Journal staffers honored by news groups
First place awarded in 10 categories at Top of the Rockies
Albuquerque Journal staffers were recently honored with two dozen awards in two separate regional contests, including first place honors in 10 categories in the Top of the Rockies competition coordinated by the Colorado chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
The Top of the Rockies contest, which covered the 2019 calendar year, drew a record number of entries from newspapers and broadcast television and radio stations in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming.
The Journal competed against large market commercial stations and newspapers with circulation of more than 75,000.
The Journal’s winning entries were:
FIRST PLACE
Digital editor Robert Browman, photographer Roberto E. Rosales and former staff writer Angela Kocherga in multimedia story for “8 Hours on the Border,” a series that explored what Border Patrol agents were dealing with as a record number of migrant families sought asylum in the U.S.
Journal investigative reporter Colleen Heild in religion general reporting for “Victim hopes child sex abuse conviction of priest leads to healing.”
Journal investigative reporter Mike Gallagher in marijuana enterprise reporting for his “Legal pot or not? A New Mexico debate” series that looked at issues surrounding legalizing recreational marijuana in New Mexico.
Columnist Joline Gutierrez Krueger in the column personal/humor category for “Lost dog brings out the best in a whole lot of people,” “Hormel Cana Spam contest at State Fair” and “After crash, a long road to hope.”
Gutierrez Krueger also won top honors in the news column category for “Couple who lost legs in crash still awaiting justice,” “After public suicide, widow describes a good man, lost” and “Who is the Mona Lisa of I-40.”
Editorial page editor D’Val Westphal in editorials for “On dangerous ground,” “NM’s capital outlay needs an accountability plunger” and “Updated trapping regs just sidestepped gruesome NM reality.”
Design director Leah Derrington for front page design.
Reporter Jessica Dyer in the best solutions journalism category for “Sheltering the Homeless.”
Reporter Shelby Perea in education: enterprise reporting for her series on elevated lead levels found at some APS schools.
And reporter Matthew Reisen in headline writing for “Las Cruces man gets caught in pico de-lie-o,” “That was no junk in the trunk” and “Fake deputy pulls driver over, meets the real thing.”
SECOND PLACE
Greg Peretti in headline writing for “Lion Eyes,” “Reducing baaaa-d fire danger” and
“The whole kitten caboodle.”
Browman, Rosales, Reisen, city editor Martín Salazar, reporters Elise Kaplan and Katy Barnitz and graphics artist Cathryn Cunningham in multimedia story for “72 Hours – Life & Addiction in Albuquerque.”
Designer Jennifer Swanson for single page design.
Photographer Jim Thompson in news photography for “Best friend to the end.”
Reporter Edmundo Carrillo in general reporting-series or package for his coverage on the Gary Gregor child abuse case.
Perea in the best solutions journalism category for “Extended learning time brings hurdles.”
Heild in health enterprise reporting for her “Feeling the Pain” series, which examined the severe lack of timely access to health care in New Mexico.
THIRD PLACE
Thompson in news photography for “Father accused in baby’s death released.”
Assistant managing editor Helen Taylor in headline writing for “Fab forte: Australian animator brought Beatles cartoons, ‘Yellow Submarine’ to life,” “No Eternal Return for small investors: Meow Wolf buying back low-cost shares,” and “Creative labor: Once derided, Judy Chicago’s ‘Birth Project’ is now in demand.”
Dan Boyd in marijuana general reporting for “Medical users struggle with costs.”
And Kaplan in news reporting-single story for “Teen Dies in Santa Fe juvenile lockup” and a sidebar “DA: Referring cases to federal court a crime-fighting strategy.”
In addition, the Journal won three awards in the annual Best of the West contest, which draws hundreds of entries each year from newspapers, magazines and websites in 14 Western states, including California and Texas.
Rosales won second place in news slideshow for “8 Hours on the Border: U.S. Border Patrol agents encounter a record influx of migrant families seeking asylum.”
“A great approach to ‘8 Hours’ and a fairly tight edit help this entry elicit a mood that only one can imagine what the subjects were feeling,” the judges wrote. “Great execution and craft were exhibited here.”
Photographer Eddie Moore won third place in that same category for “Behind the Boom,” about a record surge in oil production in New Mexico.
“The photographer’s ability to deliver a strong sense of place elevated this entry,” the judges wrote. “A good variety of images also helped.”
Gutierrez Krueger won third place in the general interest column writing category for “After public suicide, widow describes a good man, lost,” “The last ride: Couple lose legs in 2016 crash, patience with justice system as case languishes” and “Who is the Mona Lisa of I-40?”
“The range of topics and the quality of the work was impressive,” the judge wrote. “The best columns had strong reporting and a clear, confident voice.”