Report for America presented awards to journalists in a dozen categories and named a Mentor of the Year at its second annual “Local News Awards” ceremony, held at Loyola University Chicago, June 10.
The celebration capped off the national service program’s “National Gathering 2022” which brought together hundreds of corps members for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
Among the evening’s top winners was Katie Hyson, WUFT News, who took home “The GroundTruth Award” for “How a Black marching band style was erased from Gainesville’s fields, and why it matters decades later.” Hyson also took first place honors for Feature Writing.
The Texas Observer’s Ivan Flores took first place in both the Feature and Spot News Photo categories.
Other first-place winners were Samantha Hogan, The Maine Monitor, for Investigative Writing; Kayla Canne, Asbury Park Press, for Enterprise Writing; Julia Shanahan, Rappahannock News & Foothills Forum, for Breaking News Writing; Maria Sestito, The Desert Sun, for Community Leadership Writing; Phoebe Petrovic, Wisconsin Public Radio/Wisconsin Watch, for Audio; Madeleine Cook, Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer, for Video; Jackie Botts, CalMatters, for Dispatch; and Breanna Reeves, Black Voice News, for Service Project of the Year.
Jacob Fries, executive director of InvestigateWest, was honored as the Mentor of the Year for his work with Rose Wong, a corps member who covered healthcare for the Tampa Bay Times and is now at the Oregonian.
Each of the entries was judged through an anonymous document with only the journalist’s words or visuals — no designs, no links to other work, no identification of the newsroom — to put newsrooms big and small on a level playing field, according to Jason Blakeney, a Report for America regional manager, who coordinated this year’s awards.
“It’s always difficult to select winners when so many worthy entries are submitted, but the quality of those recognized truly represents the standard of journalism for this corps,” Blakeney said. “I was so impressed combing through the work and blown away by the impact these journalists are having on their communities.”
The Report for America 2022 Local News Awards winners are:
Feature writing
First place: Katie Hyson, WUFT News
Second place: Benjamin Simon, The Hastings Banner
“Trouble with beavers in Barry County”
Third place: Rose Lundy, The Maine Monitor
“Tiny Coopers Mills reeling in the aftermath of nursing home closure”
Investigative writing
First place: Samantha Hogan, The Maine Monitor
“Jailed defendants expected private attorney calls. They didn’t always get them”
Second place: Douglas Soule, Mountain State Spotlight
Third place: Amanda Ulrich, The Desert Sun
In California, a Native woman’s killing remains unsolved. There are many others like her.
Enterprise writing
Firat place: Kayla Canne, Asbury Park Press
Why illegal discrimination toward Section 8 tenants goes unchecked in NJ
Second place: Wyatt Massey, Chattanooga Times Free Press
Former members question culture of Venue Church
Third place: Becky Jacobs, Salt Lake Tribune
“My kid being trans does not affect you”: Why a family says they can no longer live in Utah
Breaking News writing
First place: Julia Shanahan, Rappahannock News & Foothills Forum
“Rep. Good encourages Rappahannock students to shed masks at school”
Second place: Ian Karbal, Mountain State Spotlight
“A ‘no-name’ sets the tone for WV Senate redistricting plan”
Third place: Amelia Ferrell Knisely, Mountain State Spotlight
“What happened in WV legislative session’s crowded final night”
Community Leadership writing
First place: Maria Sestito, The Desert Sun
Second place: Breanna Reeves, Black Voice News
“Government Working to Improve Equity in Distribution and Use of COVID-19 Treatment Options”
Third place: Kailey Broussard, KERA
Arlington is considering filling in ‘missing middle housing.’ Experts explain what that means
Audio
First place: Phoebe Petrovic, Wisconsin Public Radio/Wisconsin Watch
Second place: Antonia Ayers-Brown, The Public’s Radio
Third place: Camila Vallejo, CT Public
“Landlords wanted: As Afghan refugees arrive in Conn., housing is an issue”
Feature photo
First place: Ivan Flores, The Texas Observer
Light painting a proposed LNG facility
Second place: Madeleine Cook, Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer
Eric Lofton’s Covid-19 recovery
Spot news photo
First place: Ivan Flores, The Texas Observer
Video
First place: Madeleine Cook, Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer
Dispatch
First place: Jackie Botts, CalMatters
One man’s lonely journey through California’s plan to end homelessness
Second place: Seyma Bayram, Akron Beacon Journal
The failed Akron Innerbelt drove decades of racial inequity. Can the damage be repaired?
Third place: Kassidy Arena, Iowa Public Radio
Through the trauma of getting COVID-19, this family of Iowa meatpackers found strength
Mentor of the Year
Jacob Fries, mentor of Rose Wong
Service Project of the Year
Breanna Reeves, Black Voice News
The GroundTruth Award
Katie Hyson, WUFT News
About Report for America
Report for America is a national service program that places talented emerging journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered topics and communities across all 50 states. By creating a new, sustainable model for journalism, Report for America provides people with the information they need to improve their communities, hold powerful institutions accountable, and restore trust in the media. Report for America is an initiative of The GroundTruth Project, an award-winning nonprofit journalism organization dedicated to rebuilding journalism from the ground up.