June 15, 2021
For Immediate Release
Contact: Randy Showstack (randy.100@usa.net)
WASHINGTON — The Washington, D.C., Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists has announced recipients of its 2021 Dateline Awards for journalism excellence.
This year’s top honor – The Robert D.G. Lewis Watchdog Award – went to Eric Falquero of Street Sense Media for his investigation of one man’s journey through the mental health and policing systems. Falquero is the editorial director of this street newspaper whose mission is to raise awareness and spotlight solutions to homelessness.
The award, which comes with a $1,000 prize, is presented to a journalist or group in any award classification whose entry best exemplifies journalism aimed at protecting the public from abuses by those who would betray the public trust.
Falquero’s winning investigation, “What can happen when the police are asked to respond to a mental health crisis in D.C.?,” began when he witnessed the police detaining a homeless, mentally ill man at the June 20, 2020, Black Lives Matter demonstration in Washington, D.C. Falquero’s story chronicled in depth what started out as a mental health episode and spiraled into much more. The awards judge said, “This was real reporting. Falquero saw an incident that some might consider a sidebar and most would ignore, but he paid attention and then followed what happened after. He talked to people on all sides of the mental health, policing, justice, housing and social services systems and examined this from almost every angle. Now, THIS is investigative reporting, shining a light into dark corners!” the judge added.
“What a challenge the judges faced this year in selecting the best of the best,” said Randy Showstack, president of the Washington, D.C., Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. “This has been a year when extraordinary events reared their heads, merged, and sometimes collided – a pandemic, urgent calls for social justice reform, a presidential election and a violent mob storming the U.S. Capitol, and an increasing concern about climate change. So, it is not surprising that our contest would receive a record number of entries, with so many of the entries displaying the highest caliber of journalistic excellence. We thank the judges for their difficult task in selecting the best of the best, and all of the journalists who entered the contest. We want to congratulate the winners, including Eric Falquero of Street Sense Media, this year’s recipient of the Robert D.G. Lewis Watchdog Award.”
See the list of Dateline Awards winners and finalists by category here.
A video of the presentations is available on the SPJ DC Chapter YouTube Channel: 2021 Dateline Awards Presentation Video.