INDIANAPOLIS/April 29, 2013 — The Society of Professional Journalists gladly recognizes the recipients of the Sigma Delta Chi Awards, which recognize exceptional professional journalism produced in 2012.
Judges selected 84 honorees from nearly 1,700 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. The online version of this release has been posted to SPJ News.
Contact Director of Awards Lauren Rochester with any questions: awards@spj.org and 317.927.8000 ext. 210.
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 www.spj.org.
2012 Sigma Delta Chi Award Honorees
Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)
Superstorm Sandy — Staff
The Wall Street Journal
Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 50,001-100,000)
Superstorm Sandy at the Jersey Shore — Staff
Asbury Park Press
Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 1-50,000)
Former soldier held in deaths — Mark Collette
Corpus Christi Caller-Times
Deadline Reporting (Non-Daily Publication)
Death Trap — Michael E. Miller
Miami New Times
Non-Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)
Zero Day — Robert O'Harrow, Jr
The Washington Post
Non-Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 50,001-100,000)
Storm of Money — Tony Bartelme
The Post and Courier
Non-Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 1-50,000)
The atrocity of forced, live organ harvesting in China — Matthew Robertson
The Epoch Times
Non-Deadline Reporting (Non-Daily Publication)
Exclusive Interview With Hamas — Larry Cohler-Esses
Forward
Investigative Reporting (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)
Prognosis: Profits — Ames Alexander, Karen Garloch, Joseph Neff and David Raynor
The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer
Investigative Reporting (Daily Circulation of 50,001-100,000)
Cash Crop — Marc Perrusquia
The Commercial Appeal
Investigative Reporting (Daily Circulation of 1-50,000)
No Small Thing — Mary Beth Pfeiffer
Poughkeepsie Journal
Investigative Reporting (Non-Daily Publication)
Exposing abuse and coverups at Yeshiva University. — Paul Berger
Forward
Feature Reporting (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)
Never Let Go — Kelley Benham
Tampa Bay Times
Feature Reporting (Daily Circulation of 50,001-100,000)
Tempest in My Soul — Joan Garrett
Chattanooga Times Free Press
Feature Reporting (Daily Circulation of 1-50,000)
12-14-12 — Staff
The News-Times
Feature Reporting (Non-Daily Publication)
The Battle of Remington Lane — Terrence McCoy
Houston Press
Washington Correspondence
Capitol Assets — David S. Fallis, Scott Higham, Kimberly Kindy and Dan Keating
The Washington Post
Foreign Correspondence
Honduras — Alberto Arce
The Associated Press
Public Service Journalism (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)
Forensic Science — Spencer S. Hsu
The Washington Post
Public Service Journalism (Daily Circulation of 50,001-100,000)
Children in peril — Marisa Kwiatkowski
The Times of Northwest Indiana
Public Service Journalism Writing (Daily Circulation of 1-50,000)
Making a difference in the life of Every Child — Staff
Springfield News-Leader
Public Service Journalism (Non-Daily Publication)
Fire and failure: the Waldo Canyon tragedy — Pam Zubeck
Colorado Springs Independent
General Column Writing (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)
Jim Dwyer
The New York Times
General Column Writing (Daily circ. 1-100,000/Non-Daily Publication)
Steve Matrazzo
The Dundalk Eagle
Sports Column Writing (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)
Tom Archdeacon
Dayton Daily News
Sports Column Writing (Daily Circulation of 1-100,000/Non-Daily Publication)
Matt Calkins
The Columbian
Editorial Writing (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)
Tom Condon, Maura Casey, Henry McNulty and Robert K. Schrepf
The Hartford Courant
Editorial Writing (Daily Circulation of 1-100,000/Non-Daily Publication)
War on coal — Jamie Lucke
Lexington Herald-Leader
Magazine Writing (National Circulation)
The Yankee Comandante — David Grann
The New Yorker
Magazine Writing (Regional/Local Circulation)
New York vs. Boston: The End Game — Neil Swidey
The Boston Globe Magazine
Magazine Investigative Reporting (National Circulation)
Duping the Donors — David Evans
Bloomberg Markets
Magazine Investigative Reporting (Regional/Local Circulation)
Crime, No Punishment — Lilly Rockwell
Florida Trend
Public Service in Magazine Journalism (National Circulation)
Poisoned System — Stephanie Armour, John Lippert and Michael Smith
Bloomberg Markets
Public Service in Magazine Journalism (Regional/Local Circulation)
Life On the List — Emily DePrang
The Texas Observer
Breaking News Photography (Newspaper Circulation 100,001+) or Affiliated Website/National Magazine
Death at a Birthday Party — Michael DeMocker
NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune
Breaking News Photography (Newspaper Cir. 1-100,000/Regional Magazine/ Non-Daily Publication)
Tropical Storm Debby — Brad McClenny
The Gainesville Sun
Feature Photography (Newspaper Circulation of 100,001+) or Affiliated Website/National Magazine
Beyond 7 Billion — Rick Loomis
Los Angeles Times
Feature Photography (Newspaper Cir. 1-100,000/Regional Magazine/ Non-Daily Publication)
Tom Douglas — Marcus Donner
Puget Sound Business Journal
Sports Photography (Newspaper Circulation of 100,001+) or Affiliated Website/National Magazine
Gift of Gabby — Peter Read Miller
Sports Illustrated
Sports Photography (Newspaper Cir. 1-100,000/Regional Magazine/ Non-Daily Publication) Saturday Bloody Saturday — Doug Finger
The Gainesville Sun
Informational Graphics (Newspaper Circulation of 100,001+) or Affiliated Website/National Magazine
Conventional Wisdom — Don Morris, Lee Glynn, Steve Madden and Darla Cameron
Tampa Bay Times
Informational Graphics (Newspaper Cir. 1-100,000/Regional Magazine/ Non-Daily Publication)
Tragedy on I-75 — Staff
The Gainesville Sun
Editorial Cartooning (Newspaper Circulation of 100,001+) or Affiliated Website/National Magazine
Scott Stantis
Chicago Tribune
Editorial Cartooning (Newspaper Cir. 1-100,000/Regional Magazine/ Non-Daily Publication)
Phil Hands
Wisconsin State Journal
Breaking News Reporting (Market 1-100 or Network Syndication)
Los Angeles VA Has Made Millions on Rental Deals — Ina Jaffe, Quinn O’Toole and Steven Drummond
NPR
Feature Reporting (Market 1-100 or Network Syndication)
The weight of the city's violence, on one school principal — Linda Lutton, Cate Cahan and Sally Eisele
WBEZ Chicago Public Media
Feature Reporting (Market 101+)
My Cancer — Lance Orozco
KCLU AM/FM
Investigative Reporting (Market 101+)
Naming the Fralin — Sandy Hausman
WVTF and Radio IQ
Investigative Reporting (Market 1-100 or Network Syndication)
Shell's Arctic Oil-Spill Gear ‘Crushed Like A Beer Can’ — John Ryan and Jim Gates
KUOW-FM
Documentaries (Market 1-100 or Network Syndication)
As Black as We Wish to Be — Lu Olkowski, Laura Spero, Taki Telonidis and Al Letson
NPR's State of the Re:Union distributed by PRX
Documentaries (Market 101+)
Winds of Change — Pat Duggins, Ryan Vasquez, Maggie Martin and Stan Ingold
Alabama Public Radio
Public Service in Radio Journalism (Market 1-100 or Network Syndication)
If it's legal: Five ways legal pot could affect your life — KPLU News Staff
KPLU Public Radio
Public Service in Radio Journalism (Market 101+)
State struggled at fire prevention ahead of Manorville blaze — Charles Lane, Naomi Starobin
WSHU Public Radio
Breaking News Coverage (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)
Hurricane Sandy — Staff
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams
Breaking News Coverage (Large-Market Station: 1-50 market)
Chardon School Shooting —Staff
WKYC
Breaking News Coverage (Small-Market Station: 50+ market)
Hubig's Pie Factory Fire — Travers Mackel, Bryan McCann, Keith Bliven and Jonathan Shelley
WDSU
Feature Reporting (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)
The CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley, “On The Road” — Steve Hartman and Miles Doran
CBS Evening News
Feature Reporting (Large-Market Station: 1-50 market)
Ali's Guiding Lights— Joe Fryer, Matt Mrozinski, Pete Cassam, Eric Wold
KING-TV
Feature Reporting (Small-Market Station: 50+ market)
Who Are Those Guys? — Eric Hanson & Glen Biermann
KCCI-TV
Investigative Reporting (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)
Crossing the Line at the Border— John Larson, John Carlos Frey, Brian Epstein & Marc Rosenwasser
Need to Know/WNET in partnership with The Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute
Investigative Reporting (Large-Market Station: 1-50 market)
Critical Delays: Dallas County’s Response to the West Nile Epidemic — Scott Friedman, Eva Parks, Peter Hull, Shane Allen
NBC 5/KXAS-TV
Investigative Reporting (Small-Market Station: 50+ market)
Got Guardrails — Jordan Williams, Israel Alfaro and Jenny Martinez
KRGV-TV
Documentaries (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)
Semper Fi: Always Faithful — Staff
MSNBC
Documentaries (Large-Market Station: 1-50 market)
Heat and Harvest — Mark Schapiro, Serene Fang, Gabriela Quiros and Craig Miller
KQED and the Center for Investigative Reporting
Documentaries (Small-Market Station: 50+ market)
Disappearing Defenses — John Snell and Paul Rodgers
WVUE-TV
Public Service in Television Journalism (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)
ENDGAME: AIDS in Black America — Renata Simone
WGBH/FRONTLINE
Public Service in Television Journalism (Large-Market Station: 1-50 market)
Guessing Pensions: San Jose's Fuzzy Math — Jenna Susko, Julie Putnam and Mark Villarreal
NBC Bay Area/KNTV
Public Service in Television Journalism (Small-Market Station: 50+ market)
Newtok: Village on the Edge — Rhonda McBride and Eric Sowl
KTUU-TV, Channel 2-Anchorage
Public Service in Newsletter Journalism
The Ugly Side of the U.S. Oil and Gas Boom — Brian Hansen
The McGraw-Hill Companies/Platts
Research About Journalism
Out of the News: Former Journalists Discuss a Profession in Crisis — Celia Viggo Wexler
Deadline Reporting (Affiliated)
All Clear: CSU Fullerton Lockdown Lifted — Olsen Ebright, Melissa Pamer, Samantha Tata and Vikki Vargas
NBC4 Southern California
Deadline Reporting (Independent)
SCOTUSblog’s coverage of the Supreme Court’s decision on the Affordable Care Act —Staff
SCOTUSblog
Non-Deadline Reporting (Affiliated)
Mass Shootings Coverage — Mark Follman, Gavin Aronsen and Deanna Pan
Mother Jones
Non-Deadline Reporting (Independent)
Hard Labor — Jim Morris, Chris Hamby and Ronnie Greene
Center for Public Integrity
Investigative Reporting (Affiliated)
Big Sky, Big Money — Staff
WGBH/FRONTLINE, ProPublica and Marketplace
Investigative Reporting (Independent)
Skin & Bone: The Shadowy Trade in Human Body Parts — International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
Center for Public Integrity
Public Service in Online Journalism (Affiliated)
Beef's Raw Edges — Mike McGraw and Alan Bavley
Kansas City Star
Public Service in Online Journalism (Independent)
Mystery in the Fields — Sasha Chavkin, Anna Barry-Jester and Ronnie Greene
Center for Public Integrity
Online Column Writing (Affiliated)
Chrystia Freeland
Reuters
Online Column Writing (Independent)
Technology in the First Person — Bianca Bosker
The Huffington Post
Digital Audio
Taken For a Ride in Jerusalem — Daniel Estrin
Tablet Magazine
Digital Video
Fertile Ground — Thanh Tan, Emily Ramshaw and Justin Dehn
Texas Tribune
Audio Slide Show
Suburban junkies
Center for Investigative Reporting, KQED and independent reporters and producers
Specialized Journalism Site
Black Gold Boom — Todd Melby, Prairie Public, Zeega and AIR
