Announcing the 2014 Sigma Delta Chi Award winners

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4/23/2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
4/23/15

Contacts:
Abbi Martzall, SPJ Awards Coordinator, 317.920.4791, awards@spj.org
Taylor Carlier, SPJ Communications Coordinator, 317.920.4785, tcarlier@spj.org

INDIANAPOLIS — The Society of Professional Journalists gladly recognizes the recipients of the Sigma Delta Chi Awards, which recognize exceptional professional journalism produced in 2014.

Judges selected 85 honorees from more than 1,600 submissions. Entries included selections from television and radio broadcasts, newspapers, online news outlets and magazines.

The Sigma Delta Chi Awards date back to 1932, when the Society honored six individuals for their contributions to journalism. The current program began in 1939 as the Distinguished Service Awards.

Prominent veteran journalists serve as SDX Awards judges. Judges may withhold an award if they determine no entry merits recognition, and any categories not listed below have no winner.

Links to the winning works are provided on the Sigma Delta Chi Awards section of spj.org.

Contact Awards Coordinator Abbi Martzall with any questions: awards@spj.org and 317.920.4791.

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. For more information about SPJ, please visit spj.org.

2014 Sigma Delta Chi Award Honorees

ART/GRAPHICS
Breaking News Photography (Newspaper Cir. 1-100,000/Regional Magazine/ Non-Daily Publication)
Winner: The Whole House Shook - by Paul Efird, Knoxville News Sentinel

Breaking News Photography (Newspaper Circulation-100,001+) or Affiliated Website/National Magazine
Winner: Wounded in Gaza - by Khalil Hamra, Associated Press, Associated Press

Editorial Cartooning (Newspaper Cir. 1-100,000/Regional Magazine/ Non-Daily Publication)
Winner: The Best of Walt Handelsman 2014 - by Walt Handelsman, The Advocate

Editorial Cartooning (Newspaper Circulation of 100,001+) or Affiliated Website/National Magazine
Winner: Best of Benson 2014 - by Stephen Benson, Arizona Republic

Feature Photography (Newspaper Cir. 1-100,000/Regional Magazine/ Non-Daily Publication)
Winner: Little Man and the Pursuit of Happiness - by Dania Maxwell, Naples Daily News

Feature Photography (Newspaper Circulation of 100,001+) or Affiliated Website/National Magazine
Winner: Pipeline of Children - by Michael Chow, David Wallace, Arizona Republic

Informational Graphics (Newspaper Cir. 1-100,000/Regional Magazine/ Non-Daily Publication)
Winner: Fracking Boom Spews Toxic Air Emissions on Texas Residents - by Paul Horn and Lisa Song, InsideClimate News

Informational Graphics (Newspaper Circulation of 100,001+) or Affiliated Website/National Magazine
Winner: For Capitol dome, overdue repairs - by Staff, The Washington Post

Sports Photography (Newspaper Cir. 1-100,000/Regional Magazine/ Non-Daily Publication)
Winner: Almost Home - by Scott A. Drake, Philadelphia Gay News

Sports Photography (Newspaper Circulation of 100,001+) or Affiliated Website/National Magazine
Winner: Goal line stretch - by Barry Reeger, Tribune-Review

MAGAZINES
Magazine Investigative Reporting (National Circulation)
Winner: Revolution on Sorority Row - by Kayla Webley, Marie Claire

Magazine Investigative Reporting (Regional/Local Circulation)
Winner: "The Truth about Chicago's Crime Rates" May and June - by David Bernstein Noah Isackson, Chicago Magazine

Magazine Writing (National Circulation)
Winner: The Ghosts of Rana Plaza - by Jason Motlagh, Virginia Quarterly Review

Magazine Writing (Regional/Local Circulation)
Winner: Their Town - by Ashley Powers, The California Sunday Magazine

Public Service in Magazine Journalism (National Circulation)
Winner: The High Cost of Cheap Chicken - by Writer: Christie Aschwanden Editor: Ellen Kunes Executive Director, Consumer Safety and Sustainability: Urvashi Rangan, Consumer Reports

Public Service in Magazine Journalism (Regional/Local Circulation)
Winner: How We Kill - by William Powell, St. Louis Magazine

NEWSLETTERS
Public Service in Newsletter Journalism
Winner: Power Morcellation: A Hazardous Practice - by Matthew Bin Han Ong, The Cancer Letter

NEWSPAPERS/WIRE SERVICES
Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)
Winner: Ferguson: No Indictment - by AP Staff, The Associated Press

Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 1-50,000)
Winner: Marysville Pilchuck High School shootings - by The Daily Herald staff, The Daily Herald

Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 50,001-100,000)
Winner: Ex-Mayor Nagin Guilty - by Gordon Russell, The Advocate

Deadline Reporting (Non-Daily Publication)
Winner: Firestorm rips through valley - by Ann McCreary and Marcy Stamper, Methow Valley News

Editorial Writing (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)
Winner: After Ferguson - by Tony Messenger, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Editorial Writing (Daily Circulation of 1-100,000/Non-Daily Publication)
Winner: Prescription: Addiction - by Jeffery Gerritt, The Blade

Feature Reporting (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)
Winner: For Richard family, loss and love - by David Abel, The Boston Globe

Feature Reporting (Daily Circulation of 1-50,000)
Winner: Death Detachment - by Martin Kuz, Stars and Stripes

Feature Reporting (Daily Circulation of 50,001-100,000)
Winner: Fragments of Hate - by Sam Venable, Knoxville News Sentinel

Feature Reporting (Non-Daily Publication)
Winner: Love and Disability - by Halle Stockton, PublicSource

Foreign Correspondence
Winner: Underwriting Jihad - by Rukmini Callimachi, The New York Times

General Column Writing (Daily circ. 1-100,000/Non-Daily Publication)
Winner: Sweet Sorrow; The Light Stuff; Family Secrets; Hot Potato; Rocky Flats - by Patricia Calhoun, Westword

General Column Writing (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)
Winner: Best of Laurie Roberts - 2014 - by Laurie Roberts, Arizona Republic

Investigative Reporting (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)
Winner: Child Abuse - by Holbrook Mohr and Garance Burke, The Associated Press

Investigative Reporting (Daily Circulation of 1-50,000)
Winner: Pensions in Peril - by Terrie Morgan-Besecker, The Times-Tribune

Investigative Reporting (Daily Circulation of 50,001-100,000)
Winner: Costly Claims - by Jamie Satterfield, Knoxville News Sentinel

Investigative Reporting (Non-Daily Publication)
Winner: Private Money, Public Schools - by Jeremy Adam Smith (lead writer and project manager), Michael Stoll (editor), Lila LaHood (publisher and editor), and the staff of the San Francisco Public Press, San Francisco Public Press

Non-Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)
Winner: Water's Edge - by Ryan McNeill, Deborah J. Nelson, Duff Wilson, Alister Doyle and Bill Tarrant, Reuters

Non-Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 1-50,000)
Winner: Killers & Pain - by Mary Beth Pfeiffer, Poughkeepsie Journal

Non-Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 50,001-100,000)
Winner: Children In Danger - by Matt Stout and Erin Smith, The Boston Herald

Non-Deadline Reporting (Non-Daily Publication)
Winner: Shock and Awe - by Michael E. Miller, Miami New Times

Public Service Journalism (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)
Winner: Fatally Flawed - by Ames Alexander, Gavin Off, Fred Clasen-Kelly and Elizabeth Leland, The Charlotte Observer

Public Service Journalism (Daily Circulation of 50,001-100,000)
Winner: State of Intoxication: FASD - by Marc Lester, Kyle Hopkins, Patrick Dougherty, Pam Dunlap-Shohl and Anne Raup, Anchorage Daily News

Public Service Journalism (Non-Daily Publication)
Winner: State of Mind series - by Staff, Pacific Northwest Inlander

Public Service Journalism Writing (Daily Circulation of 1-50,000)
Winner: Hard Look at Hard Time - by The Clarion-Ledger, The Clarion-Ledger

Sports Column Writing (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)
Winner: Bill Plaschke - by Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times

Sports Column Writing (Daily Circulation of 1-100,000/Non-Daily Publication)
Winner: Thom Loverro: Sports Columns - by Thom Loverro, The Washington Times

Washington Correspondence
Winner: Breaking Points - by David A. Fahrenthold, The Washington Post

ONLINE REPORTING
Audio Slide Show
Winner: A Life Apart: The Toll of Obesity - by Lisa Krantz, San Antonio Express-News

Deadline Reporting (Affiliated)
Winner: The Disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 - by The Wall Street Journal staff, The Wall Street Journal

Deadline Reporting (Independent)
Winner: Jennifer Del Prete Released from Prison - by Staff, The Medill Justice Project

Digital Audio
Winner: "A Fear Of Going To School: 5 Former Boston Students Reflect On Busing" - by Asma Khalid, Shawn Bodden, WBUR

Digital Video
Winner: Time Is Money - by Eleanor Bell and Daniel Wagner, The Center for Public Integrity

Investigative Reporting (Affiliated)
Winner: Betrayed by Silence - by Madeleine Baran, Meg Martin, Eric Ringham, Jon Gordon, MPR News

Investigative Reporting (Independent)
Winner: Battered, Bereaved, and Behind Bars - by Alex Campbell, BuzzFeed

Non-Deadline Reporting (Affiliated)
Winner: Native American Veterans - by Tristan Ahtone, Nicole Tung and Al Jazeera America staff, Al Jazeera America

Non-Deadline Reporting (Independent)
Winner: China's Generation Green - by Faculty and Fellows of the International Reporting Program, The International Reporting Program

Online Column Writing (Affiliated)
Winner: Commentary from Senior Political Writer Jill Filipovic - by Jill Filipovic, Senior Political Writer, Cosmopolitan.com , Cosmopolitan.com

Online Column Writing (Independent)
Winner: Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists blog - by Stephen Rynkiewicz, David Craig and Casey Bukro, Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists

Public Service in Online Journalism (Affiliated)
Winner: Medicare Unmasked: Behind the Numbers - by The Wall Street Journal staff, The Wall Street Journal

Public Service in Online Journalism (Independent)
Winner: Segregation Now: Investigating America's Racial Divide - by Nikole Hannah-Jones, ProPublica

Specialized Journalism Site
Winner: InfoGuide: Child Marriage - by Jeremy Sherlick, Brianna Lee, Hagit Ariav, Robert McMahon, Council on Foreign Relations

RADIO
Public Service in Radio Journalism (Market 101+)
Winner: Dangerous Cargo Riding the Rails (5 part series) - by Sandy Hausman, Connie Stevens, WVTF Public Radio

Public Service in Radio Journalism (Market 1-100 or Network Syndication)
Winner: NYPD Bruised - by Robert Lewis, Noah Veltman and David Lewis, WNYC

Radio Breaking News Reporting (Market 101+)
Winner: The Disappearance of Hannah Graham - by Sandy Hausman, Hawes Spencer, Connie Stevens, WVTF Public Radio

Radio Breaking News Reporting (Market 1-100 or Network Syndication)
Winner: Ebola Healthworker Defies Quarantine - by Patty Wight, Susan Sharon, Mal Leary, Maine Public Broadcasting Network

Radio Documentaries (Market 101+)
Winner: Heartland, Missouri - by Abigail Keel, Ryan Famuliner, Janet Saidi, Casey Morell, KBIA

Radio Documentaries (Market 1-100 or Network Syndication)
Winner: Betrayed by Silence: How three archbishops hid the truth - by Madeleine Baran, Sasha Aslanian, Mike Edgerly, Chris Worthington, MPR News

Radio Feature Reporting (Market 101+)
Winner: Finding Soldierstone - by Grace Hood, Brian Larson, Jim Hill, KUNC FM

Radio Feature Reporting (Market 1-100 or Network Syndication)
Winner: The Dark Arts of Politics: Changing political history, in a closet near you - by Alex Keefe, Cate Cahan, WBEZ

Radio Investigative Reporting (Market 101+)
Winner: Dangerous Chemical Invades West Wichita Drinking Water - by Sean Sandefur, KMUW

Radio Investigative Reporting (Market 1-100 or Network Syndication)
Winner: A Citizenry Left in the Dark: China’s Nuclear Power Industry - by Radio Free Asia Cantonese Team, Radio Free Asia

RESEARCH
Research About Journalism
Winner: Alternate History: Robert Capa on D-Day - by A. D. Coleman, J. Ross Baughman, Rob McElroy, Photocritic International (www.photocritic.com)

TELEVISION
Breaking News Coverage (Large-Market Station: 1-50 market)
Winner: FSU Shooting - by Jacqueline Ingles, Carson Chambers, Ashley Yore, WFTS Staff, WFTS-TV

Breaking News Coverage (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)
Winner: Flashpoint: Gaza - by Ayman Mohyeldin, Martin Fletcher, Richard Engel, Kate Snow and Staff of NBC Nightly News and NBC News

Breaking News Coverage (Small-Market Station: 51+ market)
Winner: Gun Battle - La Joya, Texas - by Staff and Jenny Martinez, News Director, KRGV-TV

Documentaries (Large-Market Station: 1-50 market)
Winner: The Real Death Valley - by John Carlos Frey, Marisa Venegas, Solly Granatstein, Esther Kaplan, Neil Katz, Shawn Efran, Gregory Gilderman, The Investigative Fund, The Weather Channel, Telemundo and Efran Films.

Documentaries (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)
Winner: Breathless - by Izhar Harpaz, Lester Holt, Dateline NBC

Documentaries (Small-Market Station: 51+ market)
Winner: Holding Officials Accountable - by Lee Zurik - Chief Investigative Reporter Tom Wright - Investigative Producer Jon Turnipseed - Investigative Photographer/Editor Greg Phillips - Assistant News Director/Special Projects Director, WVUE-TV

Feature Reporting (Large-Market Station: 1-50 market)
Winner: Only in Indiana - by Kevin Rader, Steve Rhodes, WTHR

Feature Reporting (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)
Winner: Stolen Childhood - by David Muir Christine Romo Almin Karamehmedovic Michael Corn, abc news

Feature Reporting (Small-Market Station: 51+ market)
Winner: For the Love of Laura - by Eric Hanson-Reporter, Glen Biermann-Photojournalist, Michael Sims-Photojournalist, KCCI-TV

Investigative Reporting (Large-Market Station: 1-50 market)
Winner: Injured Heroes, Broken Promises, by Scott Friedman, Eva Parks, Peter Hull and David Tarrant/KXAS-TV in partnership with The Dallas Morning News.

Investigative Reporting (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)
Winner: The Lead: UNC Report: 18 Years of Academic Fraud - by Sara Ganim Patricia DiCarlo Jake Tapper Federico Quadrani, CNN

Investigative Reporting (Small-Market Station: 51+ market)
Winner: Downfall of a Dynasty - by Lee Zurik - Chief Investigative Reporter Tom Wright - Investigative Producer Jon Turnipseed - Investigative Photographer/Editor Heather Nolan - Assistant News Director/Special Projects Director, WVUE-TV

Public Service in Television Journalism (Large-Market Station: 1-50 market)
Winner: Inside Sysco: Exposing North America's Food Sheds - by Vicky Nguyen, Kevin Nious, NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit, KNTV NBC Bay Area

Public Service in Television Journalism (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)
Winner: Hooked: America's Heroin Epidemic - by Kate Snow, NBC News

Public Service in Television Journalism (Small-Market Station: 51+ market)
Winner: SCDSS: The System Failed - by Clark Fouraker, Jennifer Bellamy, Darci Strickland, Marybeth Jacoby, WLTX-TV

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