Democrat-gazette awarded 15 first-place wins in contest
A special section on the November opening of the Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville merited a community-service award for the Northwest Arkansas staff of the Arkansas Democrat-gazette.
The award was presented Thursday night by the Arkansas chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
In addition, the DemocratGazette took 15 first-place awards in the state journalism competition and reporter Cathy Frye was honored as the journalist of the year. The Little Rock-based newspaper also picked up 14 second- and third-place awards.
The Connecticut chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists judged the contest, which had categories for print journalism, websites, and television and radio stations. The awards for community service and journalist of the year were open to all competitors.
Of the Crystal Bridges entry, the judges said: “Comprehensive, detailed and nuanced coverage of what sounds like a big deal to the people in that part of the state.”
Frye’s journalism career includes a total of 12 years at the Democrat-gazette. Her entry included a two-part series published in July about high school football players falling ill while practicing in the summer heat.
“Ms. Frye is blessed with the talent of being a great storyteller,” the Connecticut judges said. “Anyone could have written a ‘just-thefacts’ story on the problems of heat-related illnesses and death associated with football practices. But in Frye’s hands, what could easily have been a cut-and-dried piece filled with numbers and discussions of political process came alive with detail and meaning.”
The other Democrat-gazette winners:
Editorials, larger newspapers category: first place, Paul Greenberg.
Columns, larger newspapers: first place, John Brummett; second place, Philip Martin.
Project/investigative reporting, larger newspapers: second place, Debra HaleShelton; third place, C.S. Murphy.
Profile writing: first place, Bobby Ampezzan; second place, Sandra Cox.
Minority reporting, larger newspapers: first place, Charlie Frago and Chad Day; second place, Tammy Keith.
Sports reporting, larger newspapers: first place, Troy Schulte; second place, Keith.
Beat reporting, larger newspapers: first place, Paul Quinn.
Political reporting, larger newspapers: first place, Michael R. Wickline; second place, Sarah D. Wire
Photography portfolio, larger newspapers: first place, Rick Mcfarland; second place, Stephen B. Thornton.
News-page design, larger newspapers: first place, Mike Smith; second place, Terry Austin.
Feature-page design, larger newspapers: first place, Stan Denman.
Headline portfolio, all divisions: first place, Randal Hunhoff; second place, Dixie Land; third place, Jeff Krupsaw.
Breaking news, online journalism: first place, online staff.
Specialty site, online journalism: first place, Gavin Lesnick; second place, online staff.
General excellence, online journalism: first place, online staff.
Reporting on Freedom of Information issues, all divisions: first place, Hale-shelton; second place, Murphy and Day; third place, Wickline.