Absolutely IN-DEPTH
As the leading news voice in the state, it’s not surprising the Albuquerque Journal collected its share of honorees among the various categories. Joline Gutierrez Krueger, the Journal’s lead Upfront columnist, took top Columnist honors, as she frequently delivers snapshots of the lives of Albuquerqueans. “It is kind of sappy, but what I try to do is write as if the reader had a story, because they do,” she said. “When readers acknowledge what I’m doing, it helps me feel it’s reaching at least some of them.” Although Gutierrez Krueger remarks about the country and world at large, the plight of wronged locals typically gains more traction. “My columns are not usually about big world events, but the smaller community events,” she said. “People make up those communities and to me, those are stories that need to be told.” Taking second in the same category, D’Val Westphal runs the Journal’s editorial page. But her alter ego is the Road Warrior and she dispenses tips and information about the ever-changing state of the metro area’s highways and byways. “I grew up when everybody wanted to be Woodward and Bernstein,” she said of the duo who uncovered and exposed Watergate. “I never thought ‘I’m going to write a traffic column in my free time.’ But it is the one of the most rewarding jobs, because you get to be in touch with readers. For instance, people have been confused about real ID. The government is not as responsive as people would like, so they turn to the paper; that’s wonderful.” Westphal’s inspiration comes from the readers who reach out with questions, issues and problems. She turns to her vast array of sources in the various traffic and road divisions in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties and across the state to find real answers, explanations and even solutions for readers. When it comes to making an impact, Journal investigative reporter Colleen Heild has done so and then some, earning a second place in the investigative reporter category. Heild has been waging the investigative battle for more than 25 years, winding her way through mazes of paperwork and piles of bureaucratic claptrap to root out the issues. “I think a lot of journalists just want to be writers at the beginning,” she said. “Now, I’m just as happy investigating something, looking through documents and finding something unexpected that will help a story. I just get more time to do it and more headaches.” The only thing giving University of New Mexico men’s basketball beat writer Geoff Grammer headaches is when his 8-yearold daughter soundly whoops him picking games by flipping a coin. When not tucking tail between his legs at the dinner table, he was named the top Twitter to follow and the No. 2 sports reporter. Grammer, a prolific, wry and oft-snarky twitterer also has the sometimes enviable job of following the No. 1 sports team in the state. “Knowing that what we’re doing is something that resonates with readers and appeals to them, it is nice to know that they like it,” he said.