SPJ Names Award Winners

By: E&P Staff The Society of Professional Journalists has announced the recipients of the 2003 Sigma Delta Chi Awards for Excellence in Journalism.

Forty-nine winners were named from more than 1,350 entries. The awards will be presented July 9 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Newspaper, magazine and online awards are listed below.

Newspapers/Wire Services

Deadline Reporting (circulation of 100,000 or greater): "The Columbia Disaster," The Staff of the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel.

Deadline Reporting (circulation of less than 100,000): "The Road to Baghdad: A Casualty of War," Joseph Giordono of Stars and Stripes in Washington D.C.

Non-Deadline Reporting (circulation of 100,000 or greater): "Butterfly on a Bullet," Robert Lee Hotz of the Los Angeles Times. In-depth analysis revealing Columbia's mechanical flaws.

Non-Deadline Reporting (circulation of less than 100,000): "Love Hurts: The Challenge of Being a Burn Nurse," Andrea Gurwitt of the Herald News in West Palerson, N.J.

Investigative Reporting (circulation of 100,000 or greater): "Buried Secrets, Brutal Truths," Michael D. Sallah, Mitch Weiss and Joe Mahr of The Blade in Toledo, Ohio. Uncovered war crimes of Tiger Force, an elite Army unit in Vietnam.

Investigative Reporting (circulation of less than 100,000): "Murder, Race, Justice: The State vs. Darryl Hunt," Phoebe Zerwick of the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal. Eight-part narrative brought unprecedented insight to a 20-year controversy.

Feature Writing (circulation of 100,000 or greater): "Shane Comes Home," Rinker Buck of The Hartford (Conn.) Courant. Tribute to the first Marine lost in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Feature Writing (circulation of less than 100,000): "Desolation Row," Tony Hopfinger of the Anchorage (Alaska) Press. Profiles the life and suicide of legendary outdoorsman Dr. Andy Embeck.

Editorial Writing: "The Water Barons," Tom Philp of The Sacramento (Calif.) Bee. More than 20 editorials that exposed statewide abuses in California's water district.

Washington Correspondence: "Unsafe Saviors," Lisa Zagaroli & April Taylor of The Detroit News. Comprehensive investigation into poor ambulance design and regulations.

Foreign Correspondence: Series from inside Iraq, Robert Collier of San Francisco Chronicle.

General Column Writing: A collection of columns by John Kass of the Chicago Tribune on working-class struggles and corruption.

Sports Column Writing: Sports columns by Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post connecting various sports to worldly issues.

Public Service (circulation of 100,000 or greater): "Profiting from Public Service," The Staff of Gannett New Jersey Newspapers in Neptune, N.J. Collaborative effort to uncover wrongdoings of elected officials.

Public Service (circulation of less than 100,000): "Deadly Force," Lee Williams of The Virgin Islands Daily News. Investigates the use of deadly force by Virgin Islands Police Department.

Magazines

Magazine Writing: "Lost Girls," Joan Ryan of San Francisco Chronicle. Looks into the lives and treatment of two juvenile justice system repeat offenders.

Public Service in Magazine Journalism: "Is Your Job Next?" and "The Rise of India," Pete Engardio, Manjeet Kripalani & Aaron Bernstein of BusinessWeek.

Magazine Investigative Reporting: "Triple Cross," Chitra Ragavan of U.S. News & World Report. Examines the case between Katrina Leung and the FBI.

Arts/Graphics

Photography Spot News: "The War in Iraq," Carolyn Cole and Rick Loomis of the Los Angeles Times.

Photography Features: "Culture of Violence," Rodrigo Abd of The Associated Press. This series of striking images displays the prominent violence in Guatemala.

Photography Sports: "Facemask," John Beale of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Split-second shot of Antwaan Randle El's head painfully twisted backward.

Photo Illustration: "Senior Standouts," Andrea Levy of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland. Colorful butterfly with poetry, music notes and formulas on the wings.

Editorial Cartooning: A collection of cartoons by Steve Sack of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. A collection of vivid and witty political depictions.

Informational Graphics: "Running Dry," Michael Hall of the Rocky Mountain News in Denver. Detailed graphics illustrate Denver's water supply issues.

Online

Deadline Reporting (Affiliated): "The Southern California Wildfires," The Staff of Los Angeles Times.

Deadline Reporting (Independent): "MSBlast Echoes Across the Net," Rob Lemos and Ina Fried of CNET News.com in San Francisco. Informative reporting about vulnerable technology and how the virus spread.

Non-Deadline Reporting (Affiliated): "Murder, Race, Justice: The State vs. Darryl Hunt," Katherine Elkins, Jennifer Falor and Adam Howell of JournalNow.com in Winston-Salem, N.C. Shows the flawed prosecution of Darryl Hunt.

Non-Deadline Reporting (Independent): "Wired Health: At Your Fingertips," Lisa Habib, Neil Osterweil, Charlotte Grayson and Marjorie Martin of WebMD Health in Atlanta. Special report helping consumers to understand the beneficial relationship between technology and medical care.

Investigative Reporting (Affiliated): "Beware Mystery Fees for Web Services," Tom Spring and Peggy Watt of PC World in San Francisco. Story sheds light on wrongful third-party charges to phone bills.

Investigative Reporting (Independent): "How the Spokesman-Review Subverted Democracy in Spokane, Washington," Tim Connor, Larry Shook and Judy Laddon of Camas Magazine in Spokane, Wash. An example of the dangers in consolidated ownership across different forms of media.

Public Service in Online Journalism (Affiliated): "Coaches Who Prey," Christine Willmsen, James Neff, Maureen O'Hagan and Tracy Cutchlow of The Seattle Times -- Seattletimes.com. Investigates the ongoing problem of coaches violating female athletes.

Public Service in Online Journalism (Independent): "Silent Partners: How political nonprofits work the system," Derek Willis & Aron Pilhofer of The Center for Public Integrity in Washington D.C. Brought attention to questionable tax-exempt organization activities.