The Oregonian/OregonLive won 28 awards in the Society of Professional Journalists Northwest Excellence in Journalism contest, including 19 first place awards in results announced this week.
First place awards went to sportswriter Ryan Clarke for his look at the Portland Timbers’ office culture in the category of sports reporting; sports columnist Bill Oram for a portfolio of columns; Gosia Wozniacka for her article on a proposed new warehouse’s effects on a neighborhood in the category of poverty/homelessness reporting; and Savannah Eadens in feature/hard news for “The Deadliest Block.”
Eadens and Franziska Klemenz won first place in the breaking news category for their dramatic retelling of an armed robbery. Videographer Vickie Connor won first place in health reporting/video for her video on an embalming and mortuary program.
Also placing first was “The Safest Place” project in the educating reporting category. Reporter Noelle Crombie, photographer Beth Nakamura and videographer Samantha Swindler worked on that series. Crombie also won first place for crime/law enforcement reporting for the four-part series, in which she examined the toll of gun violence on one school.
“The Safest Place” also won first in video/hard news for the work of Swindler, Crombie, Nakamura and video editor Dave Killen. Crombie, Nakamura and audio producer Andrew Theen won first in audio/hard news feature for a “Beat Check” podcast episode on the project.
Designer Mark Friesen took first in multimedia storytelling for the online presentation for “The Safest Place,” along with Crombie, Nakamura, Swindler and Killen.
investigative reporter Rob Davis won two first place awards — for “Publishing Prejudice” in the race/equity category and for Lake Abert in government and politics reporting. He and Theen took first place in audio/environment for a podcast on Lake Abert’s struggles.
Reporter Mike Rogoway took first place in business reporting for his series, “Data Center Next Door.” Rogoway and Theen took first in audio/technology for a “Beat Check” episode on Intel.
In video features, Jamie Hale, Connor and Killen won for the video “Joseph,” on travel to the eastern Oregon town.
Editor Therese Bottomly won first in editorial/commentary for her apology for The Oregonian’s historical racism. Bottomly and Theen won first in audio/racial equity reporting for a “Beat Check” episode on “Publishing Prejudice.” Bottomly took second place in column writing for her “Letter from the Editor” columns.
Second place winners also include Nicole Hayden for “False Promises” in the poverty/homelessness category; Jamie Goldberg for her work on erroneous denials for Medicaid benefits in the government and politics category; Tom Hallman Jr. in features for an article about a lost and found photograph from World War II; Rogoway in environment coverage for his reporting on Google’s water use; Eder Campuzano for his project “Left Behind”; Maxine Bernstein for her series on a local homicide; MJ Johnson won in feature/video for her video “Pah!,” a deaf-owned restaurant; and Nakamura won second in photo/design for her “Naked Bike Ride” photos.
The society’s Northwest region includes Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. The awards were announced June 1 for work done in the 2022 calendar year.