News Story Awards
First Place (Tie)Kathryn DePauw: Northwestern Michigan College
Women in welding: Forging a path into the future "This is a well-written story about a very interesting topic that helps to educate its readers in addition to simply informing them. Kathryn had this reader hooked from her concise lede paragraph going forward. When judging contests such as this, I always look to see if the reporter brings student voices into the story, and Kathryn did that, including a veteran of the school’s welding program who has gone on to find work in the industry, as well as a student just beginning the journey. Adding key national numbers plus an expert voice added context for the reader. Nice work." Cydney Heed: Washtenaw Community College
Frontline healthcare workers face burnout almost a year into the pandemic "An interesting angle to the world’s most important story of the past year. Cydney brings the reader closer to the reality of what healthcare workers have dealt with – not just at work, but also at home with their families. Several of the comments from the front-line health workers were heartbreaking. Readers very likely don’t think about how front-line workers deal with people with dementia and COVID-19, but Cydney brings the reader right there. Very good work." |
Second place |
Third PlaceJerry Meade: Monroe County Community College
Michigan offers free tuition to essential workers "A very important story for MCCC’s students. Jerry explained what the Futures for Frontliners program entailed and how it works. As a reporter, he included voices from experts and a student. However, I thought the story needed better organization. The information about student Randy Fultz, who is shown in a display photograph on the page, is in the final paragraphs. The story would have been improved if the Fultz information had been worked in earlier." |
Honorable Mentions
Nick Moug: Northwestern Michigan College
The troubling rise of QAnon
"Though this story includes touches of analysis and opinion, reporter Nick Moug gets credit for writing about QAnon before most readers had ever heard of it or knew anything about it. Since this story has published, QAnon and other groups like it have become important news topics nationally and globally. Nice job getting in front of that, Nick."
The troubling rise of QAnon
"Though this story includes touches of analysis and opinion, reporter Nick Moug gets credit for writing about QAnon before most readers had ever heard of it or knew anything about it. Since this story has published, QAnon and other groups like it have become important news topics nationally and globally. Nice job getting in front of that, Nick."