First Place Judge's Comments: The Daily Tar Heel's stories were written with such authority that after judging I googled the paper -- I didn't believe that such impressive work came from a student-run paper. The parallel construction and impressive design work on the grade inflation series kept me interested to read each story to the end. The stories showed the challenges of tackling such an entrenched problem while also providing intriguing context that richly textured the series. The only weakness I found in the entry was a slightly weak anecdotal lede to "Crisis Manager." Perhaps another would have more powerfully told the story of what the president meant to the university. In the end, what pushed this entry above the others is how thoughtfully the stories came together -- the reporting, editing and particularly the design work, which does a wonderful job of pulling readers into the stories.
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Second Place Judge's Comments: The breadth of Eric Ferreri's expertise on higher education issues is evident from this entry. The broad range of stories shows depth in both his reporting and writing -- and also makes these stories relevant to a broad audience. The story "UNC bleeds faculty talent" was an intriguing and effective way of showing the extent to which budget cuts have hurt the university. It masterfully wraps in examples of unfulfilled promises that no doubt gave shudders to school administrators, students and alumni. The reporter does a great job of making his stories relevant to a broad newspaper readership, showing how national issues such as don't ask, don't tell reverberate in classrooms. I'm sure many people e-mailed around his story about what amounts to proper attire for students. In the end, however, I would have liked to have seen more of a collaboration between design/photo and the printed stories. And while it was a great idea to do a bigger take-out on the professor who allowed students to grade each other, the story didn't quite make me appreciate who this professor is as a person and educator. |
Community Newspapers Judge's Comments: The staff of the Smoky Mountain News did a superb covering a complex issue -- prayer in public settings -- with flair, depth and accessibility. No angle was left uncovered, and the quality and breadth of the reporting was particularly impressive for a small news outlet. The "Prayer by the Numbers" sidebar was especially helpful for getting a quick glimpse of the issues at play, and the story was covered in multiple formats -- spot news, analysis and opinion -- with grace and an impressive degree of sharpness. Well done. |
Daily Newspapers Judge's Comments: Tim's stories were a delight to read -- and look at. I was constantly struck by a sense of, "Huh, I hadn't thought of that before." His journeys into the life of an American Muslim family, and the ordinary lives of local atheists, were as enjoyable as they were illuminating. The article on Catholic burials for the indigent was both moving and startling in its humanity. The Easter profiles were a smart way into an annual story that is often rote and routine. The stories benefited from ample doses of context, nuance and good editing, and were amplified by good photography and judicious use of sidebars. Very, very well done. |
