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MNSPJ 2024 Page One Awards Winners
Minnesota SPJ announced the winners of our annual Page One journalism awards June 18 at The Lowlands in St. Paul. Here is a full list of the honorees:
Special awards:
Journalist of the Year
1. Andy Mannix of the Star Tribune
Judge’s comments: Outstanding writing and reporting on both in-depth and daily stories. Mannix’s piece on Heather Mayer is a tour de force. It exemplifies the hard work and dedication needed to tell a compelling story using public and private data, interviews and, perhaps most importantly, patience. He used public documents efficiently and effectively to give a more complete account of the National Guard standing by as riots engulfed the city — including the lack of response from Washington, one example of his adept use of data on crime statistics. All-around great work.
While this is the first place comments, we wanted to acknowledge Georgia Fort here as well, because we were very impressed with the work she is doing in an unusual format with limited resources. Fort took the ambitious and unique approach of creating and crafting video stories focused on often underreported issues from a frequently ignored perspective. She takes a very human approach to reporting on race and class disparity. Her piece on Black Men Teach was a great character-driven approach to a problem at the intersection of race and education.
2. Georgia Fort of BLCK Press
3. Max Nesterak of the Minnesota Reformer
Young Journalist of the Year
1. Katelyn Vue of Sahan Journal and Elijah Lutgens of the NRHEG Star Eagle and the Waseca County Pioneer
Judge’s comments: Judges selected two winners in the Young Journalist of the Year category: Katelyn Vue and Eli Lutgens. Both are doing essential work in their communities, but in very different ways. Broadly speaking, both winners embody the importance of journalism’s role to serve communities and report on people and entities in power. Vue and Lutgens are distinctive and exceptional, and the judges want to recognize them both.
Vue’s work is exceptional and illustrated in several ways. Not only is Vue a talented writer, she’s using public records creatively and connects with the community she’s reporting on in deep and meaningful ways. Her stories show nuance and detail that go above and beyond usual reporting — not to mention reporting on communities that can suffer from being marginalized or absent in reporting. For example, Vue’s reporting on housing from the tenant perspective was notable and put her a notch above to keep those in power accountable. It’s clear Vue is spending the time to build the trust necessary to do excellent journalism.
Lutgens was also selected for the essential work he is doing in local, community journalism. As his recommender noted, there would be no local newsrooms in the communities without his intervention. If running multiple publications wasn’t impressive enough, his dedication to reporting news running from local high school sports to local politics is clearly making a difference in the communities he serves. Simply put, we need more people like Lutgens to step up and do this vital work to sustain and advance democracy. There are fewer “news deserts” in Minnesota thanks to Lutgens’ efforts.
3. Madison McVan of the Minnesota Reformer
Best Beat Reporting
1. Becky Dernbach of Sahan Journal
Judge’s comments: Dernbach takes a community-based approach to covering students of color in Minnesota. Her work highlights the successes and failures of the school system as well as places current political debates into perspective.
2. Jennifer Bjorhus of the Star Tribune
3. Christopher Ingraham of the Minnesota Reformer
Story of the Year
1. Andy Mannix and Renée Jones Schneider of the Star Tribune for “What happened to Heather Mayer?”
Judge’s comments: A well-reported, engrossing read. It is mindful of (and points out the challenges of) a misunderstood community. The reporter treated survivors with dignity and respect as well as pointed out serious shortcomings in the criminal justice system that allowed domestic abuse to persist. The effort put forth by the reporter traveling to multiple cities and combing through public documents is second-to-none. The story package was spliced with video interview clips and documents that enhance the piece.
2. Jim Bayer, Juliana Allen, Stuart Sudak, Mark Weber and Amy Nylander of Eden Prairie Local News for “Silent Struggles”
3. Max Nesterak of the Minnesota Reformer for “Mayo Clinics kills effort to lower health care costs”
Best Use of Public Records
1. Jeffrey Meitrodt, Jessie Van Berkel, MaryJo Webster and Aaron Lavinsky of the Star Tribune for “In Harm’s Way”
Judge’s comments: A powerful and heartbreaking series, illuminating the sometimes deadly consequences of how Minnesota put abused children in danger. The pieces relied on court reports and data weaved with personal accounts and professional opinion, with great digging for data and matching up information from multiple sources. Huge bonus of measurable impact from the publication of the story. Well done.
2. Katelyn Vue of Sahan Journal for “Shakopee officials devised plot to kill affordable housing project, emails reveal”
3. Jennifer Bjorhus and Jeff Hargarten of the Star Tribune for “Nitrate contamination in Minnesota”
The Peter S. Popovich Award
MaryJo Webster of the Star Tribune
Board comments: Each year, the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists awards the Peter S. Popovich Award to a person or organization that exemplifies the fight to uphold First Amendment rights. The award, MNSPJ’s most prestigious, honors the life of Peter Popovich, a legislator, judge and advocate for open government.
Over her two decades as a journalist in Minnesota, MaryJo Webster has produced troves of memorable, impactful stories stemming from her analysis of public data. Through this work, first at the Pioneer Press and now at the Star Tribune, Webster became an expert at navigating Minnesota’s public record laws — and knowing when and how to fight for information that the public has a right to access. As the Star Tribune’s data editor, Webster has influenced and contributed to the newsroom’s most ambitious and revelatory investigations in recent years, including the “Denied Justice” project that was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2019 and the “In Harm’s Way” series.
Webster has also trained, mentored and assisted countless journalists looking to integrate more public records and data into their stories. As the current board chair of the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information (MNCOGI), she pushes government entities to make public data more accessible for all citizens. Her persistence, tireless advocacy and extensive efforts to educate others truly capture the spirit of the Peter S. Popovich Award.
Coverage awards:
1A. Breaking News Reporting (big)
1. Staff of the Star Tribune for “Gratuitous Force”
2. Melissa Olson of MPR News for “Judge declines to halt Nenookaasi closure”
3. Nick Ferraro of the Pioneer Press for “Teen receives 25-year prison sentence for killing Michael Brasel, a St. Paul father who interrupted car burglary”
1A. Breaking News Reporting (small)
1. Brian Arola and Pat Christman of the Mankato Free Press for “Hilltop Lane standoff”
2. Jana Peterson and Dan Reed of Pine Knot News for “Wild weather”
3. Kay Fate and Rick Bussler of the Steele County Times for “Overpass killing”
1B. Feature Reporting (big)
1. Richard Chin of the Star Tribune for “Should men go shirtless in summer?” and other stories
2. Mary Divine of the Pioneer Press for “A lonely life ends” and other stories
3. Sam Stroozas of MPR News for “Minnesota may soon OK free menstrual products in schools. These teens led the way” and other stories
1B. Feature Reporting (small)
1. Mike Creger of Pine Knot News for “Brothers retrace father’s final trip” and other stories
2. Steve Lange of Rochester Magazine for “We hope we never find what we’re trained to find”
3. Shannon Granholm of Press Publications and Quad Community Press for “Faces of fentanyl”
1C. Profile Reporting (big)
1. Rachel Hutton of the Star Tribune for profiles of Bill Alkofer, Sheletta Brundidge and Scott Seekins
2. Jon Collins of MPR News for “Hmong immigrants put down roots on Dakota County farmland”
3. Alex V. Cipolle of MPR News for “Inside the world of cornhole playing with Minnesota’s first professional player” and other stories
1C. Profile Reporting (small)
1. Dené Dryden of the Rochester Post Bulletin for profiles of Larry Anderson, Laura Kuisle and Sister Lauren Weinandt
2. Brian Arola of the Mankato Free Press for two Taylor profiles and another
3. Azhae’la Hanson of North News for “Devin Brown prepares for a historical voyage down the Mississippi River” and other stories
1D. Enterprise/In-depth Reporting (big)
1. Deena Winter of the Minnesota Reformer for “Small business owners say they’re pressured to hire off-duty MPD cops for security” and other stories
2. Andy Mannix of the Star Tribune for “What happened to Heather Mayer?” and other stories
3. Katelyn Vue of Sahan Journal for “Mold, lead, crumbling stairs: Lawsuit alleges Minneapolis inspectors neglect North Side rental properties” and other stories
1D. Enterprise/In-depth Reporting (small)
1. Dené Dryden of the Rochester Post Bulletin for enterprise stories on gender-affirming health care, language interpretation and maternity care
2. Brian Arola of the Mankato Free Press for “LWV refutes township official on voting falsehoods” and other stories
3. Jay Boller of Racket for “There’s a Massive, Hidden Lake of Mining Residue Above the North Shore. It Might Grow.”
1E. Investigative Reporting (big)
1. Jeffrey Meitrodt, Jessie Van Berkel, MaryJo Webster and Aaron Lavinsky of the Star Tribune for “In Harm’s Way”
2. Deena Winter of the Minnesota Reformer for reporting on the Minneapolis Police Department
3. Ryan Faircloth of the Star Tribune for “Minnesota cannabis director steps down after one day amid report she sold illegal products” and other stories
1E. Investigative Reporting (small)
1. Stewart Chisham of the Globe of Worthington for “District 518 superintendent’s actions leave students, staff feeling unsafe and unwelcome” and other stories
2. John Ramos and Mark A. Baker of the Duluth Monitor for “Absent enforcement, illegal vacation rentals proliferate in Duluth”
1F. Business News Reporting (big)
1. Susan Du of the Star Tribune for “Rewilding Minnehaha: A decadelong plan to repair the degraded creek begins to pay off”
2. Max Nesterak of the Minnesota Reformer for reporting on FirstService’s restrictive labor practices
3. Alfonzo Galvan of Sahan Journal for “Former Sears building’s new owner breaks silence on its potential future” and other stories
1F. Business News Reporting (small)
1. Brianna Kelly and Nancy Kuehn of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal for “Are You There, Target?”
2. Ethan Nelson of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal for “Reality Check: A new way to measure CEO pay brings some surprises”
3. Tim Krohn of the Mankato Free Press for “Rural counties gaining back population” and other stories
1G. Business Feature Reporting (big)
1. Kavita Kumar of the Star Tribune for coverage of the economy and banking
2. Molly Guthrey of the Pioneer Press for “During the pandemic, one St. Paul family took on a very big project: They bought a resort.”
3. Frederick Melo of the Pioneer Press for “While calling for more workers downtown, public sector goes remote” and other stories
1G. Business Feature Reporting (small)
1. Dan Niepow of Twin Cities Business for “Troubling Vital Signs for Bright Health” and other stories
1H. Politics/government reporting (big)
1. Deena Winter of the Minnesota Reformer for “About half the people indicted in Feeding Our Future fraud had other state contracts” and other stories
2. Michelle Griffith of the Minnesota Reformer for coverage of the Capitol
3. Briana Bierschbach, Ryan Faircloth, Rochelle Olson and Jessie Van Berkel of the Star Tribune for coverage of “Minnesota’s historic year of change, consequences”
1H. Politics/government reporting (small)
1.Mark Fischenich of the Mankato Free Press for “Painful property tax hike ahead for apartments — and likely their tenants” and other stories
2. Brian Arola of the Mankato Free Press for “CADA looks to Llegislature for first funding increase in eight years” and other stories
1I. Best Interview (big)
1. Kavita Kumar of the Star Tribune for “Grocery shopping with Minneapolis Federal Reserve president: ‘It’s sticker shock’”
2. Nina Moini and Kaila White of MPR News for “ChangeMakers: Davin Sokup is first trans man elected to office in greater Minnesota”
3. Sheree Curry of USA TODAY for “Who is Ben Crump? ‘Black America’s attorney general’ on justice, equality and accountability” and “Alan Page’s next chapter: An NFL star, a high court justice and an education advocate”
1I. Best Interview (small)
1. Keith Harris of Racket for “My Teen Niece Helps Explain the Taylor Swift Show I Saw on Saturday”
2. Steve Lange of Rochester Magazine for interviews with Armin Budimlic, Jessalyn Finch and Jon Kittleson
3. Julian Green of Carbon Sound for “Essjay TheAfrocentricRatchet in the Lab With Carbon Sound”
1J. Columns (big)
1. Laura Yuen of the Star Tribune for “‘Ricky Lake swims every day — ‘sun, winds, snow or rain, light or dark’” and other columns
2. Lisa Meyers McClintick of Project Optimist for “Drawn by Nature” columns
3. Harry Colbert Jr. of MinnPost for “Changing the color of police doesn’t change the culture of policing” and other columns
1J. Columns (small)
1. Steve Lange of Rochester Magazine for “4,208 miles away. For one year” and other columns
2. Adam Platt of Twin Cities Business for assorted “Media Matters” columns
3. Nell Musolf of the Mankato Free Press for “I hope my doctor doesn’t read this; those ‘aggressive lifestyle changes’ didn’t happen” and other columns
1K. Editorials (big)
1. Zak Yudhishthu and Joe Harrington of the Minnesota Reformer for editorials on how local laws affect housing affordability
2. Patricia Lopez, Noor Adwan, David Banks and Elena Neuzil of the Star Tribune for “Systemic insecurity: Saving the Twin Cities’ light rail”
1K. Editorials (small)
1. Joe Spear of the Mankato Free Press for “Our View: Long-term care needs critical investment” and other editorials
1L. Headlines (big)
1. Catherine Preus of the Star Tribune for “Mocking bird nests,” The life of a gun” and “Fighting fire with fire could protect BWCA”
2. Kevin Cusick of the Pioneer Press for “One swine day,” “Purple hazing” and “Returnabout”
3. Staff of MinnPost for “What does Minnesota’s Legal Marijuana Now Party do … now?” and other politics headlines
1L. Headlines (small)
1. Stuart Sudak and Juliana Allen of Eden Prairie Local News for “Snow way! ‘Mount Eden Prairie’ becomes a viral sensation,” “Goodbye to a good boy: Mac the therapy dog led a life of service” and “Ear-to-ear smiles at Corn Feed”
1M. Arts & Entertainment Reporting (big)
1. Alex V. Cipolle of MPR News for “How to build a legacy: The late artist Jim Denomie at Mia and beyond” and other stories
2. Marla Khan-Schwartz of the Current for “If music is emotional, then Theo Langason probably loves it” and “Honoring and remembering George Floyd with music”
3. Ali Elabbady of the Current for “21 years ago, rapper Eyedea showed the world ‘Oliver Hart’” and “This YouTube channel unearths raw footage of ’90s Midwest punk”
1M. Arts & Entertainment Reporting (small)
1. Fatima Rahman of Carbon Sound for “Celebrating 25 years of techno parties and raves with Intellephunk” and other stories
2. Robb Murray of the Mankato Free Press for “Mankato West choir student earns invites to All-State, ACDA events” and other stories
3. Keith Harris of Racket for “Is Touring Even Worth It?”
1N. A&E/Culture Criticism/Reviews (big)
1. Max Sparber of MPR News for “From sea to scene: Allan Sekula’s ‘Fish Story’ at the Walker” and other stories
2. Neal Justin of the Star Tribune for “Why Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld is the king of late-night TV” and other stories
3. Luke Taylor of the Current for “Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band go the distance in St. Paul” and “‘Running With Our Eyes Closed’ offers unfettered look at Jason Isbell”
1N. A&E/Culture Criticism/Reviews (small)
1. Keith Harris of Racket for “I Saw 30 Concerts in 30 Days”
2. Fatima Rahman of Carbon Sound for “Blu Bone enraptures the crowd at the Hi Cotton Ball” and other stories
1O. Sports News Reporting (big)
1. Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune for coverage of the Minnesota Vikings
2. Susan Du of the Star Tribune for “Parents of Minneapolis girls softball players call foul, prompting federal Title IX investigation”
1P. Sports Feature Reporting (big)
1. Heather Rule of Minnesota Hockey Magazine for coverage of girls’ and women’s hockey
2. Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press for “From Cameroon to the Vikings, it’s been an ‘incredible’ journey for William Kwenkeu” and other stories
3. Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune for “Brian Flores brings his fight to the Vikings” and other stories
1P. Sports Feature Reporting (small)
1. Chad Courrier of the Mankato Free Press for “Schreiber recovering from serious brain injury” and other stories
2. Mark Fischenich of the Mankato Free Press for “‘This time, it’s for the girls’”
3. Kevin Dudley of the Mankato Free Press for “Gustavus women’s hockey team staying together in wake of tragedy” and other stories
1Q. Best Magazine Cover
1. Troy Becker, Mollie Burlingame and Steve Lange of Rochester Magazine for December 2023 issue
2. John Mau and Pete Winecke of University of St. Thomas Magazine for summer 2023 issue
3. Mike Novak and Mike Norseng of Twin Cities Business for “StartMN” fall 2023 issue
1R. Best Website
2. Star Tribune
3. Racket
1S. Best Social Media Account
1. Sam Stroozas of MPR News for MPR News Instagram
2. Staff of the Star Tribune for Star Tribune Instagram
3. Kaila White of MPR News for MPR News TikTok
1T. Newsletter
1. Torey Van Oot, Nick Halter and Audrey Kennedy of Axios for “Axios Twin Cities”
2. Matt DeLong of the Star Tribune for “Nuggets”
2A. Breaking News Reporting
1. Kelsey Christensen of KSTP for coverage of a train derailment in Raymond
2B. Feature Reporting
1. Heidi Wigdahl of KARE 11 for “After fleeing war in Ukraine, kindergartners find advocate in recent U of M grad” and other stories
2. Jennifer Mayerle, Arthur Phillips and Mike Durenberger of WCCO for “A Piece of History”
3. Jonah Kaplan and Dave Chaney of WCCO for “Power of Place”
2C. Enterprise/In-depth Reporting
1. Jennifer Mayerle, Grant Verdon, Caroline Cummings and Mike Durenberger of WCCO for “The Fentanyl Crisis”
2. Eric Rasmussen, Monty Stuempert and Joe Augustine of KSTP for “The Forfeiture Fist Bump”
3. Jonah Kaplan and Mike Durenberger of WCCO for “WCCO Investigates: Summer of Smoke”
2D. Investigative Reporting
1. Kirsten Swanson, Lee Zwiefelhofer, Joe Augustine and Ricky Campbell of KSTP for “Dead phone lines and empty offices: Mental health providers are closing and Minnesota doesn’t know”
2E. Sports News Reporting
1. Boyd Huppert, Chad Nelson, Devin Krinke and Mitchell Yehl of KARE 11 for “Skiing Double & Let’s Play Hockey”
2F. Politics/government Reporting
1. Eric Rasmussen, Lee Zwiefelhofer and Joe Augustine of KSTP for “Trainwrecked”
2G. Best Interview
1. Georgia Fort of BLCK Press for her interview with Soledad O’Brien
2. Heidi Wigdahl and Devin Krinke of KARE 11 for “Suvanna’s story”
3. Amanda Anderson of the Star Tribune for “How Star Tribune’s Artist of the Year Regina Marie Williams made her dreams come true”
3B. Feature Reporting
1. Mathew Holding Eagle III of MPR News for “Beltrami County Historical Society pushes to return sacred Indigenous artifacts to communities”
2. Julie Censullo of KFAI for “Rudos in the ring, técnico in the community”
3. Gracie Stockton of MPR News for “MnDOT drivers are keeping Indigenous languages alive, one snowplow at a time”
3C. Enterprise/In-depth Reporting
1. Catharine Richert of MPR News for “At Shakopee prison, women grieve lost children, work toward redemption”
2. Staff of MRP News for their “Getting to Green” series
3. Mathew Holding Eagle III of MPR News for “‘Are we worth support?’: Rural Minnesota papers face challenges, community loses”
3E. Podcast
1. Matthew Brown and Staci Drouillard of WTIP for “It Happens Here”
2. Tony Williams, Kira Schukar, Emily Haavik and Julie Censullo of KFAI for “MinneCulture”
3. Matthew Brown, Joe Friedrichs and M. Baxley of WTIP for “Episode 90 WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast”
3F. Politics/government Reporting
1. Elizabeth Shockman and Dana Ferguson of MPR News for coverage of Minnesota school board elections
2. Dana Ferguson of MPR News for coverage of the Capitol
3. Cathy Wurzer, Gracie Stockton, Lukas Levin and Gretchen Brown of MPR News for “Unity or challenge? Lead-up to Dean Phillips’ presidential bid”
3G. Best Interview
1. Cathy Wurzer and Gretchen Brown of APM Reports/American Public Media for “Growth amid ‘ambiguous loss’: How the pandemic has changed us”
2. Staff of Lemonada Media for “George Floyd, MLK, and the Power of Discussing Race (with Keith Ellison)”
3. Gracie Stockton and Cathy Wurzer of MPR News for “U of M med student reflects on 2 months behind the front lines in Ukraine”
4A. News Photography
1. David Pierini of North News for “Family grieves at Northside park for man killed by state trooper”
2. Casey Ek of the Mankato Free Press
3. Kerem Yücel of MPR News for “Evacuation ends after train cars derail, catch fire in western Minnesota”
4B. Feature Photography
1. Erica Dischino of Project Optimist for photos of Desi Murphy
2. Azhae’la Hanson of North News for various feature photos
3. Aaron Lavinsky of the Star Tribune for “Features Portfolio”
4C. Portrait Photography
1. Amaya Peña of Carbon Sound for “Mayyadda”
2. Ben Hovland of MPR News for “13 trans and nonbinary people making an impact in the Twin Cities and beyond”
3. Aaron Lavinsky of the Star Tribune for “Portrait Portfolio”
4D. Sports Photography
1. Jeremy Peyer of Eden Prairie Local News for “Basketball, Fans and Softball”
2. Casey Ek of the Mankato Free Press
3. Rick Olson of Eden Prairie Local News for “Football and Basketball”
4E. Infographic/Data Visualization
1. MaryJo Webster, Jake Steinberg, Yuqing Liu and C.J. Sinner of the Star Tribune for “New census data details diversity in Minnesota’s population”
2. Cynthia Tu, Andrew Hazzard and Chao Xiong of Sahan Journal for “Minneapolis will distribute $8 million to help residents with ash tree removal. But there’s no relief for homeowners who’ve already had trees condemned.”
3. C.J. Sinner and Anna Boone of the Star Tribune for “What ‘surprise songs’ will Taylor Swift play in Minneapolis this weekend? We try to take an (educated) guess.”
4F. Illustration
1. Mary Radford of the Current for “Music Venue Accessibility”
2. Josh Jones of the Star Tribune for “The Year of the Pickle”
3. Jose Dominguez of the Current for “89 Days of Summer 2023”
4G. Page Design
1. Staff of the Star Tribune for “What happened to Heather Mayer?”
2. Bryan Brussee, Josh Jones and Yuqing Liu of the Star Tribune for “The life of a gun”
3. John Mau and Pete Winecke of University of St. Thomas Magazine for “The Path They Chose/He’s All In”