NJ-SPJ Excellence in Journalism Awards Announced; Awards Ceremony Nov. 4 in Lyndhurst

NEWARK – The New Jersey Society of Professional Journalists is proud to announce the winners of the 2023 Excellence in Journalism contest.

More than 150 entries were submitted to the annual contest, which recognizes the best coverage of the Garden State by outlets in New Jersey, New York City and Philadelphia.

The winners will be honored on Saturday, Nov. 4 at a ceremony at Michael’s Riverside in Lyndhurst, Bergen County, from noon to 4 p.m. Tickets for NJ-SPJ members are $50 per person and $65 for non-members. Tables for 10 are also available.

Purchase tickets at the EventBrite link here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-excellence-in-journalism-awards-tickets-742464971717?aff=oddtdtcreator

GARDEN STATE DIVISION

Best Investigative Story

Print: 1st – Katie Moen and Lauren S. Barr, The Westfield Leader, “OPRA Request Yields Private Information, Potential Conflicts.”

2nd – Shay Roddy, Cape May County Herald, “The Crest Can and Must Do Better”

Broadcast: 1st – Walt Kane, Karin Attonito and Anthony Cocco, News 12, “Crossing Concerns”

2nd – Colleen O’Dea, NJ Spotlight News, “Pet projects, public cash”

Digital:

1st – Patrick Wall, Chalkbeat, “In New Jersey, thousands of Black and Hispanic students are shut out of AP classes.”

2nd – Dana DiFilippo and Sophie Nieto-Muñoz, New Jersey Monitor, “Teacher-student diversity gap widens in New Jersey“

Best Coverage of State Government

Print: 1st – Karin Price Mueller, NJ Advance Media, Watchdog coverage of N.J. COVID money

2nd – Brent Johnson and Matt Arco, NJ Advance Media, Portfolio

Broadcast: 1st – John Reitmeyer, NJ Spotlight News, NJ budgets and taxes coverage

Digital: 1st – Dana DiFilippo, New Jersey Monitor

2nd – Nikita Biryukov, New Jersey Monitor

Best Coverage of County Government
Digital: 1st – Andrea Crowley-Hughes and Matt Kadosh, TAPinto Union County Sites, TAPinto Union County Government Coverage 2022

Best Coverage of Municipal Government

Print: 1st – Daniel Israel, Bayonne Community News/The Hudson Reporter, “The Bayonne City Council Throughout 2022”

Best News Series

Print: 1st – Stephanie Faughnan, Micromedia Publications, “The Plight of Residents Displaced by Government Land Purchase”

2nd – Yukthi Sangoi, The Vector, “Maple Hall”

Broadcast: 1st – Taylor Jung, NJ Spotlight News, “Reparations in NJ”

2nd –  Brenda Flanagan, Michael Warren, James Kraft, Mattie Rosen, Julie Daurio, Patrick Santomauro and Joe Lee, NJ Spotlight News, “Hazard NJ”

Digital: 1st – Nikita Biryukov and Dana DiFilippo, New Jersey Monitor, “Series on baby blood spots”

2nd – Joanna Gagis, James Kraft, Julie Daurio, Patrick Santomauro, Rob Rowan, Buki Elegbede, Michael Warren, Brendan Smyth and Kevin Phalon, NJ Spotlight News, “NJ Reacts to Ukraine War”

Best Sports Feature

Print: 1st – Mary Chao, The Record/NorthJersey.com, “To reverse declining fan base, MLB must embrace greater diversity.”

2nd – Jane Allison Havsy, Daily Record, “Jane Allison Havsy’s Diversity Package”

Digital: 1st – Esther Naomi Paul, Public Square Amplified, “For the love of cricket”

2nd – Adrienne Romero, Slice of Culture, “Undefeated Middleweight Steven Cosme Gets Toughness From New Jersey, Seeks To Continue Puerto Rico’s Boxing Legacy”

Best Business/Consumer Story

Print: 1st – Karin Price Mueller, NJ Advance Media, “Think it’s hard to get Springsteen tickets? For a fan with a disability, it’s even tougher”

Broadcast: 1st – John Makuch, WSOU, “Zant, an app for mental health”

Digital: 1st – Dana DiFilippo and Sophie Nieto-Muñoz, New Jersey Monitor, “Fears grow that Black businesses will be left out of recreational marijuana market”

2nd – Neil Borowski, TAPinto Camden, TAPinto Camden coverage of business and environmental justice

Best Breaking News Coverage

Print: 1st – Jonathan D. Salant, Brent Johnson, Matt Arco, Susan K. Livio, Derek Hall, Michael Mancuso and Ed Murray, NJ Advance Media, 2022 Midterm Elections

Broadcast: 1st – Sergio Bichao, Dan Alexander, Jordan Jansson, Townsquare Media Trenton, “Chaos Erupts at Jersey Shore”

Digital: 1st – Kenneth Simmons, TAPinto Piscataway, “Massive Fire Rocks Pepsi Plant in Piscataway; 2 Firefighters Reported Injured”

Best In-Depth Reporting

Print: 1st – Ricardo Kaulessar, The Record/NorthJersey.com, “Invisible Pain Day: NJ mom fighting rising Black suicide rates in her son’s memory”

2nd – Ken Schlager, New Jersey Monthly, “10 Years After”

Broadcast: 1st – Andrew Lewis, NJ Spotlight News, “Saving the sturgeon”

2nd – Melissa Cooper, Buki Elegbede, James Kraft, Julie Daurio, Patrick Santomauro, Jolon Franklin and Joe Lee, NJ Spotlight News, “Celebrating National Crown Day”

Digital: 1st – Patrick Wall, Chalkbeat, “In New Jersey, thousands of Black and Hispanic students are shut out of AP classes.”

2nd – Dana DiFilippo and Sophie Nieto-Muñoz, New Jersey Monitor, “Teacher-student diversity gap widens in New Jersey“

Best Continuing Coverage

Print: 1st – Mary Chao, The Record/NorthJersey.com, Coverage of the Asian American community of New Jersey

2nd – Ethan O’Malley, The Vector, “NJIT Is Building Back Better”

Digital: 1st – Jessie Gomez, Chalkbeat, “Newark schools missed federal requirements for students with disabilities, state finds”

Best Arts and Entertainment Coverage

Print: 1st – Daniel Israel, Bayonne Community News/The Hudson Reporter, “Art and Entertainment Make A Comeback In Bayonne Amid COVID-19 Recovery”

2nd – Stephanie Faughnan, Micromedia Publications, “Albert Music Hall Delivers Exciting Line-Up For 25th Anniversary Show”

Digital: 1st – Bennett Kelly, New Brunswick Today, “New Brunswick’s Number One Hit “Brandy” Turns 50”

Best Podcast

Broadcast: 1st – Jordan Gass-Poore’, Michael Sol Warren, Jamie Kraft, Chris Pandza and Joe Lee, NJ Spotlight News, Hazard NJ Episode 3: Heart of Ringwood

Best Digital News Video

Digital: 1st – Kevin Guevara, Slice of Culture, Rafiq’z Hair Cutters

Best Use of Sound for Radio News Story

1st – Dino Flammia, Townsquare Media Trenton, “10th Anniversary of Superstorm Sandy – A Look Back”

Best Public Affairs Show (TV and Radio)
1st – Eric Scott, Dan Alexander, Anne Gress, Annette Petriccione and Sergio Bichao,

Townsquare Media Trenton, “Class Disrupted – Pandemic Learning Loss”

2nd – Lisa Marie Falbo, Gerald D’Ambra, Elena Plumser, Bridget McAllister, Isaac Perez and Pam Solovay, MeTV, “Your New Jersey” – August 13, 2022 – New Jersey Helps Ukraine; Portraits of the Jersey Shore”

Best Short Documentary

Broadcast: 1st – Walt Kane, Karin Attonito, Anthony Cocco, Michael Roberts, Ryan Beckman and Steve Larger, News 12, “N12 Originals: Justice Delayed”

2nd – James Kraft, Brad Barber, Chloe Motisi, Katie Cameron and Joe Lee, NJ PBS, “21 Film Series: Atlantic County”

The Amiri Baraka Award for Best Coverage of Cities and Suburbs

Print: 1st – Mrunmayi Joshi, The Vector, Newark

Digital: 1st – Emma Uk, Public Square Amplified, “Better living, better health: Newark residents call for environmental justice and health equity”

Reporter of the Year
Print: Brent Johnson, NJ Advance Media

Broadcast: Walt Kane, News 12

Digital: Sophie Nieto-Muñoz, New Jersey Monitor

METRO DIVISION

Best Investigative Story

Print: 1st – John Tozzi, Elise Young, Cynthia Koons and Tim Annett, Bloomberg News, “NJ’s Ballooning Medical Bills”

Digital:

1st – William Bredderman, The Daily Beast, “Company in Probe of Dem Senator Bob Menendez Tied to His Crooked Donors”

Best Sports Feature

Digital: 1st – 1st – Michael Lewis, National Premier Soccer League, “Handy Coby Jean Rodriguez Delivers for FC Motown and the NPSL”

Best Business/Consumer Story

Digital: 1st – Devin O’Connor, Casino.org/News, “Atlantic City Casino Smoking Lingers 45 Years After State Legalized Gambling”

2nd – Steve Bittenbender, Casino.org/News, “Q&A: Sporttrade’s Alex Kane Talks New Jersey Launch and Future of Exchanges”

Best In-Depth Reporting

Print: 1st – Jason Grant, New York Law Journal, “In Ukraine, Lawyers With Ukrainian Bar Association and NYSBA Chapter Help Refugees to Safety, or Take Up Arms in the Streets”

Digital: 1st – Elizabeth McCauley, Emory Harger, Mark Adam Miller, Abby Narishkin, Grant Tyler, Amelia Kosciulek, Hamzah Khan, Dorian Barranco, Will Storey and Daniel Allen, Insider, “A New Law Could Clean Up One of America’s Most Polluted Neighborhoods”

2nd – Carmen Cusido, Next Avenue, “Surviving Retirement, Do Your Heirs A Favor”

Best Arts and Entertainment Coverage

Digital: 1st – Melissa Klurman, The Points Guy, “Battle of the boardwalks – which Jersey Shore seaside funplex reigns supreme?”

Best Television News Photography

1st – Ted Greenberg, WCAU-TV and WNBC-TV

Best New York Television Coverage Of New Jersey
1st – Ted Greenberg, WNBC-TV

Best Philadelphia Television Story Coverage Of New Jersey

1st – Ted Greenberg, WCAU-TV

Reporter of the Year
Broadcast: Ted Greenberg, WCAU-TV and WNBC-TV