The Chicago Headline Club, one of the largest Society of Professional Journalists chapters in the country, presented the winners of its 2016 Lisagor Awards at its annual awards dinner tonight before nearly 300 people at the Union League Club of Chicago. The awards recognize the best of Chicago journalism and are named for Peter Lisagor, the Chicago Daily News’ Washington bureau chief from 1959 to 1976.
Veteran journalists Robert H. Jordan Jr. and Mary Schmich received Lifetime Achievement Awards. Jordan worked for more than 40 years at WGN-TV and most recently, he had been anchor for the weekend edition of WGN News at Nine. He joined WGN-TV as a general assignment reporter in March 1973. Five years later, Jordan moved to the CBS News Midwest Bureau in Chicago, covering stories in the Midwest for the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. He returned to WGN-TV in 1980.
Schmich has worked for the Chicago Tribune since 1985. Briefly a features writer, she then spent five years as a national correspondent based in Atlanta. She has written a column since 1992. She writes three times a week, mostly about Chicago but also about life at large. She has been a Nieman Fellow at Harvard. Before being honored with the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary, she was a Pulitzer finalist for both features and commentary. From 1985 through 2010, she wrote the Brenda Starr comic strip.
The 2016 Anne Keegan Award was presented to Vikki Ortiz Healy from the Chicago Tribune. Ortiz Healy is a general assignment Metro reporter and Health & Family columnist. She specializes in human interest stories about family trends, special needs and remarkable people in everyday settings.
Ortiz Healy submitted a story about a sexual assault victim who decided to help others recover, another about a child’s heart transplant, and a third about a 99-year-old Wisconsin woman reuniting with the daughter she’d given up for adoption. The three pieces captured the attention of the selection committee, noting her work made them “think of Anne’s gifted writing style, something that imbues the lives of common folks with an aspect of heroism.”
The 2016 Watchdog Award for Excellence in Public Interest Reporting went to Jamie Kalven for his story “Code of Silence,” released by The Intercept in October 2016. It is a 20,000-word, four-part investigation about two Chicago police officers who uncovered a massive criminal enterprise within the department.
Tom Corfman, a former Crain’s Chicago Business politics editor who’s now director of communications for Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, served as master of ceremonies at the dinner.
The winners in more than 100 categories, including newspapers, magazines, television, radio and digital media, were:
BEST ALL MEDIA
BEST DEADLINE REPORTING
Bloomberg Businessweek
“The Incredible Rise and Final Hours of Fracking King Aubrey McClendon”
Bryan Gruley, Joe Carroll, Asjylyn Loder
BEST INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
Chicago Tribune
“Chicago’s Cop Crisis”
Staff
BEST FEATURE STORY
Chicago magazine
“Can Jerryon Stevens Be Saved?”
Elly Fishman
BEST FEATURE SERIES
DNAinfo Chicago
“Chicago Homeless Get Left Behind”
Josh McGhee
BEST SHORT FILM DOCUMENTARY
Columbia College Chicago (Chicago Feminist Film Festival)
“Tita Turns 100”
Elio Leturia, Sebastian Huydts, A. J. Olstad, Erik Rodríguez, Mariano Rebasa, Brandon D. Wood
BEST PHOTOGRAPHY
Chicago Tribune
“At Last”
Brian Cassella
BEST MULTIMEDIA COLLABORATION
The Associated Press
“Ben’s Voice”
Martha Irvine, Roque Ruiz, Jonathan Bachman
BEST EDITORIAL CARTOON
Chicago Tribune
Scott Stantis editorial cartoons
Scott Stantis
BEST GRAPHICS
Crain’s Chicago Business
“100 Most Connected in Chicago”
Jason McGregor, Sabrina Gasulla
BEST ILLUSTRATION
Crain’s Chicago Business
“What’s a Limb Worth?”
Thomas J. Linden, Claire Bushey, Jude Buffam
BEST DATA JOUNALISM
Chicago Tribune
“Tracking 6 Years of Police Shootings”
Jennifer Smith Richards, Angela Caputo, Jason Meisner, Todd Lighty, Jeff Coen
GENERAL INTEREST
DAILY NEWSPAPER, NEWS SERVICE OR BUREAU
BEST DEADLINE REPORTING (circulation more than 100,000)
Chicago Tribune
“Deadliest Day in 13 Years”
Patrick O’Connell, Alexandra Chachkevitch, Peter Nickeas, Lolly Bowean
BEST DEADLINE REPORTING (circulation less than 100,000)
The Times of Northwest Indiana
“Lake County sheriff, No. 2 indicted on bribery charges; Portage mayor indicted separately for bribery in related scheme same day”
Bill Dolan, Joyce Russell
BEST NON-DEADLINE REPORTING (circulation more than 100,000)
Chicago Tribune
“How Aroldis Chapman left Cuba”
Jodi S. Cohen, Stacy St. Clair
BEST NON-DEADLINE REPORTING (circulation less than 100,000)
Daily Southtown
“Township Spending Draws Scrutiny”
Gregory Pratt
BEST INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING (circulation more than 100,000)
Chicago Tribune
“Chicago’s Cop Crisis”
Staff
BEST INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING (circulation less than 100,000)
Daily Southtown
“Lincoln-Way Investigation”
Gregory Pratt
BEST POLITICAL AND GOVERNMENT REPORTING (circulation more than 100,000)
Chicago Sun-Times
“Beyond the Rubble: Life After the CHA Upheaval”
Tim Novak, Chris Fusco, Mick Dumke, Brett Chase, Darnell Little
BEST POLITICAL AND GOVERNMENT REPORTING (circulation less than 100,000)
The Daily Herald
“Kane County Government Officials’ Spending”
Jim Fuller
BEST EDUCATION REPORTING (circulation more than 100,000)
Chicago Sun-Times
“UNO’s Secret Spending Spree”
Dan Mihalopoulos
BEST EDUCATION REPORTING (circulation less than 100,000)
Daily Herald
“Struggle and Success in East Aurora Schools”
Melissa Silverberg
BEST SCIENCE, HEALTH, TECHNOLOGY OR
ENVIRONMENT REPORTING (circulation more than 100,000)
Chicago Tribune
“The Price of Pork”
David Jackson, Gary Marx, Stacey Wescott, Jemal Brinson
BEST SCIENCE, HEALTH, TECHNOLOGY OR
ENVIRONMENT REPORTING (circulation less than 100,000)
The Times of Northwest Indiana
“Dealing with Opioid Addiction in the Region”
Giles Bruce
BEST NEWS COLUMN OR COMMENTARY (circulation more than 100,000)
Chicago Tribune
“Mary Schmich”
BEST NEWS COLUMN OR COMMENTARY (circulation less than 100,000)
The Beacon-News
“Denise Crosby Columns”
Denise Crosby
BEST EDITORIAL WRITING (circulation more than 100,000)
Chicago Tribune
Editorials advocating for police reforms
Marie Dillon
BEST EDITORIAL WRITING (circulation less than 100,000)
The Daily Herald
The 2016 Presidential Election
John Lampinen
BEST BUSINESS OR CONSUMER REPORTING (circulation more than 100,000)
Bloomberg News
“Food Fraud: From Toxic Shrimp to Parmesan Wood”
Lydia Mulvany, Monte Reel, Jason Gale, Zeke Faux
BEST BUSINESS OR CONSUMER REPORTING (circulation less than 100,000)
The Times of Northwest Indiana
“Ex NiSource Execs Net Lucrative Golden Parachutes, Options”
Keith Benman
BEST FEATURE STORY (circulation more than 100,000)
Bloomberg News
“The Fake Factory That Pumped Out Real Money”
Mario Parker, Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Bryan Gruley
BEST FEATURE SERIES (circulation more than 100,000)
Chicago Tribune
“Cubs mania”
Kathy Bergen, Patrick O’Connell, Ted Gregory, Marwa Eltagouri, William Lee, Tony Briscoe
BEST FEATURE STORY OR SERIES (circulation less than 100,000)
Naperville Sun
“Little-known Murder Registry Raises Questions of Public Safety, Privacy”
Bill Bird, Hannah Leone, Gloria Casas, Denise Crosby
BEST ARTS REPORTING AND CRITICISM (circulation
less than 100,000)
The Times of Northwest Indiana
“Rebirth of the Star Plaza Theatre”
Joseph S. Pete
BEST ARTS REPORTING AND CRITICISM (circulation more than 100,000)
Chicago Sun-Times
“Art & Soul”
Stefano Esposito
BEST SPORTS STORY
(circulation more than 100,000)
Chicago Tribune
“Olympics So Near Yet So Far From Rio Favelas”
Stacy St. Clair
BEST SPORTS STORY (circulation less than 100,000)
The Daily Herald
“The Greatest Gifts”
John Dietz
BEST SPORTS COMMENTARY (circulation more than 100,000)
Chicago Sun-Times
“3 Sports Columns by Rick Morrissey”
Rick Morrissey
BEST SPORTS COMMENTARY (circulation less than 100,000)
The Daily Herald
“Barry Rozner Columns”
Barry Rozner
BEST NEWS PHOTO
(circulation more than 100,000)
Chicago Tribune
“Seeking Comfort”
Abel Uribe
BEST NEWS PHOTO
(circulation less than 100,000)
The Daily Herald
“Surrounded”
Mark Welsh
BEST FEATURE PHOTO
(circulation more than 100,000)
Chicago Tribune
“Medical Marijuana in Joliet”
Stacey Wescott
BEST FEATURE PHOTO
(circulation less than 100,000)
The Courier-News
“Sledding”
Brian O’Mahoney
BEST SPORTS PHOTO (circulation more than 100,000)
Chicago Tribune
“At Last!”
Brian Cassella
BEST SPORTS PHOTO (circulation less than 100,000)
Daily Southtown
“Avoiding the Tag”
Brian O’Mahoney
BEST DESIGN (circulation more than 100,000)
Splash/Chicago Tribune
”Men”
Jessica Sedgwick
BEST DESIGN (circulation less than 100,000)
The Daily Herald
“Don Friske Designs”
Don Friske
BEST TECHNOLOGY REPORTING (circulation more than 100,000)
Bloomberg News
“Secret Cameras Record Baltimore’s Every Move From Above”
Monte Reel
BEST TECHNOLOGY REPORTING (circulation less than 100,000)
The Times of Northwest Indiana
“Beyond Steel: High-tech Manufacturing”
Joseph S. Pete
BEST EXCELLENCE IN PRINT JOURNALISM (circulation less than 100,000)
The Daily Herald
NON-DAILY NEWSPAPER, MAGAZINE OR NEWSPAPER MAGAZINE
BEST IN-DEPTH REPORTING IN A GENERAL-INTEREST PUBLICATION
Chicago Reader
“The CHA’s Supervoucher Program:
A Desegregation Strategy that Never Was”
Maya Dukmasova, Meribah Knight
BEST POLITICAL REPORTING IN NEWSPAPER OR MAGAZINE
Chicago magazine
“The Rahm Whisperer”
Carol Felsenthal
BEST EDUCATION REPORTING IN NEWSPAPER OR MAGAZINE
Catalyst Chicago
“The Digital Divide”
Kalyn Belsha, Melissa Sanchez
BEST ARTS REPORTING AND CRITICISM
Chicago Reader
“At Profiles Theatre the drama—and abuse—is real”
Aimee Levitt, Christopher Piatt, Robin Amer
BEST SPORTS STORY
The DePaulia
“Payment day: University funds for arena due next month”
DePaulia Investigation
BEST PHOTOGRAPHY
Chicago magazine
“Rites of Passage”
Alyssa Schukar
BEST DESIGN
Chicago magazine
“Jacqueline Cantu”
Jacqueline Cantu
BEST ILLUSTRATION
Chicago Reader
”Can a lawsuit deliver justice after a fatal police shooting?,” “UNO’s records-request dodge was artless but other charter schools may try the same move;” “Emanuel lobbied feds to approve airline merger, pocketed $53,000 campaign contribution”
Bobby Simms
GENERAL EXCELLENCE IN PRINT JOURNALISM
CHICAGOLY
BEST IN-DEPTH REPORTING IN A COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
City Bureau, South Side Weekly
“Living With Lead”
Timna Axel, Bettina Chang, Darryl Holliday, Enrique Perez, Nissa Rhee, Staff
BEST IN-DEPTH REPORTING
IN A BUSINESS MAGAZINE
OR NEWSPAPER
Chicago Lawyer
“LaSalle Bounty: How a Prosecutor’s Police Force Turned A Highway Into a Payday”
Roy Strom
BEST IN-DEPTH REPORTING IN A MAGAZINE OR MAGAZINE SECTION
Bloomberg Businessweek
“Food Fraud: From Toxic Shrimp to Parmesan Wood”
Monte Reel, Lydia Mulvany, Jason Gale, Zeke Faux
BEST NEWS COLUMN OR COMMENTARY
Chicago Reader
“On Identity & Culture” column
Derrick Clifton
BEST EDITORIAL WRITING
Evanston RoundTable
“School District 202 (Evanston Township High School) Should Adopt Higher Benchmarks for College Readiness”
Larry Gavin
BEST BUSINESS REPORTING
Chicago magazine
“The Man with His Head in the Clouds”
Tom Chiarella
BEST FEATURE STORY OR SERIES
Chicago Health magazine
“Needles in the Cornfields: Heroin Deaths are Rising As State-Funded Treatment Falls in Illinois”
Kate Silver
BEST NON-DEADLINE REPORTING IN NEWSPAPER OR MAGAZINE
Sports Illustrated
“The Refrigerator’s Stubborn Spiral”
Rick Telander
SPECIALTY/TRADE
BEST DEADLINE REPORT
Bloomberg News
“Trump in Chicago”
John McCormick, Mario Parker, Tim Jones, Megan Durisin
BEST IN-DEPTH REPORT OR SERIES
Mechanical Engineering magazine
“Disrupting the Grid”
Kari Lydersen, Dan Ferber, Frank Famularo
BEST COMMENTARY
Hospitals & Health Networks
“The Future of Emergency Care”
Ian Morrison
BEST BUSINESS OR CONSUMER REPORTING
Bloomberg News
“America’s Changing Tastes”
Leslie Patton, Lydia Mulvany, Megan Durisin
BEST FEATURE STORY OR SERIES
Hospitals & Health Networks
“The Opioid Epidemic”
Marty Stempniak
BEST DESIGN
ABA Journal
Bob Fernandez
BROADCAST: RADIO
BEST BREAKING NEWS STORY
WGN Radio AM 720
“Donald Trump’s UIC Pavilion Rally Canceled”
Roe Conn, Anna Davlantes, Ryan Burrow, Patti Vasquez, Richard Roeper
BEST SPORTS STORY
NPR (National Public Radio)
“Chicago Cubs Fans Celebrate First World Series Win in 108 years”
Cheryl Corley
BEST IN-DEPTH
NEWS STORY OR SERIES
WBEZ
“Caught In The Middle”
Staff
BEST INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
WBEZ
“Police Data Cast Doubt On Chicago-Style Stop-And-Frisk”
Chip Mitchell
BEST REPORTER
WBEZ
Chip Mitchell
BEST FEATURE REPORTING
WBEZ
“Sudden Move: Father and Son Join Rising Number of Forced Evictions in Cook County”
Patrick Smith
BEST PUBLIC AFFAIRS PROGRAMMING
WBEZ
“Heat of the Moment”
Staff
BEST BUSINESS OR CONSUMER REPORTING
WGN Radio AM 720
“Steve Bertrand Bites into the Business of Cranberries”
Steven Bertrand, Michael Heidemann
BEST HEALTH OR SCIENCE REPORTING
WBEZ
“Excruciating Choice: Trading Parental Custody for Mental Health Care”
Shannon Heffernan
BROADCAST: TELEVISION
BEST SPOT NEWS STORY
NBC 5 Chicago – WMAQ-TV
“Trump: The Chicago Rally”
Staff
BEST IN-DEPTH
NEWS STORY OR SERIES
NBC5 Chicago and Telemundo Chicago
“Deadly Pursuit / Persecuciones Mortales”
Staff
BEST BUSINESS
OR CONSUMER REPORTING
NBC5 Chicago
“NBC 5 Responds”
Lisa Parker, Robin Green, Ronald Zachara
BEST HEALTH OR SCIENCE REPORTING
Univision Chicago
“Heroin Crisis Coverage”
Jessica Fernandez, Enrique Rodriguez, Felipe Martinez, Staff
BEST NEWS SPECIALTY/ARTS/ CULTURE/ENTERTAINMENT NEWS (feature or series)
WLS-TV
“Weekender”
Roz Varon, Michael O’Reilley
BEST NEWS SPECIALTY/ BUSINESS/CONSUMER NEWS (feature or series)
NBC5 Chicago
“Furniture Fiasco Series”
Lisa Parker, Robin Green, Ronald Zachara
BEST INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
NBC5 Chicago
“Code of Silence”
Phil Rogers, Katy Smyser, Courtney Copenhagen, Rich Moy, Zach Christman, Julio Martinez
BEST ON-CAMERA TALENT
WBBM-TV2
Jeremy Ross
BEST FEATURE NEWS REPORT
The Associated Press
“Young Shooting Victim Won’t Let Injury Stop Him”
Martha Irvine
BEST PUBLIC AFFAIRS PROGRAMMING
WGN-TV
“The Evolution of Protest”
Yolanda Joe, Tonya Francisco, Vicky Thomas
BEST NEWS SPECIALTY/CRIME NEWS
WLS-TV
“The Legacy of Laquan McDonald”
Leah Hope, Joe Imbrogno, Mahreon Dartise Johnson, John Silvey, Sarah Burke, Jamie Zahn
BEST NEWS SPECIALTY/EDUCATION/SCHOOLS NEWS
WTTW-11
“Education Funding Reform in Illinois”
Brandis Friedman
BEST NEWS SPECIALTY/ENVIRONMENT NEWS
NBC5 Chicago
“Cell Towers at School”
Phil Rogers, Katy Smyser, Rich Moy, Nathan Halder, Raza Siddiqui, Julio Martinez
BEST NEWS SPECIALTY/HEALTH/SCIENCE NEWS
NBC5 Chicago
“Burn Notice”
Lisa Parker, Robin Green, Mark Ringo, Richard Moy
BEST NEWS SPECIALTY/HUMAN INTEREST
Univision Chicago
“El Paletero”
Staff
BEST NEWS SPECIALTY/POLITICS/ GOVERNMENT NEWS
Univision Chicago
“Politifact”
Teri Arvesu, Mariano Gielis, Jose Aguilar, Ivan Garcia, Diego Guirado, Politifact Staff
BEST NEWS SPECIALTY/RELIGIOUS
Univision Chicago
“Pope in Mexico Coverage”
Jessica Fernandez, Enrique Rodriguez, Jorge Rodas
BEST VIDEO JOURNALIST
The Associated Press
“Ben’s Voice”
Martha Irvine
ONLINE
BEST MULTIMEDIA FEATURE PRESENTATION
The Associated Press
“Beyond the Bullet”
Sharon Cohen, Martha Irvine, Charles Rex Arbogast
BEST BREAKING NEWS STORY
Chicago Tribune
“Memorial Day Violence”
Staff
BEST NEIGHBORHOOD/COMMUNITY NEWS
DNAinfo Chicago
BEST BUSINESS OR CONSUMER REPORTING
Bloomberg Businessweek
“The Fake Factory That Pumped Out Real Money”
Mario Parker, Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Bryan Gruley
BEST FEATURE STORY OR SERIES
Chicago Sun-Times
“Life on a Ledge”
Frank Main
BEST INVESTIGATIVE/PUBLIC SERVICE REPORTING
Better Government Association and The Sun-Times
“Pension and Payroll in Illinois” series
Staff
BEST USE OF NEWS VIDEO
The Medill Justice Project
“Death Denied: Sword of Damocles”
Allisha Azlan
BEST USE OF FEATURES VIDEO
The Associated Press
“Ben’s Voice”
Martha Irvine, Roque Ruiz
BEST USE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
DNAinfo Chicago
“DNAinfo Chicago’s Train Seating Series”
Tanveer Ali
GENERAL EXCELLENCE IN ONLINE JOURNALISM
Chicago Tribune
BEST NEWS WEB SITE
Chicago Tribune
BEST PHOTO
DNAinfo Chicago
“Veterans Volunteer for Vietnam War Memorial”
Kelly Bauer
BEST NEW PODCAST
The Medill Justice Project
“Death Denied: Episodes Four, Five and Epilogue”
Fallon Schlossman
BEST PODCAST
ABAJournal.com
“The Modern Law Library”
Lee Rawles
BEST PODCAST SINGLE EPISODE
The Medill Justice Project and Life of the Law
“Shaken”
Staff
BEST INDIVIDUAL BLOG POST (independent)
illinoispolicy.org
Austin Berg
BEST INDIVIDUAL BLOG (affiliated)
illinoispolicy.org
Austin Berg
BEST CONTINUING BLOG (independent)
Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists
“Ethics On Call”
Casey Bukro
BEST CONTINUING BLOG (affiliated)
Better Government Association
“Investigator’s Notebook”
Jared Rutecki, Casey Toner, Katie Drews
BEST DEADLINE REPORTING
Chicago Tribune
“Family found slain in Gage Park home”
Lolly Bowean, Tony Briscoe, Peter Nickeas, Jeremy Gorner, Annie Sweeney, Liam Ford
BEST NON-DEADLINE REPORTING
Bloomberg Businessweek
“Djibouti is Hot: How a Forgotten Sandlot of a Country Became a Hub of International Power Games”
Monte Reel
BEST SERIES (non-deadline reporting)
Injustice Watch
“Unequal Treatment”
Staff
About the Chicago Headline Club
The Chicago Headline Club, one of the largest Society of Professional Journalists chapters in the country, established the Peter Lisagor Awards in 1977 to inspire Chicago-area journalists to follow Lisagor’s outstanding example and to recognize truly superior contributions to journalism. Lisagor, the Chicago Daily News’ Washington bureau chief from 1959 to 1976, was one of the nation’s most respected and best-known journalists.