Charlotte Observer staffers take home 35 NC Press Association awards
The Charlotte Observer won 35 awards in the annual N.C. Press Association competition Thursday, including 17 first-place awards, 10 second-place awards and eight seven third-place awards.
Thursday’s ceremony was held in Raleigh. The News & Observer, the Observer’s sister McClatchy paper, won 33 awards from the NCPA, including eight first-place awards. The Herald-Sun in Durham, also a McClatchy paper, won 10 awards, including two first-place awards, while Colin Campbell, editor of The Insider, won two first-place awards.
Charlotte Observer sports writer Brendan Marks won the North Carolina Associated Press Walter Spearman Award for outstanding writing by a journalist with less than two years of experience.
The Observer’s NCPA Winners were:
First Place:
Cristina Bolling: Arts and Entertainment Reporting, “His gift is profound. So how can his parents and teachers best guide him?”
Michael Gordon: Beat News Reporting, “His sentence carried no jail time. So why did he keep ending up there?”
Jim Morrill, with (Raleigh) News & Observer reporters T. Keung Hui and Greg Childress: Deadline News Reporting, NC teachers rally in Washington, D.C.
Staff: Best Niche Publication: SouthPark Magazine, April 2018.
Fred Clasen-Kelly, Cassie Cope, Julianna Rennie: News Enterprise Reporting: “Kids in psych center say staff sexually, physically abused them. Why didn’t officials listen?”
Fred Clasen-Kelly and Emmanuel Morgan: County Government Reporting: “This pill prevents HIV, saves lives. Here’s why Mecklenburg doesn’t offer it.”
Taylor Batten: Editorials, a collection of editorials.
Jim Morrill: Election/Political Reporting, “A speech Jesse Helms never gave would have changed U.S. politics.”
Théoden Janes: Feature Writing, “As kids they picked cotton and dreamed about the ‘mansion’ across the road. Now they own it.”
Ames Alexander, Gavin Off: Investigative Reporting, “Inside N.C. prisons, staff shortages create deadly risk.”
Scott Fowler: Lighter Columns, a collection of columns.
Diedra Laird: Photography, General News, “Public can help homeless survive dangerous freeze.”
Théoden Janes: Profile, Feature, “He was once Charlotte’s most feared attorney. Now Bill Diehl faces a different fight.”
Staff: Public Service Award, Dailies Only, “Inside N.C. prisons, staff shortages create deadly risk.”
Tim Funk: Religion & Faith Reporting, “Fallen televangelist Jim Bakker is back — and now he’s prepping for the Apocalypse.”
Brendan Marks: Sports Columns, collection of columns.
Scott Fowler: Sports News Reporting, “Tom Higgins, legendary NASCAR writer for Charlotte Observer, dies at age 80.”
Second Place:
Bruce Henderson and the New & Observer’s Andrew Carter: Investigative Reporting, “NC cut landslide hazard program, despite danger.”
Jane Wester, Anna Douglas: Henry Lee Weathers Freedom of Information Award, open records fight.
Langston Wertz Jr.: Sports News Reporting, “Father of Charlotte AAU basketball player who died: ‘I’m devastated, man.’
Théoden Janes: Sports Enterprise Writing, “Is the Booty Loop truly ‘the most dangerous 3 miles to ride a bike in Charlotte’?”
Jeff Siner: Best Video, “Mother and son are both amputees, both ballers.”
Peter St. Onge: Editorials, collection of editorials.
Theoden Janes: Feature Writing, “She tried to keep her 99-year-old father from skydiving. He jumped anyway – happily.”
Staff: News Section Design -- Dailies only.
Scott Fowler: Sports Columns, collection of sports columns.
Website general excellence.
Third Place:
Ann Doss Helms: Education Reporting, “Teen has missed 77 days of school. Will threatening his parents with jail help CMS?”
Katherine Peralta, Deon Roberts, Cassie Cope: Online Breaking News Coverage, “End of an era: Family Dollar to close Matthews headquarters; 900 jobs affected.”
Steve Harrison, Ely Portillo: City County Government Reporting, “Charlotte spent $2 million for housing project. After 11 years, it hasn’t been built.”
Staff: Editorial Page, editorial pages.
Peter St. Onge: Lighter Columns, collection of lighter columns.
Jourdan Rodrigue: Sports Columns, collection of sports columns.
Staff: Sports Coverage Newspapers Only.
Print, general excellence.
This story was originally published March 21, 2019 at 9:43 PM.