The staff of Colorado Community’s Media’s two dozen newspapers received 10 awards, including three first-place honors, at the esteemed Top of the Rockies Excellence in Journalism competition over the weekend.
This year’s contest, hosted by the Colorado chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, attracted a record number of participants, with more than 80 news media outlets and 30 freelancers from Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico submitting their work. Judged by the Los Angeles Press Club, the competition was fierce, with more than 1,900 entries vying for recognition. Colorado Community media competed in the large newsroom category.
The newsroom’s “Long Way Home” series, an extensive, 14-story deep dive into the escalating crisis of housing affordability and availability won first place in the General Reporting, Series or Package category. The story identified the barriers many younger Coloradans and people of color face in their struggles for homeownership and explored potential solutions. The stories, produced by reporters across the newsroom, ran in newspapers — from the Arvada Press to the Parker Chronicle — across the metro area. The project was led by Editor in Chief Michael de Yoanna with West Metro Editor Kristen Fiore, North Metro Editor Scott Taylor, Digital Editor Deborah Grigsby and former South Metro Editor Thelma Grimes, the assistance of editors Scott Gilbert and Christy Steadman, and initial contributions from former chief editor Lisa Schlichtman.
Judges wrote: “Tremendous effort by the staff of Colorado Community Media to tell the story of housing — the facts, figures and people affected by metro Denver’s housing issues.”
Reporters Nina Joss and McKenna Harford won first place in the Politics, Feature category for “Shades of Red” in the Douglas County News-Press, looking at divergent views among south metro area Republicans regarding how to present a unified front to voters.
“In this timely, unbiased, and in-depth analysis, journalists Nina Joss and McKenna Harford show great skill at explaining complex political issues in a way that is accessible and engaging to their audience. The result is a clearly written, logically structured, and highly entertaining piece of work,” the judges remarked.
News staffers Fiore, Corinne Westeman, Grigsby, Steadman, Rylee Dunn and Steve Smith were honored with a first place in Social Justice Reporting in “For the record: Examining how the Golden Transcript contributed to systemic racism.” The story reconciled with a racially biased chapter of the Transcript’s presentation of news in the late 1960s and early 1970s surrounding the Black Panther Party. Also named on the award are Jameka Lewis, senior librarian at the Denver Public Library’s Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, and a freelance researcher on the story, Greg Moore, contributing as an editor, and Allan Tellis, contributing as a doctoral student of political science at the University of Colorado-Boulder/freelance researcher.
“A hard-hitting reminder of a dark past, and the fact that there is still a long way to go,” judges wrote.
Westeman also took home a second-place award in the Sports, News category for “Role Players: Orediggers work behind the scenes to elevate football team’s performance.”
Dunn, at the Arvada Press, received a second-place honor for Obit Reporting for “Remembering Moses Walker, a musician and friend beyond compare.” Joss, at the Littleton Independent, took third place in the Obit Reporting category for “Jeff Gaylord’s death shines light on life of strength and selflessness.”
Receiving third-place honors:
- Steadman, at the Washington Park Profile and Life on Capitol Hill, for “Parkinson’s slows life down but doesn’t stop a family’s love” (Column, Personal)
- Englewood Herald Reporter Elisabeth Slay for “Unopposed Englewood school board candidate Davon Williams has felony record and active arrest warrant, records show” (General Reporting, Series or Package)
- Production Artist Leah Neu, “A hub for young artists” (Single Page Design)
- Former Centennial Citizen Reporter Tayler Shaw for beat reporting.
Retired Canyon Courier Reporter Deb Hurley Brobst, a four-decade veteran journalist with extensive editing, reporting and mentoring experience, was named a Keeper of the Flame, a lifetime achievement award given to journalists who display “extraordinary dedication to ethical, responsible journalism and professional integrity.”