Sentinel wins award for Pulse coverage
The Orlando Sentinel’s coverage of the massacre at Pulse nightclub has won a first-place prize in the National Headliner Awards, one of journalism’s oldest annual honors.
The Sentinel was honored for its ongoing coverage of the tragedy, from the chaotic early hours of June 12 through the six-month anniversary of the mass shooting, detailing the lives of the 49 people lost to the violence and the many others affected by it.
Sentinel Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Avido Khahaifa praised his staff for their “allhands-on deck” approach to covering the attack, with an emphasis on its deeply felt impact on Central Florida.
“We made a concerted effort to really focus on our role in the community and the position we are in to really see this story through the eyes of the community,” he said. “It seems that that has resonated with others outside of the market.”
The Sentinel’s award-winning submission included its first-day story detailing the immediate aftermath of the attack; a report on the medical examiner who autopsied the deceased; a glimpse into the final day of four young men killed inside Pulse; an examination of other cities’ efforts to commemorate acts of mass violence; and a report revealing that a fence at the nightclub was not permitted.
“We did good work, and it’s good to have that work recognized,” Khahaifa said.
The Charleston GazetteMail of West Virginia was awarded “Best of Show” among newspapers in the contest, for documenting a rural opioid epidemic. Other top winners included the Associated Press and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.
Founded in 1934 by the Press Club of Atlantic City, the National Headliner Awards is one of the largest contests in the country, recognizing journalistic merit in the communications industry.
The Sentinel also recently received an award for excellence from the Society for News Design, recognizing a portfolio of pages from the first day, first week and six-month anniversary of the Pulse attack.
Earlier this month, the Sentinel was named a finalist in breaking news for the Pulitzer Prize, the journalism industry’s top award.
The Sentinel published 40 articles and 31 videos online in the first day after the Pulse attack. It later detailed the stories of victims and their families, the loss felt across the region and the massacre’s impact on Central Florida’s gay and Latino communities.