Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald journalists win 12 awards
Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald reporters and photographers were awarded 12 journalism distinctions in 11 different categories, from breaking news photography to investigative journalism, in the 2020 Florida Society of News Editors Journalism Contest announced Thursday.
Among the prize-winning stories was the Herald’s multi-part story series on South Florida’s housing crisis, Priced Out of Paradise, which includes an interactive tool to match buyers and renters to affordable neighborhoods within their means. The collaborative pieces, written by Rene Rodriguez, Andres Viglucci, Taylor Dolven, Rob Wile, Aaron Albright, Jane Wooldridge, Gwen Filosa and David Goodhue, received first place in the Community Leadership category.
Rodriguez and Wile also received first-place distinctions in Beat Reporting and Business, respectively, for their ongoing coverage of real estate and general business reporting in South Florida.
“It’s great to see the work we do to serve and help our community be recognized,” said Rodriguez, business and real estate reporter for the Miami Herald.
Herald photographer David Santiago received first place in the Sports Photography category for his award-winning photo of Miami Marlins’ Harold Ramirez celebrating a home run during the 12th inning of a Major League Baseball game last year. (The photo has also since been turned into a baseball card.)
Charles Trainor Jr. won third place in the same category for his photo of the Miami Heat’s Dwayne Wade falling over singer John Legend and Chrissy Teigen during a game in April 2019.
“We are delighted to be in the company of so many talented colleagues around the state,” said Aminda Marqués González, publisher and Executive Editor of the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald. “This is a small sampling of the exemplary work our newsrooms produce day in and day out in service to our readers. It’s a privilege to work with such a dedicated group of professionals.”
In the Multimedia category, the Herald’s “Smoked” podcast, produced by Amy Driscoll, Alex Harris, Emily Michot, Matias Ocner, Davin Coburn and Kara Tabor, also received first-place recognition. The six-part audio series chronicles the changing culture of marijuana in Florida through the story of race car superstar Randy Lanier, who led a secret life as a pot-smuggling kingpin in the 1980s.
Journalists Sarah Blaskey, Caitlin Ostroff, Nicholas Nehamas and Jay Weaver were awarded second place in the Investigative Reporting category for their
series, exploring the little-known “Trump Tourism” industry at the president’s winter mansion at Mar-a-Lago. The team of journalists recently took their reporting to “The Grifter’s Club,” their new book on how money and power peddle unfettered access to the president — sometimes at the expense of national security.
“I think this series shows what local reporters who know the terrain can bring to a national story. Thanks to our readers and subscribers for their support and helping make this work possible,” Blaskey said.
El Nuevo Herald reporter Antonio María Delgado was awarded first place in the Spanish Language Features & Enterprise Writing category for his series on corruption in Venezuela. Reporters Sonia Osorio, María Luisa Paúl Rangel and Mario Pentón were second place in the Spanish Language News Reporting category for a story that follows the treacherous journey Venezuelans fleeing their country must embark on to cross the border into the U.S.
Photographer Al Diaz won two first-place awards in the Photo Story and Breaking News Video categories for his visual work in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian throughout the Bahamas, following the plight of Marsh Harbour residents after the destructive storm in 2019.