WASHINGTON – CBS News correspondent and anchor Bob Schieffer, Public Broadcasting correspondent Gwen Ifill, U.S. News & World Report correspondent Kenneth T. Walsh and veteran BNA editor Toby McIntosh entered today into the Hall of Fame of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Washington, D.C., chapter at an awards ceremony at the National Press Club.
Schieffer is CBS’s chief Washington correspondent and also serves as anchor and moderator of the Sunday public affairs broadcast Face The Nation. Ifill is the moderator of PBS’ Washington Week and senior correspondent for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. Walsh has been White House correspondent for U.S. News since the Reagan years. McIntosh is BNA’s Director of Editorial Quality Review.
The SPJ DC Chapter’s 2009 Distinguished Service Award was presented to columnist Courtland Milloy of the Washington Post for his many years of advocacy for disadvantaged and disenfranchised residents of the Washington metropolitan area. Previous winners include longtime broadcast journalist for APRadio and retired Director of Media Relations for BellSouth Corporation Bill McCloskey, McClatchy Newspaper corporate recruiter Reginald Stuart and retired NBC4 writer and producer Tom Simonton.
This year there were more than 170 entries in the various categories of the SPJ’s Dateline Awards competition
Washingtonian had the most finalists this year with 18, followed by The Washington Times with 10 and The Hill and WUSA, which each had nine finalists. A list of the finalists along with comments from the judges about winning entries will be posted at www.spjdc.org.
The winners and finalists for the 2008 Dateline Awards Contest are as follows:
The Robert D.G. Lewis Watchdog Award
Brooke Lea Foster and Cindy Rich of Washingtonian for “Look What They’re Doing to Our Mountains.”
Judges’ Comments: “This was a very descriptive account, from the grassroots level rather than top down, of what residents of Appalachia are facing as they go up against a big industry that also has kept many of their families employed. I hope the Washingtonian continues to dedicate resources to following the developments of their efforts to verify what’s happening to the water supply there and other natural resources.”
Weekly Newspaper – Editorial, Columns, Commentary
First Place: Kevin Naff (Washington Blade) for “Washington Post’s Gay Problem”
Judges’ Comments: “Hard-hitting column [that] doesn’t mince words.”
Second Place: Emily Pierce (Roll Call) for “Road Map”
Weekly Newspaper – Arts Criticism
First Place: Joey DiGuglielmo (Washington Blade) for “One Night With the Queen”
Judges’ Comments: “His review of an Aretha Franklin concert offers fresh and comprehensive commentary with opinions that are sometimes sharp, often constructive and always fair.”
Weekly Newspaper – Features
First Place: John McArdle (Roll Call) for “Lou Frey: Capitol Hill’s Very Own Willie Mays”
Judges’ Comments: “Lighthearted piece that shows competition extends from the House floor to the national pastime. Great use of sports language in profile of Congressman.”
Second Place: Betsy Rothstein and Bob Cusack (The Hill) for “Rep. Rangel Tries to Stay Steady Under Ethics Fire”
Third Place: Tricia (Roll Call) for “Tailors to the Presidents”
Weekly Newspaper – Investigative Reporting
First Place: Paul Singer, Jennifer Yachnin and Casey Hynes (Roll Call) for “The Failures of Financial Disclosure”
Judges’ Comments: “This was very well-explained, raised all of the appropriate and important questions, laid out the rules as they exist and brings attention to ways in which they may be insufficient. The reporters are consistent in their scrutiny of public officials and those who are supposed to be monitoring them. Excellent work.
Second Place: Brendan Smith (freelance for Washington City Paper) for “Failure to Report”
Third Place: Kevin Naff (Washington Blade) for “Media, Military Kept Soldier in Closet After Death”
Weekly Newspaper – Spot News
First Place: Manu Raju and Kevin Bogardus (The Hill) for “Sen. Stevens Indicted”
Judges’ Comments: “Reporters went over and above, using documents, historical background and quotes to give a complete picture of what happened when Sen. Ted Stevens was indicted on corruption charges. Comprehensive with little time to write.”
Second Place: Alexander Bolton, Manu Raju and Sam Youngman (The Hill) for “Superdelegate Sea Change”
Third Place: Betsy Rothstein (The Hill) for “Obama Tightens Grip on Podium Speeches”
Weekly Newspaper – General News
First Place: Jim Snyder and Kevin Bogardus (The Hill) for “Bailout Hurts Charities”
Judges’ Comments: “Story sheds light on an unintended consequence of the government bailouts.”
Second Place: Stephen Losey (Federal Times) for “Is DOD’s New Pay System Fair?”
Third Place: Jared Allen (The Hill) for “New Pelosi Team Shifts to the Left”
Weekly Newspaper – Business/Financial Reporting
First Place: Roxana Tiron (The Hill) for “CIA Tapped for Tanker Contract Fight”
Judges’ Comments: “This was a well-balanced and fair presentation of how complex this contract award became. The Hill was first out of the box with this and managed to present arguments from all sides, yet pointed out questionable behavior by all parties that had occurred at that point. Keep up the good work watching over substantial expenditures of public dollars.”
Second Place: Kevin Bogardus (The Hill) for “In Lobbying, The Language is as Important as Issues”
Third Place: Jeffrey Young (The Hill) for “Wheelchair Lobby Takes on Medicare”
The Correspondent Award
First Place: Sara A. Carter (The Washington Times) for “An Opium Epidemic in Afghanistan”
Judges’ Comments: “Sensitive story telling brings a crisis half a world away home.”
Second Place: John Wordock (MarketWatch Radio Network) for “Wall Street Crisis & Everyday D.C. People”
Third Place: Tamara Lytle (freelancer for the Orlando Sentinel) for “Central Florida’s DC Update”
Daily Newspaper – General News
First Place: Elaine Grossman (National Journal Group’s Global Secutiy Newswire) for “Critics Question Army Readiness For Post-WMD-Attack Patrols”
Judges’ Comments: “Reporter took an in-depth look into a disconcerting scenario. Reporter caught Army with its pants down, and adds to our worry about whether troops are trained to protect our homeland following a terrorist attack. Fine job.”
Second Place: Michael Neibauer, Bill Myers, Scott McCabe, Dan Genz and Eric Roper (The Washington Examiner) for “Trouble in Trinidad”
Third Place: Taryn Luntz (The Washington Examiner) for “Metro Mayhem”
Daily Newspaper – Spot News
First Place: Nafeesa Syeed (The Associated Press) for “Helicopter Crash”
Judges’ Comments: “Under tight deadlines, reporter skillfully crafts plenty of breaking news detail set against the alarming trend of a growing number of air ambulance accidents. Despite the fact that it was a weekend, reporter was able to reach experts to talk about the problem.
Second Place: No award given
Third Place: Brett Zongker (The Associated Press) for “Kennedy Center Honors”
Daily Newspaper – Investigative Reporting
First Place: Audrey Hudson (The Washington Times) for “Disposable Heroes”
Judges’ Comments: “Kudos to The Times and Audrey Hudson for taking a microscopic look into the VA’s smoking cessation drug experiment that used wounded Iraq troops as guinea pigs. The three-month investigation performed a great community service to show us the side effects of Chantix in statistics, documents and personal accounts. It’s the kind of thing that makes your skin crawl.”
Second Place: No award given
Third Place: Kathleen Miller (The Washington Examiner) for “Feds Warned Before ‘Copter Crash”
Daily Newspaper – Business/Financial Reporting
First Place: David Dickson (The Washington Times) for “China: ‘Balance of Financial Terror’”
Judges’ Comments: “This reporter did a great job of sticking with the theme of a story that was heavy in numbers, statistics and trends and demonstrated a command of the information and the varying perspectives on what it all means for the U.S. economy.”
Second Place: Mary Kane (The Washington Independent) for "Fraud Worsens Foreclosure Crisis" and "The Reach of Redlining"
Third Place: William Flook (The Washington Examiner) for “Transforming Tysons”
Daily Newspaper – Features
First Place: Mary Kane (The Washington Independent) for “Foreclosure Machine Grinds on Through Holiday Season: Fannie, Freddie Moratorium Hasn’t Stopped Evictions”
Judges’ Comments: “Story puts a face on the human tragedy of losing one’s home.”
Second Place: David Sherfinski (The Washington Examiner) for “Empty Diamonds”
Third Place: Kathleen Miller (The Washington Examiner) for “Life or Death in Area Shelters”
Daily Newspaper – Editorial, Columns, Commentary
First Place: Barbara Hollingsworth (The Washington Examiner) for “Legal Perspective”
Judges’ Comments: No comments were provided for this entry.
Second Place: Karen Feld (freelancer for Politicalmavens.com) for “Thirty Years Ago: Leo Ryan’s Seach for Truth Cost His Life
Third Place: No award given
Daily Newspaper – Photojournalism
First Place: Katie Falkenberg (The Washington Times) for “Pakistani Women Seek Shelter From ‘Honor’ Violence”
Judges’ Comments: “Compelling images, beautifully framed to give the sense of isolation these women endure in the so-called ‘safe-house,’ given the alternative of returning to violence and death at the hands of families and husbands.
Second Place: Mary F. Calvert (The Washington Times) for “Hillary Clinton Photo Opportunity”
Third Place: Peter Lockley (The Washington Times) for “Samuels’ Birthday Cake”
Daily Newspaper – Arts Criticism
First Place: Debora Dietsch (The Washington Times) for “How Not to Be Hip”
Judges’ Comments: “A brightly written, in-depth piece on how the National Portrait Gallery tries to prove it can be as cool as hip hop. Great execution. Sharp writing.”
Second Place: Sonny Bunch (The Washington Times) for “Partnership at the Theaters”
Third Place: Sonny Bunch (The Washington Times) for “Batman Moves in a Darker Direction”
Daily Newspaper – Sports
First Place: David Elfin (The Washington Times) for “The Redskins Are Still Struggling”
Judges’ Comments: “Elfin’s reporting delivers, day-to-day, an impressive combination of profile, analysis, and straight reporting. It’s tough to cover the Redskins in DC and Elfin does it as well as anyone.
Magazine – Features
First Place: Cindy Rich (Washingtonian) for "I Wanted to Yell Out ‘I Know What Happened’"
Judges’ Comments: “A gut wrenching, nuanced look at a tragedy that should never have happened.”
Second Place: Larry Van Dyne (Washingtonian) for “Becoming Colleen”
Third Place: Kathleen Wheaton (Bethesda Magazine) for “Air Force”
Magazine – General News
First Place: Harry Jaffe (Washingtonian) for “Want This Next to Your Bed?”
Judges’ Comments: There were no comments provided for this entry.
Second Place: Garrett M. Graff (Washingtonian) for “The Ultimate G-Man”
Third Place: No award given
Magazine – Editorial, Columns, Commentary
First Place: Denise Kersten Wills (Washingtonian) for “Why Can’t They Fix It?”
Judges’ Comments: “A touching tale of a family coming to terms with the illness of one of their own.”
Second Place: Carol Sugarman (Bethesda Magazine) for “The Burger Joint” and “The Two Rock Creeks and Assaggi Mozzarella Bar”
Third Place: No award given
Magazine – Arts Criticism
First Place: Harry Jaffe (Washingtonian) for “Discovering Degas”
Judges’ Comments: “Writer catches and holds reader’s attention over the mystery surrounding famous painter’s work and the effort to unravel the meaning behind ‘Dancers at the Bar.’ Writer holds the reader’s interest so that reader is eager to find out final outcome of restoration of the Degas masterpiece.”
Second Place: Tim Wendel (Washingtonian) for “Gunslinger”
Third Place: Virginia Myers (Bethesda Magazine) for “Dance for All”
Magazine – Business/Financial Reporting
First Place: Kim Isaac Eisler (Washingtonian) for “All of His Calls Get Answered”
Judges’ Comments: “Delightful read. This story takes the reader through many emotions, paints scenes well and gives insightful glimpses into not only Bob Barnett, but people with whom he interacts. “
Second Place: Brooke Lea Foster (Washingtonian) for “Sunday Morning Stars”
Third Place: Harry Jaffe (Washingtonian) for “Katharine the Second”
Magazine – Investigative Reporting
First Place: Brooke Lea Foster and Cindy Rich (Washingtonian) for “Look What They’re Doing to Our Mountains”
See comments above for the Robert D.G. Lewis Watchdog Award
Second Place: John Pekkanen (Washingtonian) for “Getting the Lead Out”
Third Place: Eugene L. Meyer (Bethesda Magazine) for “Equal But Separate”
Magazine – Photojournalism
First Place: David Deal (Washingtonian) for “War Stories”
Judges’ Comments: “Portraits of veterans of several wars that are deceptively simple: The longer you look, the more you see.”
Second Place: Sam Kittner (Washingtonian) for “A Different Way of Seeing”
Third Place: Simon Bruty (Washingtonian) for “Heroes at Play”
Magazine – Sports
First Place: Drew Bratcher (Washingtonian) for “The Son Also Rises”
Judges’ Comments: There were no comments provided for this entry.
Second Place: Mark Sandalow (Washingtonian) for “A Brand New Ballgame”
Third Place: Mary Clare Fleury and Vincent Ricardel (Washingtonian) for “Where Are They Now That We Need Them?”
Television – Sports
First Place: Kris Van Cleave and Ian Rushing of WJLA for “Parkour”
Judges’ Comments: “A fascinating look at a little-known activity.”
Second Place: Gary Nurenberg (freelancer for WUSA) for “Area Boxer Out of Olympics”
Television – Features
First Place: Kris Van Cleave, Ian Rushing, Patrick Stalionis and Hillary Esquina (WJLA) for “Art’s Harrier”
Judges’ Comments: No comments were provided for this entry.
Second Place: Gary Nurenberg (freelance for WUSA) for “Batman Senator”
Third Place: Gary Nurenberg (freelance for WUSA) for “Virginia Flooding”
Television – General News
First Place: Kris Van Cleave, Jeff Rose, Peter Stolz and Rigel Moranchel (WJLA) for “Expired Food”
Judges’ Comments: “Reporter shows consumers why it’s important to pay attention to details when shopping.”
Second Place: Gary Nurenberg (freelance for WUSA) for “Executive Bathroom”
Third Place: Gary Nurenberg (freelance for WUSA) for “Death of Tim Russert”
Television – Spot News
First Place: Gary Nurenberg (freelance for WUSA) for “Family Held Hostage”
Judges’ Comments: No comments were provided for this entry.
Second Place: Kris Van Cleave, Peter Stolz and Andy Zmidzinski (WJLA) for “Chillum Tornado”
Third Place: Gary Nurenberg (freelance for WUSA) for “Toxic Scare”
Television – Business/Financial Reporting
First Place: Gary Nurenberg (freelance for WUSA) for “Local Foreclosure Woes”
Judges’ Comments: No comments were provided for this entry.
Second Place: Gary Nurenberg (freelance for WUSA) for “Consumer Spending & The Economy”
No awards were given this year in the Television – Investigative Reporting category
Radio – General News
First Place: WTOP News Staff for “D.C. Gun Ban”
Judges’ Comments: “Impressive commitment of time and resources that you don’t often see from commercial radio.”
Second Place: Elizabeth Wynne Johnson (Capitol News Connection) for “This Week in Congress”
Third Place: Todd Zwillich (Capitol News Connection) for “Power Breakfast”
Radio – Investigative Reporting
First Place: Mark Segraves (WTOP) for “Deadbeat Feds”
Judges’ Comments: “His report on federal employees and retirees who failed to pay their income taxes in 2007 is what investigative reporting is all about: finding an important story that has been missed by others. This one became an issue in the 2008 presidential campaign.”
Radio – Features
First Place: Brennan Haselton (WTOP) for “Fruitcake Must Die!”
Judges’ Comments: “A smile-inducing piece.”
Second Place: Neal Augenstein and Dave Johnson (WTOP) for “Electronic Football”
Third Place: Kojo Nnamdi, Diane Vogel, Brendan Sweeney, Tara Boyle and Michael Martinez (The Kojo Nnamdi Show—WAMU) for “The DC Riots: 40 Years Later”
No awards were given this year in the Radio – Spot News category
Radio – Sports
First Place: WTOP News Staff for “Opening Day”
Judges’ Comments: “WTOP has the opening of the Nationals’ new stadium covered from the fans to what happened on the field.”
Second Place: Kojo Nnamdi, Diane Vogel, Brendan Sweeney, Tara Boyle and Michael Martinez (The Kojo Nnamdi Show—WAMU) for “Sports & Society”
Newsletter – Washington Reporting
First Place: Marjorie Censer (Inside Washington Publishers) for “Funneling Resources to FCS, Army POM Strips Vehicle Program Funding”
Judges’ Comments: “A stunning revelation that the mainstream media never picked up on.”
Second Place: Communications Daily Staff for “Mismanaging the DTV Transition”
Third Place: Congress Now Staff for complete issues