BOSTON — BBC News, Flipboard, the Los Angeles Times, Zeit Online and the Washington Post were among the news and technology organizations that took top honors at the 2011 Online Journalism Awards Banquet.
The Los Angeles Times (“Breach of Faith”) and Pro Publica (“Dialysis: High Costs and Hidden Perils of Treatment Guaranteed for All”) each won $2,500 and the Gannett Foundation Award for Innovative Investigative Journalism at the 12th annual awards ceremony.
BBC News, The Globe and Mail, Voice of San Diego, NJ Spotlight, OWNI and LA NACION each won General Excellence Awards in their respective categories. Each award includes a $3,000 prize, courtesy of the Gannett Foundation. The Asbury Park Press took home the Knight Award for Public Service for “Barnegat Bay Under Stress,” which comes with a $5,000 prize from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
This year, the awards introduced changes to acknowledge the explosion of journalistic innovation on new digital platforms. Entries for all awards were open to news produced for any digital device.
“What’s most gratifying is to see the proliferation of quality work from next-generation digital journalists,” said Anthony Moor, OJA Chair. “While there is justifiable concern about the fate of numerous long-established newsrooms, there’s a healthy amount of excellent work coming from a new class of publications that don’t rely on broadcast or print to inform the public.”
Launched in 2000 and administered by the Online News Association, in partnership with the University of Miami’s School of Communication, the OJAs are the only comprehensive set of journalism prizes honoring excellence in digital journalism, focusing on independent, community, nonprofit, major media and international news sites. Six awards now come with a total of $33,000 in prize money, courtesy of the Gannett Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
List of 2011 winners in each category, with links to their winning entries
About ONA
The Online News Association is the world’s largest association of online journalists. ONA’s mission is to inspire innovation and excellence among journalists to better serve the public. The membership includes news writers, producers, designers, editors, bloggers, technologists, photographers, academics, students and others who produce and distribute news for digital delivery systems. ONA also hosts the annual Online News Association annual conference and administers the Online Journalism Awards.
About the University of Miami School of Communication
The University of Miami School of Communication prepares analytical and responsible communication professionals for success in a global society. The School offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in journalism, broadcasting, advertising, public relations, visual journalism, communication studies and motion pictures. The School’s state of the art, all-digital facilities and resources are among the most advanced in the country. Approximately 1,500 students are enrolled.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes journalism excellence worldwide and invests in the vitality of the U.S. communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Since 1950 the foundation has granted more than $400 million to advance journalism quality and freedom of expression. Knight Foundation focuses on ideas and projects that create transformational change.
About the Gannett Foundation
The Gannett Foundation is a corporate foundation sponsored by Gannett Co., Inc. whose mission is to invest in the future of the communities in which Gannett does business, and in the future of our industry. It supports projects that take a creative approach to fundamental issues such as education and neighborhood improvement, economic development, youth development, community problem-solving, assistance to disadvantaged people, environmental conservation and cultural enrichment.
For more information, contact:
Jane McDonnell
Executive Director
646-290-7900
director@journalists.org