watch online

Public Service in Online Journalism (Affiliated)

“The Most Unequal Place in America,” by John Sutter and Edythe McNamee, CNN
Read online: Read online

Public Service in Online Journalism (Independent)

“Dark Money Dealings,” by Robert Maguire and Viveca Novak, OpenSecrets Blog
Read online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Specialized Journalism Site

“Planet Money Makes A T-Shirt,” by Planet Money and NPR Visuals, NPR
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