FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Christine Cordial, SPJ Program Coordinator, 317-920-4788, awards@spj.org
Anna Gutierrez, SPJ Communications Coordinator, 317-920-4785, communications@spj.org

Editor's note: This release has been updated to include the final honorees.

INDIANAPOLIS — The Society of Professional Journalists is proud to recognize the recipients of the Sigma Delta Chi Awards, which honor exceptional professional journalism produced in 2017.

Prominent veteran journalists, who served as SDX Awards judges, selected 82 honorees from more than 1,100 submissions. The winners will be honored at an awards banquet June 8 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Tickets may be purchased through May 25.

Dating back to 1932, the awards originally honored six individuals for contributions to journalism. The current program began in 1939, when the Society granted the first Distinguished Service Awards. The honors later became the Sigma Delta Chi Awards.

Entries included submissions from television and radio broadcasts, newspapers, online news outlets and magazines. Visit the SDX Awards winners website for individual links to the winning works.

Judges may withhold an award if they determine no entry merits recognition; any category not listed has no winner.

This list reflects the spelling and titles submitted in the award entries.

2017 Sigma Delta Chi Winners

Newspapers/Wire Services
Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 1-50,000)
Northern California Wildfires – by The Press Democrat staff

Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 50,001-100,000)
Mass Shooting on the Strip - by Las Vegas Review-Journal staff

Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)
San Francisco Chronicle: Wine Country Fires - by San Francisco Chronicle staff

Deadline Reporting (Non-Daily Publication)
Unbreakable Vegas: Stories of Heroism and Resilience in the Face of Tragedy - by Greenspun Media Group staff

Non-Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 1-50,000)
Race in the Rock River Valley - by Corina Curry, Rockford Register Star

Non-Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 50,001-100,000)
'The Expendables' - by Jamie Satterfield, Knoxville News Sentinel

Non-Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)
Falling Off the Cliff - by Ronnie Polaneczky, Philadelphia Media Network

Non-Deadline Reporting (Non-Daily Publication)
How a Floating Bale of Cocaine Led to the Florida Keys' Worst Murder in Decades - by Tim Elfrink, Miami New Times

Investigative Reporting (Daily Circulation of 1-50,000)
High Crimes - by Matt Troutman and Erin Sloan, Traverse City Record-Eagle

Investigative Reporting (Daily Circulation of 50,001-100,000)
One War. Two Races. - by Josh Salman, Dak Le and Michael Braga, Sarasota Herald Tribune

Investigative Reporting (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)
Shock Tactics - by Jason Szep, Peter Eisler, Tim Reid, Lisa Girion, Grant Smith and Team, Reuters

Investigative Reporting (Non-Daily Publication)
Sebastian Gorka's Ties to an Anti-Semitic Hungarian Militia - by Larry Cohler-Esses and Lili Bayer, Forward

Feature Reporting (Daily Circulation of 1-50,000)
Behind the Front Door: Inside Domestic Violence in Greenwich - by Emilie Munson, Hearst Connecticut Media

Feature Reporting (Daily Circulation of 50,001-100,000)
Lightning: A Survivor's Tale - by Ken Willis, Daytona Beach News-Journal

Feature Reporting (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)
Hanging: The Mysterious Case of the Boy in the Barn - by Julia Prodis Sulek, The Mercury News

Feature Reporting (Non-Daily Publication)
Acid Trip - by Chris Walker, Westword

Editorial Writing (Daily Circulation of 1-100,000/Non-Daily Publication)
Shedding Light on Death - by Jeffery Gerritt, Palestine Herald-Press

Editorial Writing (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)
Crumbling Foundations - by Carolyn Lumsden, Hartford Courant

Washington Correspondence
Russia - by The Washington Post staff

Foreign Correspondence
Boko Haram Coverage - by Dionne Searcey, New York Times

General Column Writing (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)
Petula Dvorak - by Petula Dvorak, The Washington Post

Sports Column Writing (Daily Circulation of 1-100,000/Non-Daily Publication)
The Resurrection of Howard Baseball - by David Cook, Chattanooga Times Free Press

Sports Column Writing (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)
A Season Under the Gun - by Rick Telander, Chicago Sun-Times

Public Service Journalism (Daily Circulation of 1-50,000)
Understanding Harvey - by Jessica Priest, Laura Garcia, Jon Wilcox and Marina Riker, Victoria Advocate

Public Service Journalism (Daily Circulation of 50,001-100,000)
Detroit Evictions - by Christine MacDonald, The Detroit News

Public Service Journalism (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)
Harassed - by The New York Times staff

Public Service Journalism (Non-Daily Publication)
The Price of Homelessness - by Puget Sound Business Journal staff

Magazines
Magazine Investigative Reporting (National Circulation)
Ronan Farrow's Investigation of Harvey Weinstein - by Ronan Farrow, The New Yorker

Magazine Investigative Reporting (Regional/Local Circulation)
Death from Above - by Christopher Collins, The Texas Observer

Magazine Writing (National Circulation)
"A Mass Shooting, Only in Slow Motion" - by Glenn Jeffers and Staff, Nieman Reports, Nieman Foundation for Journalism

Magazine Writing (Regional/Local Circulation)
Alan Dickson's Final Days - by Alexandra Becker, TMC Pulse - Texas Medical Center

Public Service in Magazine Journalism (National Circulation)
Vital Signs - by Kayla Webley Adler, Marie Claire

Public Service in Magazine Journalism (Regional/Local Circulation)
Trump's Wall and Prescott Hall - by Neil Swidey, The Boston Globe Magazine

Art/Graphics
Breaking News Photography (Newspaper Circulation-100,001+) or Affiliated Website/National Magazine
Rohingya: A Crisis - by Bernat Armangue and Dar Yasin, Associated Press

Editorial Cartooning (Newspaper Cir. 1-100,000/Regional Magazine/ Non-Daily Publication)
Walt Handelsman 2017 Cartoons - by Walt Handelsman, The Advocate

Editorial Cartooning (Newspaper Circulation of 100,001+) or Affiliated Website/National Magazine
The Cartoons of Clay Bennett - by Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press

Feature Photography (Newspaper Cir. 1-100,000/Regional Magazine/ Non-Daily Publication)
Unheard - by David Bitton, Stillwater News Press

Feature Photography (Newspaper Circulation of 100,001+) or Affiliated Website/National Magazine
Death from Above - by Marcus Yam, Los Angeles Times

Informational Graphics (Newspaper Cir. 1-100,000/Regional Magazine/ Non-Daily Publication)
Choke Hold: The Fossil Fuel Industry’s Fight Against Climate Policy, Science and Clean Energy - by Paul Horn and Staff, InsideClimate News

Informational Graphics (Newspaper Circulation of 100,001+ or Affiliated Website/National Magazine)
Russia Interactives - by Marshall Cohen, Tal Yellin and Liz Stark, CNN

Radio
Radio Breaking News Reporting (Market 1-100 or Network Syndication)
Las Vegas Shooting - by Kevin DeLany, Westwood One

Radio Breaking News Reporting (Market 101+)
Shooting Near Ft. Drum Raises Questions about Army Recruitment - by Lauren Rosenthal, Martha Foley and Brian Mann, North Country Public Radio

Radio Investigative Reporting (Market 1-100 or Network Syndication)
The Gangs of Nantucket - by Phillip Martin, Aaron Schachter and Kenneth Cooper, WGBH Radio News

Radio Investigative Reporting (Market 101+)
Allegations of Sexual Harassment Surface at Colorado Capitol - by KUNC FM staff

Radio Feature Reporting (Market 1-100 or Network Syndication)
Cassettes of Hurricane Andrew - by Alicia Zuckerman, WLRN News

Radio Feature Reporting (Market 101+)
One of a Kind "Ant Dog" Searches for Invasive Ants in the Channel Islands - by Lance Orozco, KCLU AM/FM

Radio Documentaries (Market 1-100 or Network Syndication)
Her Own Devices - by Jennifer Block, The Investigative Fund and Reveal

Radio Documentaries (Market 101+)
A Scar on the System- The Case of Albert Fink - by WNIN-FM staff

Public Service in Radio Journalism (Market 1-100 or Network Syndication)
Gambling on a Shady Casino Operation - by Steve Mistler, Keith Shortall and Andrew Catalina, Maine Public Radio

Public Service in Radio Journalism (Market 101+)
Divided by Design - by 90.3 WCPN ideastream staff

Television
Breaking News Coverage (Small-Market Station: 50+ market)
Hurricane Harvey Coverage - by Leslie Aguilar, KRGV

Breaking News Coverage (Large-Market Station: 1-50 market)
A City Turned to Ash: The Morning a Wildfire Destroyed Santa Rosa - by Katie Nielsen and Gregg Welk, KPIX-TV (CBS)

Breaking News Coverage (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)
Las Vegas Mass Shooting - by NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt staff

Documentaries (Small-Market Station: 50+ market)
Black Jack Pershing: Love and War - by Bernard R. McCoy, Luis Peon-Casanova, Paul Pytlowany and Christine Lesiak, Painted Rock Productions

Documentaries (Large-Market Station: 1-50 market)
Fallen - by Josh Hinkle, David Barer, Ben Friberg and Shannon Wolfson, KXAN

Documentaries (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)
Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992 - by John Ridley, Jeanmarie Condon, Melia Patria and Fatima Curry, ABC News Lincoln Square Productions

Feature Reporting (Small-Market Station: 50+ market)
Eric Hanson's This is Iowa - by Eric Hanson, Glen Biermann, Michael Sims and Cortney Kintzer, KCCI-TV

Feature Reporting (Large-Market Station: 1-50 market)
Land of 10,000 Stories - by Boyd Huppert, Chad Nelson and KARE Photography Staff, KARE TV

Feature Reporting (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)
Against All Odds - by Deborah Kim, Fred Rothenberg, Kate Snow and Terrell Tangonan, Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly

Investigative Reporting (Small-Market Station: 50+ market)
State of Unrest - by Lee Zurik, Jon Turnipseed, Tom Wright, Mike Schaefer and Greg Phillips, WVUE-TV

Investigative Reporting (Large-Market Station: 1-50 market)
Faking the Grade - by Chris Papst, Carolyn Sachse and Dwayne Myers, WBFF-TV

Investigative Reporting (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)
60 Minutes: You're Fired - by Bill Whitaker, Ira Rosen, Sam Hornblower and Craig Crawford, CBS

Public Service in Television Journalism (Large-Market Station: 1-50 market)
Show Us Your Bills 2017 - by Chris Vanderveen, Anna Hewson, Katie Wilcox and Nicole Vap, KUSA

Public Service in Television Journalism (Small-Market Station: 50+ market)
Cracking the Code - by Lee Zurik, Jeanne Pinder, Jed Lipinski, Jon Turnipseed and Tom Wright, WVUE-TV

Public Service in Television Journalism (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)
60 Minutes and The Washington Post: The Whistleblower - by Bill Whitaker, Ira Rosen, Sam Hornblower and Robert Zimet, CBS

Newsletter
Public Service in Newsletter Journalism
Communications Daily Investigates FCC - by Warren Communications News/Communications Daily staff

Research
Research About Journalism
The American Journalist in the Digital Age: A Half-Century Perspective - by Lars Willnat, David H. Weaver and G. Cleveland Wilhoit, Indiana University Media School

Online Reporting
Deadline Reporting (Affiliated)
Las Vegas Shooting - by Los Angeles Times staff

Deadline Reporting (Independent)
Las Vegas Shooting - by The Associated Press staff

Investigative Reporting (Affiliated)
Schoolhouse Sex Assault – by The Associated Press staff

Investigative Reporting (Independent)
All Work. No Pay. - by Amy Julia Harris and Shoshana Walter, Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting

Non-Deadline Reporting (Affiliated)
Paradise Papers: Secrets of the Global Elite - by Paradise Papers Reporting Team, ICIJ & Partners

Non-Deadline Reporting (Independent)
Sold Out - by Morgan Smith, Edgar Walters, Neena Satija and Ryan Murphy, The Texas Tribune

Online Column Writing (Affiliated)
Timothy L. O'Brien: Column Writing - by Timothy L. O'Brien, Bloomberg View

Online Column Writing (Independent)
The Global Politico - by Susan Glasser, POLITICO

Digital Audio
Three Rivers, Two Mysteries - by Michael A. Fuoco and Ashley Murray, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Audio Slide Show
For Art's Sake: The Newspaper My Father Gave Me - by Michael Cavna and Tom Racine, The Washington Post

Digital Video
'They're taking everybody' - by Debra Nathan, Maisie Crow and Lauren Feeney, The Intercept

EBooks
Drawing Fire: The Political Cartoons of Rebel Pepper - by Liming Wang, Minh-Ha Le, Christen Billing and Vince Meadows, Radio Free Asia

Specialized Journalism Site
United States of Climate Change - by United States of Climate Change Reporting Team, The Weather Channel Digital & Partners

Public Service in Online Journalism (Affiliated)
Separate and Unequal - by Newsday staff

Public Service in Online Journalism (Independent)
Lost Mothers - by ProPublica and NPR, ProPublica

SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to informing citizens; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and fights to protect First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. Support excellent journalism and fight for your right to know. Become a member, give to the Legal Defense Fund, or give to the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation.

The Sigma Delta Chi Foundation is a public foundation dedicated to ensuring that those who carry on the tradition of a free press are prepared for the challenge. The SDX Foundation supports educational and professional needs of journalists and journalism students. Support excellent journalism and fight for your right to know. Give to the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation.

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