First Amendment Awards and Scholarship Dinner
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— 13TH ANNUAL — First Amendment Awards and Scholarship Dinner Society of Professional Journalists, Fort Worth Professional Chapter APRIL 22, 2016 CACHAREL • ARLINGTON, TEXAS The WelcomeSociety of Professional Journalists, Fort Worth Professional Chapter, created the First Amendment Awards in 2004 to recognize excellent journalism that highlights press freedoms and upholds the people’s right to know about their government. Geographically, the competition covers SPJ’s Region 8 — Texas and Oklahoma. Contest categories have been expanded over the years to honor journalism that gives a voice to the voiceless and powerless in society, that opens the books of business to public scrutiny, and that reports on environmental issues. The contest is open to students as well as to professional journalists, to online and broadcast news media as well as print, to opinion writers as well as news reporters. The addition in recent years of divisions for Spanish-language media and small community news organizations helps ensure that the contest recognizes journalism that touches almost every aspect of our lives. Although small by comparison to other journalism contests, the First Amendment Awards continue to grow, drawing interest from the region’s most prominent and forward-looking news groups. 2 FORT WORTH SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS PROGRAM SCHEDULE Welcome Yamil Berard President, SPJ Fort Worth Star-Telegram Emcee Rebecca Aguilar Vice President/Membership, SPJ Fort Worth multimedia freelance Dinner Cacharel Keynote Address Mandy Locke investigative reporter, The News & Observer Raleigh, N.C. Presentations Texas Gridiron and Lina Davis Scholarships First Amendment Awards Open Doors Award 2016 FIRST AMENDMENT AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIP DINNER 3 KEYNOTE SPEAKER Mandy Locke is an investigative reporter for The News & Observer Mandy Locke in Raleigh, N.C. In the last five years, her work has led to reforms in INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, the state’s forensic crime lab and forced legislators to crack down on THE NEWS & OBSERVER employers who exploit their workers. RALEIGH, N.C. Locke’s work has been awarded dozens of state press association awards and McClatchy President’s Awards. She was the 2011 re- cipient of the Michael Kelly Award for courage in journalism in exposing problems within the North Carolina Bureau of Investi- gation. Her labor reporting won a Gerald Loeb Award for business reporting in 2013. Locke also teaches news writing at the University of North Caroli- na at Chapel Hill’s School of Media and Journalism. OPEN DOORS AWARD WINNER Randy Loftis spent many years as the environmental writer for Randy Loftis The Dallas Morning News before he retired this year. He joined the ENVIRONMENTAL/ News in 1989 after eight years at the Miami Herald and four years INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST, at the Independent Mail in Anderson, S.C. THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS He was a founding board member of the Society of Environmental Journalists and has chaired three SEJ national conferences. He has won the Worth Bingham Prize for Investigative Journalism. Loftis holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Universi- ty of Georgia and a master’s degree from the University of North Texas, where he is also an adjunct faculty member. He is simul- taneously teaching himself to play the five-string banjo and the ukulele. 4 FORT WORTH SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS 2016 Texas Gridiron Club Scholarships From its founding in 1946, SPJ Fort Worth has assisted young journalists in their pursuit of an education. The chapter administers three college scholarship programs through its Texas Gridiron Endowment Fund — the Gridiron (a general scholarship, plus scholarships named in honor of Texas journalists), the Lina Davis and the Jay Milner. Judges evaluate ability, financial need and career potential. Staley and Beverly McBrayer Scholarship Haley Britzky Recognizes excellence in college student media or as an intern with a Texas Tech University professional news organization. Think of this as the chapter’s MVP award. Staley McBrayer marketed the offset press, which revolutionized the printing Esteban Bustillos industry. UT Dallas Donna Darovich Scholarship Autumn Bernhard Recognizes excellence in writing across all sections — news, arts, lifestyle, Texas State University sports. As a Star-Telegram reporter, Donna Darovich won consecutive feature-writing first places in Texas Associated Press Managing Editors Sorayah Zahir competitions. Texas Press Women twice named her the state’s Most UT Arlington Outstanding Woman Journalist. Jerry Flemmons Scholarship Mariah Medina Jerry Flemmons excelled at features, and he could turn out a mean Gridiron Texas State University Show script. This scholarship rewards outstanding feature writing. Al Panzera Scholarship Jessica Hubble Recognizes outstanding photojournalism. Trailblazing Star-Telegram Baylor University photographer Al Panzera designed “Big Bertha,” a 4×5 Graflex telephoto camera customized for sports. Jack B. Tinsley Scholarship Parastoo Nikravesh Recognizes excellence in opinion writing such as columns and editorials. Stephen F. Austin University Jack Tinsley was Star-Telegram executive editor from 1975 to 1986 and led the paper to two Pulitzer Prizes. Jay Milner Scholarship Jacklyn York Celebrates the contributions to journalism and journalism education of Midwestern State University author/teacher Jay Milner, who is perhaps best known for his Confessions of a Maddog: A Romp Through the High-Flying Texas Music and Literary Era of the Fifties to the Seventies, a chronicle of his exploits with the gonzo horde. Lina Davis Scholarship Dylan Bradley Honors the memory of longtime Arlington, Texas, educator and mentor Lina UT Arlington Davis, a nurturing and progressive journalism teacher at Sam Houston and Arlington high schools. Claire Girman TCU Anna Gutierrez UT Arlington Tabitha Redder UT Arlington Erin Straub UT Arlington 2016 FIRST AMENDMENT AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIP DINNER 5 FIRST AMENDMENT AWARD FINALISTS BUSINESS NEWS James Draper PRINT/ONLINE OVER 100,000 CIRCULATION “Caveat Donor: Charities face donation dilemma” KILGORE NEWS HERALD Jim Malewitz, Lise Olsen, Mark Collette, Jolie McCullough DEFENDING THE DISADVANTAGED “Blood Lessons” PRINT/ONLINE OVER 100,000 CIRCULATION THE TEXAS TRIBUNE + HOUSTON CHRONICLE Randy Ellis Nolan Clay “Workers’ compensation protests pay off in “Abused, neglected children handcuffed at state- Oklahoma” run shelter in Oklahoma City” THE OKLAHOMAN THE OKLAHOMAN Randy Ellis Dave Lieber, Marina Trahan Martinez “Oklahoma rural hospitals in critical condition” “Watchdog: Let’s rein in dishonest contractors” THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS THE OKLAHOMAN PRINT/ONLINE UNDER 100,000 CIRCULATION PRINT/ONLINE UNDER 100,000 CIRCULATION Dianna Wray Jeff Prince “A Sticky Mess: Brenham and Ice Cream-Loving “Blood on Whose Hands?” FORT WORTH WEEKLY Fans Pay the Price for Blue Bell’s Mistakes” HOUSTON PRESS Matt Woolbright Craig Malisow, Phaedra Cook “Searching for protection in Nueces County” CORPUS CHRISTI CALLER-TIMES “Jonathan’s the Rub: Great Food, Glowing Reviews and a Bitter Family Feud” HOUSTON PRESS BROADCAST LARGE MARKET Scott Noll, Jennifer Cobb, John Gibson BROADCAST MEDIUM MARKET “(Not so) Low Income Housing” Joy Diaz KHOU-TV “These Indigenous Mexican Textiles Face a Todd Unger Copyright Controversy” “Small landowners: We’re due Chesapeake TEXAS STANDARD royalties, too” WFAA-TV COMMUNITY WATCHDOG BROADCAST MEDIUM MARKET PRINT/ONLINE UNDER 10,000 CIRCULATION David Martin Davies Suzanne Loudamy “Should Texas Remember or Forget the Slocum 5-part public information request series Massacre?” TRI COUNTY LEADER TEXAS PUBLIC RADIO Chelsea Katz 5-part Kilgore College asbestos series KILGORE NEWS HERALD 6 FORT WORTH SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS FIRST AMENDMENT AWARD FINALISTS Paul Flahive INVESTIGATIVE “In San Antonio, a Lifeline for the Hispanic Uninsured” PRINT/ONLINE OVER 100,000 CIRCULATION TEXAS PUBLIC RADIO/THE TAKEAWAY Joey Palacios Jay Root, Tony Plohetski “From Their Bridge Over Troubled Waters, LGBT 5-part “Paid to Prosecute” series THE TEXAS TRIBUNE + AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN Youth Look for Safe Haven” TEXAS PUBLIC RADIO George Getschow “The Dam Called Trouble” THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS Nolan Clay, Rick Green BROADCAST MEDIUM MARKET “Wrong drug used for January execution, state records show” David Martin Davies THE OKLAHOMAN “Sister Elizabeth of the Eagle Ford” TEXAS PUBLIC RADIO PRINT/ONLINE UNDER 100,000 CIRCULATION Steve Watkins GENERAL NEWS “Arlington Police: No Justice” PRINT/ONLINE UNDER 100,000 CIRCULATION FORT WORTH WEEKLY Leif Reigstad Michael Barajas “Varsity Brands Owns Cheerleading and Fights to “Use of Force: How the Courts Judge Police Keep It From Becoming an Official Sport” Violence Doesn’t Always Lead to Justice” HOUSTON PRESS HOUSTON PRESS Julie Garica, Matt Woolbright BROADCAST LARGE MARKET “911 calls detail Wimberly rescue efforts, struggles” Jace Larson, Aaron Wische, Jon Hill, CORPUS CHRISTI CALLER-TIMES Scott Sherman Dianna Wray 5-part “Historic Flood: Houston’s Emergency “Tipping Point: In Huntington Village, the Response” series Community Association Has All the Power” KPRC-TV HOUSTON PRESS BROADCAST MEDIUM MARKET GENERAL NEWS David Martin Davies 4-part high school football “Concussions and BROADCAST MEDIUM MARKET Repercussions” series Joy Diaz TEXAS PUBLIC RADIO “How Can We Get More Parents to Buckle Up Their Kids?” TEXAS STANDARD 2016 FIRST AMENDMENT AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIP DINNER 7 FIRST AMENDMENT AWARD FINALISTS MULTIMEDIA