Winners of 2002 ASNE Awards announced
Posted 3/29/2002 2:25:00 PM

The American Society ofNewspaper Editors has selected eight winners of its annual awards for distinguishedwriting and photography.

Winners of the 2002 ASNEAwards are:

• The Wall Street Journal, New York: Bryan Gruley, David S. Cloud, Neil King, June Kronholz, Christina Binkley and Clare Ansberry, with contributions from others — Jesse Laventhol Prize for Deadline News Reporting by a Team
• N.R. Kleinfield, The New York Times — Jesse Laventhol Prize for Deadline News Reporting by an Individual
• Anne Hull, The Washington Post — The Freedom Forum/ASNE Award for Outstanding Writing on Diversity
• Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times — commentary writing
• John McCormick, Chicago Tribune — editorial writing
• Ellen Barry, The Boston Globe — nondeadline writing
• Jim Dwyer, The New York Times — short writing
• J. Albert Diaz, The Miami Herald — community service photojournalism

The Jesse Laventhol prizeseach carry a $10,000 cash award; all of the others will receive $2,500 prizes.The awards will be made April 11, during the Society’s convention in Washington.The winning entries and interviews with the winners and finalists will be publishedin “Best Newspaper Writing 2002,” by The Poynter Institute for Media Studies,St. Petersburg, Fla.

A look at the winners:

The Wall Street Journalwon the Jesse Laventhol Prize for its reporting from Ground Zero on Sept. 11,as the staff scrambled for makeshift office space after the attacks left theiroffices unusable. “The Journal and its staff rose above the particular challengesthey faced on Sept. 11 to produce an account that is worthy of the biggest newsstory of our professional lives,” the judges said.

Kleinfield won the JesseLaventhol Prize for his story from ground level on New York City’s streets onSept. 11. The judges praised his cinematic retelling. “Every writing shift illustratedthe mood of the moment,” the judges said.

Hull won the diversity writingaward for a variety of stories, including the gentrification of an urban areaand the post-Sept. 11 struggles of Muslims in Paterson, N.J. “Hull’s work, ina graceful and elegant narrative style, persuades people to read what they needto know and understand,” the judges said.

Lopez won the commentary/columnwriting award for writing that “can make you feel for the afflicted, force youto think anew and bring you to laughter, too.” His winning columns covered everythingfrom Roger Clinton’s difficulties with a breathalyzer test to the terroristattacks of September 11, and a San Francisco editor’s adventures with a Komododragon. “This is immensely powerful writing with great depth and range,” thejudges commented.

McCormick won the editorialwriting award for his eloquent commentary on topics including Sept. 11 and thewar sacrifices that would be cheapened by efforts to sell the naming rightsto a renovated Soldier Field. “In a classic editorial writing style, McCormickis a strong advocate without being preachy,” the judges said.

Barry won the nondeadlinewriting award for a story about teenage boys plucked from Sudan and placed insuburban homes and high schools. “This is stunning storytelling … fueled bythe obvious high energy and powerful observation skills of Ellen Barry,” thejudges said.

Dwyer won the short writingaward for a story about a photo found inside the wreckage of the World TradeCenter. “He establishes real suspense and builds a sense of drama,” the judgessaid. “His stories simply reach out and grab the reader.”

Diaz won the second annualphotojournalism award for photos that illustrated the effects of urban sprawland posed questions about its direction and solution. “In their humanity, seriousnessand even whimsy, the photographer brought into sharp focus a critical issuethat words alone cannot deliver,” the judges said.

The ASNE judges also recognizedthe work of other newspaper journalists as finalists:

Jesse Laventhol Prizefor Deadline News Reporting by a Team

Los Angeles Times: MateaGold, Maggie Farley, Geraldine Baum, Paul Lieberman, Usha Lee McFarling

St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times:Dong-Phuong Nguyen, Graham Brink, Christopher Goffard, Kathryn Wexler, Amy Herdy,Angela Moore, Wes Allison, Linda Gibson, Kevin Graham, Jeff Harrington, LeanoraMinai, John Martin, David Karp, Babita Persaud

Jesse Laventhol Prizefor Deadline News Reporting by an Individual

John Bussey, The Wall StreetJournal, New York

Commentary writing:

Leonard Pitts, The MiamiHerald

Connie Schultz, The PlainDealer, Cleveland

Editorial writing:

Stephen Henderson, The Sun,Baltimore

Kate Stanley, Star Tribune,Minneapolis

Nondeadline writing:

Dexter Filkins, The NewYork Times

David Finkel, The WashingtonPost

Diversity:

Stephen Magagnini, The Sacramento(Calif.) Bee

Amy Waldman, The New YorkTimes

Short writing:

Michael Phillips, The WallStreet Journal, New York

Peter St. Onge, The Charlotte(N.C.) Observer

Community Service Photojournalism:

Gail Fisher, Los AngelesTimes

Brian Plonka, The Spokesman-Review,Spokane, Wash.

This year’s contest attractedmore than 550 entries from news organizations throughout the United States andCanada.

The Jesse Laventhol Prizesare named in honor of a longtime Philadelphia newspaperman. They are endowedby his son, David A. Laventhol, a former editor and executive for Times Mirror,who is now publisher of the Columbia Journalism Review. Laventhol has been amember of ASNE for many years and has chaired and serves as a member of theASNE Awards Board. He said he wanted to encourage excellence in a key aspectof newspaper reporting – “to recognize the best deadline work and to encouragemore of it.”

This is the first year diversityhas been recognized as a permanent category in the ASNE competition. The FreedomForum, which has partnered with ASNE on many diversity efforts, funds this award.

The ASNE Foundation — whichis supported by gifts from ASNE members, newspaper companies and foundations— funds the other prizes. The Poynter Institute administers the competition.Keith Woods of The Poynter Institute will be the editor of “Best Newspaper Writing2002.”

The awards were made forwork completed in 2001. Daily newspapers and wire services in the United Statesor Canada are eligible to enter. Also eligible are other newspapers in the Americas,wire services, and other organizations that gather and publish information fordaily newspapers that are headed by an active member of ASNE. The work mustbe in English.

N. Don Wycliff, ChicagoTribune, chaired the Awards Board this year. Other judges were: Andrew N. Alexander,Cox Newspapers, Washington; Gerald M. Boyd, The New York Times; Milton Coleman,The Washington Post; Gregory Favre, The Poynter Institute, St. Petersburg, Fla.;Karla Garrett Harshaw, Springfield (Ohio) News-Sun; G. Maria Henson, Austin(Texas) American-Statesman; David A. Laventhol, retired member, New York; PamelaK. Luecke, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Va.; Walker Lundy, ThePhiladelphia Inquirer; Anthony Marro, Newsday, Melville, N.Y.; Gregory L. Moore,The Boston Globe; Richard A. Oppel, Austin (Texas) American-Statesman; MichaelParks, University of Southern California, Los Angeles; Madelyn A. Ross, PittsburghPost-Gazette; Tim J. McGuire, Star Tribune, Minneapolis; Sharon Rosenhause,South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale; Paul C. Tash, St. Petersburg (Fla.)Times; and Edward L. Seaton, The Manhattan (Kan.) Mercury.

Carolyn Lee, The New YorkTimes, chaired the photojournalism award panel. Four experts in photojournalismjoined other Awards Board members in the judging. They were: Susan Gilbert,The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer; John Glenn, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution;Patty Reksten, The Oregonian, Portland; and John Beale, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,who won the award last year.

With about 850 members,ASNE is the principal organization of American newspaper editors. It is activein a number of areas, including open government, freedom of the press, journalismcredibility and ethics, newsroom management, diversity and readership.