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ASNE Awards 2006

Winners of the 2006 ASNE Awards
Posted 2/21/2006 12:57:00 PM
 

RESTON, Va. -- The American Society of Newspaper Editors has selected the winners of its annual awards for distinguished writing and photography.

Winners of the 2006 ASNE Awards are:

Jesse Laventhol Prize for Deadline News Reporting by a Team -- Los Angeles Times (Megan Garvey, Erika Hayasaki, Mitchell Landsberg, Jill Leovy, David Pierson and Richard Winton)


Jesse Laventhol Prize for Deadline News Reporting by an Individual -- John Simerman, Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.


Freedom Forum/ASNE Award for Outstanding Writing on Diversity -- Phuong Ly, The Washington Post


Commentary/Column Writing -- Nicholas D. Kristof, The New York Times


Editorial Writing -- Mike Trimble, Denton (Texas) Record-Chronicle


Nondeadline Writing -- Jim Sheeler, Rocky Mountain News, Denver


Local Watchdog Reporting -- The Plain Dealer, Cleveland (Bob Paynter and Sandra Livingston)


Community Service Photojournalism --Todd Heisler, Rocky Mountain News, Denver


The Jesse Laventhol prizes each carry a $10,000 cash award; all of the others will receive $2,500 prizes. The awards will be presented on Thursday, April 27, during ASNE’s convention in Seattle. The winning entries and interviews with the winners and finalists will be published in “Best Newspaper Writing 2006,” by The Poynter Institute, St. Petersburg, Fla.


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


Deadline News Reporting by a Team

  • The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss. (Anita Lee, Don Hammack, Michael Keller, Joshua Norman and Margaret Baker)
  • Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Crocker Stephenson, Rick Romell and Dave Umhoefer)


Deadline News Reporting by an Individual

  • Anne Saker, The Oregonian, Portland
  • Natalie Pompilio, The Philadelphia Inquirer


The Freedom Forum/ASNE Award for Outstanding Writing on Diversity

  • Don Aucoin, The Boston Globe
  • Steve Young, Argus Leader, Sioux Falls, S.D.

Commentary/Column Writing
  • Chris Rose, The Times-Picayune, New Orleans
  • Helen Ubiñas, Hartford (Conn.) Courant


Editorial Writing

  • Rick Attig, The Oregonian, Portland
  • Susan Trausch, The Boston Globe
  • Terri Troncale, The Times-Picayune, New Orleans

Nondeadline Writing
  • Lane DeGregory, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times
  • Mark Leibovich, The Washington Post


Local Watchdog Reporting

  • Los Angeles Times (Robin Fields, Evelyn Larrubia and Jack Leonard)
  • The Oregonian, Portland (Maxine Bernstein and Brent Walth)


Community Service Photojournalism

  • Bruce Ely, The Oregonian, Portland
  • Mike Siegel, The Seattle Times
  • Brian Vander Brug, Los Angeles Times


This year’s contest attracted almost 600 entries from news organizations throughout the United States and Canada.


The Jesse Laventhol Prizes are named in honor of a longtime Philadelphia newspaperman. They are endowed by his son, David A. Laventhol, a former editor and executive for Times Mirror. Laventhol has been a member of ASNE for many years and serves as a member of the ASNE Awards Board. He said he wanted to encourage excellence in a key aspect of newspaper reporting -- “to recognize the best deadline work and to encourage more of it.”


The Freedom Forum, which has partnered with ASNE on many diversity efforts, funds the award for outstanding writing on diversity.


The ASNE Foundation -- which is supported by gifts from ASNE members, newspaper companies and foundations -- funds the other awards. The Poynter Institute administers the competition. Aly Colón of The Poynter Institute will be the editor of “Best Newspaper Writing 2006.”


The awards were given for work completed in 2005. All daily newspapers and wire services in the United States are eligible to enter. Also eligible are other newspapers in the Americas that are headed by an active member of ASNE. All entries must be submitted in English.


Peter K. Bhatia, executive editor, The Oregonian, Portland, chaired the Awards Board this year. Also judging were: Amanda Bennett, editor, The Philadelphia Inquirer; Susan Bischoff, associate editor, Houston Chronicle; Neil Brown, executive editor, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times; Jeffrey C. Bruce, editor, Dayton (Ohio) Daily News; James N. Crutchfield, president and publisher, Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal; Gregory Favre, distinguished fellow, The Poynter Institute; Charlotte H. Hall, editor, Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel; Edward W. Jones, editor, The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg, Va.; W. Martin Kaiser, editor, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; Bill Keller, executive editor, The New York Times; Diane H. McFarlin, publisher, Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune; Christopher Peck, editor, The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tenn.; Sharon Rosenhause, managing editor, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale; Mark Silverman, editor, Gannett News Service, McLean, Va.; Charlie Waters, executive editor, The Fresno (Calif.) Bee; Janet Weaver, executive editor, The Tampa (Fla.) Tribune; James P. Willse, editor, The Star-Ledger, Newark, N.J.; Patrick A. Yack, editor, The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville.


Carolyn Lee, New York, chaired the photojournalism award judging. Three photo experts also joined in the judging: Francisco Bernasconi, director of photography/news, Getty Images, New York; Tim Rasmussen, director of photography, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, and Kenneth F. Irby, Visual Journalism Group Leader & Diversity Program Director, The Poynter Institute.


Judges abstain from discussion when there is either a personal or professional conflict of interest.


With about 750 members, ASNE is the principal organization of American newspaper editors. It is active in a number of areas, including open government, freedom of the press, journalism credibility and ethics, newsroom management, diversity and readership.