We received over 900 entries for the 2019 Peter Lisagor Awards, and a panel of judges from an impartial SPJ chapter outside Illinois has selected a few as the finalists. You can find a complete listing sorted by category below.
Spanning all mediums including print, radio, television and digital, they represent some of the best journalism produced throughout the region last year. We saw a lot of amazing work this year, and thanks to everyone who entered.
Although the Lisagors banquet is cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ll have a virtual celebration and video to accompany the announcement of winners in May. Everyone will still get plaques, and we’ll send details next month.
We’d also like to announce the finalists for our 2019 Watchdog Award:
Pro Publica Illinois & Chicago Tribune, “The Quiet Rooms”
WBBM TV, “Unwarranted”
Pro Publica Illinois, “You’re Destroying Families”
The Watchdog Award honors Chicago-area news reporting that calls attention to situations in which the public is being armed or poorly served. The winner of this award will be announced at the same time as the Lisagors winners.
Good luck to everyone!
CATEGORIES
BEST ALL MEDIA
GENERAL INTEREST DAILY NEWSPAPER, NEWS SERVICE OR BUREAU
NON-DAILY NEWSPAPER, MAGAZINE OR NEWSPAPER MAGAZINE
BROADCAST: TELEVISION
BROADCAST: RADIO
SPECIALTY/TRADE
ONLINE
BEST ALL MEDIA
Best Deadline Reporting
Block Club, “Yes, There’s an Alligator Living in The Humboldt Park Lagoon; And Chicago Is Cheering It On,” Mina Bloom
Chicago Tribune and Aurora Beacon-News, “Aurora shooting: How a deadly encounter exposes Illinois’ failure to remove guns from people barred from having them,” Staff
The Times of Northwest Indiana, “Video shows calves being body slammed, smacked with objects at Fair Oaks Farms,” Olivia Heersink and Anna Ortiz
Best Investigative Reporting
Chicago Tribune, “Chicago police kept secret dossiers on public speakers,” Jeremy Gorner and Gregory Pratt
Chicago Sun-Times, “GI Bill failures, broken promises,” Stephanie Zimmermann
Chicago Tribune, Speaker Madigan Stories, Ray Long, Jason Meisner and Gregory Pratt
Best Feature Story
Chicago Sun-Times, “Where’s Bob?,” Neil Steinberg
Chicago Tribune, “Meet the people working to kick Chicago out of Illinois,” Cindy Dampier
Chicago Sun-Times, “A town’s pride,” Ashlee Rezin Garcia and Lauren FitzPatrick
Best Feature Series
Chicago Tribune, “No Home for a Child,” the untold story of AJ Freund’s tragically short life,” Christy Gutowski
WBEZ Chicago, Comedy Central, “South Side Stories,” Staff
Block Club, “The Real Green Book: In Chicago, The Famous Directory for Black Motorists Pointed to Bronzeville,” Patty Wetli
Best Short Film Documentary
WBBM-TV Chicago, “What Happened to the Chicago Mob?, Jim Williams, Edward Marshall and Cornelius Mack
The Associated Press, “Reclaiming Chicago Lawn,“ Martha Irvine and Emily Leshner
Chicago Sun-Times, “A town’s pride,” Ashlee Rezin Garcia and Lauren FitzPatrick
Best Photography
The Associated Press, “Reclaiming Chicago Lawn,” Martha Irvine
City Bureau / Chicago Magazine, “Birthworkers are on the Front Lines of Chicago’s Maternal Health Crisis,” Caroline Olsen
Crain’s Chicago Business, “40 Under 40,” Steve Serio and John Boehm
Best Multimedia Collaboration
Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ Chicago, “Motive,” Frank Main and Colin McNulty
Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois, “The Quiet Rooms,” Staff
WBEZ Chicago, Comedy Central, “South Side Stories,” Staff
Best Graphics
Crain’s Chicago Business. “Forum,” Hugh Dellios, Jason McGregor and Claire Bushey
ProPublica Illinois, “Map Graphic: Video Gambling Has Exploded in Illinois, but Promises of a Financial Windfall Have Come Up Short,” David Eads and Katlyn Alo
Chicago Tribune, “Seclusion and Restraint,” Jonathon Berlin, Jemal R. Brinson, Nausheen Husain and Mark Friesen
Best Illustration
Borderless Magazine, “The Promise,” Sarah Conway, Alex Hernandez, Jon Brown
WBEZ, “Rats! The Science and Stories Behind Chicago’s Most Unwanted Pests,” Katherine Nagasawa, Paula Friedrich, Jesse Dukes, Ellie Mejía
for ProPublica Illinois, co-published by the Chicago Sun-Times, “You’re Destroying Families,” Lydia Fu
Best Data Journalism
Chicago Tribune and Aurora Beacon-News, “More than 34,000 Illinoisans have lost their right to own a gun. Nearly 80% may still be armed.,” Annie Sweeney, Stacy St. Clair, Cecilia Reyes and Sarah Freishtat
Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois, ”The Quiet Rooms,” Staffs
Chicago Tribune, “Will your town benefit from Illinois’s $45 billion infrastructure plan? Search our database,” Jonathon Berlin, Kori Rumore and Meghan Kelly
GENERAL INTEREST DAILY NEWSPAPER, NEWS SERVICE OR BUREAU
Best Deadline Reporting, circulation more than 100,000
Chicago Tribune, “The death of AJ Freund,” Angie Leventis, Bob McCoppin, John Keilman, Jeff Coen, Amanda Marrazzo and Stacy Wescott
Chicago Tribune, “The slaying of Marlen Ochoa Lopez,” Staff
Chicago Tribune and Aurora Beacon-News, “Henry Pratt mass shooting: A deadly encounter exposes Illinois’ gun revocation failures,” Staff
Best Deadline Reporting, circulation less than 100,000
The Daily Herald, “Man Drives SUV Through Woodfield Mall,” Elena Ferrarin, Eric Peterson, Madhu Krishnamurthy, Marni Pyke and Steve Zalusky
The Daily Herald, “Parents Charged with Killing AJ,” Jake Griffin, Mick Zawislak and Bob Susnjara
The Daily Herald, “Workplace Killings in Aurora,” Staff
Best Investigative Reporting, circulation less than 100,000
The Times of Northwest Indiana, “’Punishing poverty: Is Indiana’s child welfare system stacked against the poor?,” Giles Bruce
The Daily Herald, “Suburban Tax Watchdog,” Jake Griffin
Best Political and Government Reporting, circulation more than 100,000
Chicago Tribune, “The Presidential Election of 2020: A serial view from the Midwest,” Bill Ruthhart
Chicago Sun-Times, “GI Bill failures, broken promises,” Stephanie Zimmermann
Chicago Sun-Times, “Corruption in Chicago,” Jon Seidel, Fran Spielman, Tim Novak, Mark Brown and Tina Sfondeles
Best Political and Government Reporting, circulation less than 100,000
The Daily Herald, “The Graduated Income Tax Plan,” Jake Griffin
The Daily Line Chicago, “Kaegi promises more flexibility on next year’s tax appeals after rejecting most complaints,” Alex Nitkin
Daily Southtown, “Firms owned by Hazel Crest woman with criminal past collected $1.8 million consulting for suburbs,” Zak Koeske
Best Education Reporting, circulation more than 100,000
Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois “The Quiet Rooms,” Jennifer Smith Richards, Jodi S. Cohen and Lakeidra Chavis
Bloomberg News, “Progressive Chicago Mayor Angers Democratic Force: Teachers,” Shruti Singh
Chicago Sun-Times, “GI Bill failures, broken promises,” Stephanie Zimmermann
Best Education Reporting, circulation less than 100,000
The Daily Herald, “2019 School Report Card Coverage,” Madhu Krishnamurthy, Douglas T. Graham, Katlyn Smith, Lauren Rohr, Pete Nenni and Bob Susnjara
Best Science, Health, Technology or Environment Reporting, circulation more than 100,000
Chicago Tribune, “Climate Change: Great Lakes, High Stakes,” Tony Briscoe
The Associated Press, “Schools’ Toxic Legacy,” Tammy Webber and Martha Irvine
Bloomberg News, “The Future of Meat,” Lydia Mulvaney, Isis Almeida, Leslie Patton and Mario Parker
Best Science, Health, Technology or Environment Reporting, circulation less than 100,000
The Daily Herald, “Police study marijuana impairment and driving,” Elena Ferrarin
The Daily Herald, “In this boxing class, the fight is against Parkinson’s,” Katlyn Smith
The Daily Herald, “Sterilization chemical roils suburbs,” Mick Zawislak, Russell Lissau and Douglas T. Graham
Best News Column or Commentary, circulation more than 100,000
For the Chicago Sun-Times, “Life in the City,” John W. Fountain
Chicago Sun-Times, Neil Steinberg columns, Neil Steinberg
Chicago Tribune, “15 years after the Dave Matthews Band let loose over the Chicago River, we survey the damages and uncover a new victim,” Steve Johnson
Best News Column or Commentary, circulation less than 100,000
The Daily Herald, Burt Constable columns, Burt Constable
Chronicle Media, Irv Leavitt columns, Irv Leavitt
Daily Southtown, Ted Slowik news columns, Ted Slowik
Best Editorial Writing, circulation less than 100,000
Marc Chase, The Times of Northwest Indiana
Editorial Board, The Daily Herald
Pete Nenni, The Daily Herald
Best Business or Consumer Reporting, circulation more than 100,000
Chicago Sun-Times, “Bank failure, bank fraud,” Tim Novak, Robert Herguth
Bloomberg News, “Vanillanomics,“ Monte Reel
Chicago Sun-Times, “GI Bill failures, broken promises,” Stephanie Zimmermann
Best Business or Consumer Reporting, circulation less than 100,000
The Daily Herald, “The Business Impact of Legal Marijuana,” Elena Ferrarin and Marie Wilson
The Times of Northwest Indiana, “Parched in a retail desert, Gary businesses struggle through crime, economic challenges,” Joseph S. Pete
Crain’s Chicago Business, “Hospital series,” Stephanie Goldberg, Steve Strahler
Best Feature Story or Series, circulation more than 100,000
Chicago Tribune, “The impact of abortion laws in Illinois, the Midwest and beyond,” Angie Lourgos
Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ Chicago, “Motive,” Frank Main, Colin McNulty
Chicago Tribune, “How solitary confinement drove a young inmate to the brink of insanity,” Jeff Coen and Stacy St. Clair
Best Feature Story or Series, circulation less than 100,000
The Daily Herald, “Remembering AJ,” Lauren Rohr and Jake Griffin
The Daily Herald, “Miracle Girl,” Katlyn Smith
Crain’s Chicago Business, “Forum,” Staff
Best Arts Reporting and Criticism, circulation more than 100,000
Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune, Howard Reich Arts Criticism
Chicago Tribune, “Reviving Chicago’s architectural past,” Blair Kamin
Chicago Sun-Times, ” ‘Windy City Rehab’ falls short,” Stephanie Zimmermann, Mitch Dudek and Matthew Hendrickson
Best Arts Reporting and Criticism, circulation less than 100,000
The Daily Herald, Barbara Vitello reviews, Barbara Vitello
The Times of Northwest Indiana, “Preservationists fighting to save historic boxing gym at Gary’s North Gleason Park Pavilion,” Joseph S. Pete
The Times of Northwest Indiana, “Gary to lose a historic music venue,” Joseph S. Pete
Best Sports Story, circulation more than 100,000
Chicago Sun-Times, “Papa Bear: How dad Matt Nagy infused family into his football team,” Patrick Finley
Chicago Sun-Times, “Marquise Walker’s story: Surviving an abusive, overbearing sports father,” Michael O’Brien
Chicago Sun-Times, “Doing the write thing,” Rick Telander
Best Sports Story, circulation less than 100,000
The Daily Herald, “Whatever Happened to Peggy Kusinski?,” Barry Rozner
The Daily Herald, “How Swimming Lets Teen with Alopecia Be Herself,” Lauren Rohr
Rockford Register Star, “Call me Coach V,” Jay Taft
Best Sports Commentary, circulation more than 100,000
Chicago Sun-Times, Rick Morrissey columns, Rick Morrissey
Chicago Sun-Times, Rick Telander columns, Rick Telander
Chicago Tribune, Dan Wiederer columns, Dan Wiederer
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, “Exonerated of murder,” Brian Cassella
Chicago Tribune, “Police corruption trial,” John J. Kim
Chicago Tribune, “Vigil for teen killed,” Armando L. Sanchez
Best News Photo, circulation less than 100,000
The Daily Herald, “Grief in Aurora,” Jeff Knox
The Times of Northwest Indiana, “Crews battle warehouse fire,” John Watkins
The Daily Herald, “Honoring The Fallen,” Mark Welsh
Best Feature Photo, circulation more than 100,000
Chicago Tribune, “Electrocution survivor,” Brian Cassella
Chicago Tribune, “World Cup watch party,” John J. Kim
Chicago Sun-Times, “A century of progress but still an invisible divide,” Ashlee Rezin Garcia
Best Feature Photo, circulation less than 100,000
The Daily Herald, “Goat Milking,” Mark Welsh
The Daily Herald, ”Eyes on the Prize,” Rick West
Kale Wilk, The Times of Northwest Indiana
Best Sports Photo, circulation more than 100,000
Chicago Tribune Media Group, “No Way to Escape,” Brian O’Mahoney
Chicago Tribune, “Headstand recovery,” Jose M. Osorio,
Chicago Tribune, “Walk-off solo home run,” Chris Sweda
Best Sports Photo, circulation less than 100,000
The Daily Herald, “Muddy Consolation,” Brian Hill
The Daily Herald, “Wrestling Reflection,” John Starks
The Times of Northwest Indiana, “Safe at home plate,” Kale Wilk,
Best Design
Chicago Sun-Times, Bryan Barker designs, Bryan Barker
Daily Herald, Amanda Erd designs, Amanda Erd
Chicago Sun-Times, “The Stone cold truth,” Akiko Spencer
Best Technology Reporting
Bloomberg News, “The Gazillion-Dollar Standoff Over Two High-Frequency Trading Towers,” Nick Baker, Bryan Gruley and Kevin Miller
Chicago Tribune, “As abortion opposition rallies, some activists are taking aim at in vitro fertilization, frozen embryos,” Angie Leventis Lourgos
Chicago Tribune, “Digital home invasions,” Ally Marotti
Best Special News Section
The Daily Herald, “Be A Tourist in Your Own Backyard,” Jim Baumann and Staff
Chicago Sun-Times, “The decade in review,” Staff
The Daily Herald, “Remembering 1969,” Staff
NON-DAILY NEWSPAPER, MAGAZINE OR NEWSPAPER MAGAZINE
Best In-depth Reporting in a General-Interest Publication, Magazine or Magazine Section
Chicago Reader, “2019 Aldermanic election coverage,” Maya Dukmasova, Sujay Kumar and Anne Elizabeth Moore
Chicago Reader, “Pangea has taken thousands to eviction court. The story of an apartment empire,” Maya Dukmasova and Sujay Kumar
Bloomberg Businessweek, “The State with the Highest Suicide Rate is Short on Shrinks,” Monte Reel
Best In-depth Reporting in a Community Newspaper
Journal & Topics Newspapers, “Mayor’s Personal Trip on Village Credit Card Brings Calls for Audit,” Tom Robb
Journal & Topics Newspapers, “Anonymous Mailers Debunked,” Tom Robb
Better Government Association/Riverside Landmark, “Small Town Government, Chicago-style Politics,” Casey Toner
Best In-depth Reporting in a Business Magazine or Newspaper
ABA Journal, “Break Down: Prisons are housing mental health patients who’ve committed no crimes,” Julianne Hill
Crain’s Chicago Business, Outcome Health series, John Pletz
Bloomberg Businessweek, “Vanillanomics,” Monte Reel
Best News Column or Commentary
Des Plaines Valley News, Ray Hanania commentary, Ray Hanania
Crain’s Chicago Business, Joe Hill business commentary series, Joe Hill
Crain’s Chicago Business, Greg Hinz political column series, Greg Hinz
Best Editorial Writing
Crain’s Chicago Business, Ann Dwyer
Best Business Reporting
Chicago Reader, “Pangea has taken thousands to eviction court. The story of an apartment empire,” Maya Dukmasova and Sujay Kumar
Bloomberg Businessweek, “Vanillanomics,” Monte Reel
Crain’s Chicago Business, “How the aluminum industry’s loudest tariff cheerleader got burned,” Steve Strahler
Best Feature Story
Chicago Reader, “The big house and the picket fence,” Mari Cohen and Sujay Kumar
ABA Journal, “Lawyers, songs and money: Music that changed the law,” Victor Li
Bloomberg Businessweek, “The State with the Highest Suicide Rate is Short on Shrinks,” Monte Reel
Best Feature Series
ABA Journal, “Marked for Life,” Kevin Davis
Businessweek, “Inside Boeing’s Descent: Sacrificing Safety for Profit,” Peter Robison and Julie Johnsson
Crain’s Chicago Business, Forum series, Staff
Best Non-deadline Reporting in Newspaper or Magazine
Chicago Reader, 2019 Aldermanic election coverage, Maya Dukmasova, Sujay Kumar and Anne Elizabeth Moore
Bloomberg Businessweek, “The State with the Highest Suicide Rate is Short on Shrinks,” Monte Reel
Bloomberg Businessweek, “Vanillanomics,” Monte Reel
Best Political Reporting in Newspaper or Magazine
Crain’s Chicago Business, Hinz political reporting, Greg Hinz
ABA Journal, “Change Agents: A new wave of reform prosecutors upends the status quo,” Liane Jackson
Best Education Reporting in Newspaper or Magazine
South Side Weekly, “The Robeson Issue,” Erisa Apantaku, Olivia Obineme, Bridget Vaughn, Bridget Newsham, Lizzie Smith and Ellie Mejía
Crain’s Chicago Business, “While some small private colleges struggle, others ascend,” Lynne Marek
ABA Journal, ”Urge to merge: Difficult times for law schools have prompted several to attempt to be acquired by other schools,” Stephanie Francis Ward
Best Arts Reporting and Criticism
Chicago Reader, “How Homocore Chicago propped open the gate for queer punks,” Micco Caporale and Philip Montoro
South Side Weekly, ”A Palace for the People,” Jeanne Lieberman and Mari Cohen
Chicago Reader, “The Gospel According to Mama Lou,” F. Amanda Tugade, Geoff Stellfox and Philip Montoro
Best Sports Story
Hockey News, “The Russian Penguins: An Oral History,” Sal Barry
Pioneer Press Chicago Tribune, “We over me: A day in the life of Glenbrook North football coach Matt Purdy,” Karie Angell Luc
Windy City Gridiron of SB Nation, “Throwback: The truth about George Halas and the NFL’s ban on black players,” Jack Silverstein
Best Photography
Chicago Reader, “Angel Bat Dawid taps into the root of all black music,” Leslie Frempong, Jamie Ramsay and Philip Montoro
Crain’s Chicago Business, “Crain’s 20s,” Steve Serio and John Boehm
Chicago Reader, “The gospel according to Mama Lou,” Amanda Tugade, Geoff Stellfox and Philip Montoro
Best Design
Chicago Health Magazine, Future of Healthcare cover; Future of Healthcare story; Pain and Mental Health, Andrea Fowler
Crain’s Chicago Business, Tom Linden design work, Tom Linden
Crain’s Chicago Business, Jason McGregor’s designs, Jason McGregor
Best Special News Section
City Bureau/Austin Weekly News, “The Austin People-Powered Voter Guide,” Michael Romain, Annie Nguyen and Aaron Allen
Best Illustration
South Side Weekly, Work by Gaby Febland, Mell Montezuma and Ellen Hao
Chicago Public Square, Keith J. Taylor, breaking news cartoonist, Keith J. Taylor
Chicago Lawyer, Eugene Smith illustrations, Eugene Smith
General Excellence in Print Journalism
Crain’s Chicago Business, Staff
South Side Weekly, Staff
BROADCAST: TELEVISION
Best Spot News Story
WAND TV, “Cop shot – Lincoln standoff,” Douglas Wolfe, Joe Astrouski, Andy Barker and Morgan Schaab
Best In-depth News Story or Series
NBC5 Chicago and Telemundo Chicago, ”No Address, No Help,” Chris Coffey, Richard Moy, Katy Smyser and Hilda Gutierrez
Telemundo Chicago, “Little Village Fire: One year after (Special Reports),” Carolina Cruz, Hilda Gutierrez, Iris Berrios and Diana Maldonado
WLS-TV, “Mom Killed in Front of Sons,” Diane Pathieu and Mark Nordby
Best Investigative Report
WTTW / Chicago Tonight, “CTA Bus Driver Fired After Striking Cyclist Racked Up Overtime Pay, Was Among Agency’s Highest-Paid Drivers,” Nick Blumberg
NBC5 Chicago, “The Death of a State Trooper,” Phil Rogers, Courtney Copenhagen, Richard Moy and Katy Smyser
WAND TV, “Small Town Cop,” Douglas Wolfe and Andy Barker
Best On Camera Talent
Jeremy Ross, WBBM-TV2
Best Feature News Report
WBBM-TV2, “Hit & Runner,” Jeremy Ross, Jeff Langan, DeAndra Taylor and Maggie Huynh
NBC5 Chicago and Telemundo Chicago, “Secrets of the Trade,” Staffs, NBC5 Investigates and Telemundo Iinvestiga
WLS-TV, “30 Years of Traffic,” Roz Varon, Joseph Imbrogno, Irit Nayden and Mariko Charvat
Best Public Affairs Programming
NBC 5 Chicago, “Cannabis in Illinois,” Courtney Copenhagen, Phil Rogers, Michael McGovern, Katy Smyser, Tracy Davis and Ron Zachara
WGN-TV, “Chicago 1919 Race Riot,” Tonya Francisco and Brad Piper
Best Business or Consumer Reporting
WLS-TV, “Chicago Auto Show,” Roz Varon, James McIntyre, David Knickerbocker and Rich Quinones
WAND TV, “Store fires disabled worker,” Douglas Wolfe and Steve Nichols
Best Health or Science Reporting
Voice of America TV, “Apollo 11 Anniversary and Beyond,” Kane Farabaugh
Best Sports Story/Single News Story or Feature
Telemundo Chicago, “Latino Athlete is a Motivation to Others (Spanish),” Carolina Cruz, Luis Figueroa, Irene Sanchez, Mario Bernal, Meredith Veloz and Anabel Monge
Best News Specialty/Arts/Culture/Entertainment News/Feature or Series
WTTW/Chicago Tonight, “South Side Home Movie Project Aims to Fill in Historical Gaps,”
Nicole Cardos
WFLD-TV, “All Work and No Play Makes Jake a Dull Boy,” Jake Hamilton
WLS-TV, “Weekender,” Roz Varon, Obie Varnado, Irit Nayden, Octavio Lopez, Chad Plasmier, David Fell
Best News Specialty/Business/Consumer News/Feature or Series
Voice of America TV, “Trade, Not Aid,” Kane Farabaugh
WAND TV, “Railroads train firefighters for tanker disasters,” Douglas Wolfe and Andy Barker
Best News Specialty/Crime News
Better Government Association/NBC 5 Chicago, “Auxiliary Officers Pose Risks in Illinois Towns,” Jared Rutecki, Brett McNeil and Phil Rogers
WAND TV, I-TEAM, “Cop Killed – Jail tapes,” Douglas Wolfe, Andy Barker and Morgan Schaab
Best News Specialty/Education/Schools News
Voice of America TV, “NASA Rocket Carries Adler Planetarium Student Project into Space,” Kane Farabaugh
WTTW/Chicago Tonight, “Continuing Coverage: The Chicago Teachers Strike of 2019,” Brandis Friedman, Nick Blumberg, Amanda Vinicky, Paris Schutz and Matt Masteron
WLS-TV, “H-MUN,” Roz Varon, Sandra Imbrogno and Irit Nayden
Best News Specialty/Environment News
WTTW/Chicago Tonight, “Shedd Kayak Trips Encourage Paddlers to Explore and Restore Chicago River,” Nick Blumberg
Best News Specialty/Health/Science News
WBBM-TV2, “Cups of Comfort,” Jeremy Ross and Jeff Langan
WAND TV, “Insulin Crisis,” Douglas Wolfe, Andy Barker and Steve Nichols
Best News Specialty/Human Interest
WLS-TV, “Will’s Wreaths,” Roz Varon, Jim Mastri and Irit Nayden
Best News Specialty/Politics/Government News
WTTW/Chicago Tonight, “The Choice for Mayor 2019: A WTTW News Special,” Nick Blumberg, Dan Protess, Paris Schutz and Amanda Vinicky
Better Government Association/Fox 32 Chicago, “Small Town Government, Chicago-style Politics,” Casey Toner and Dane Placko
Best News Specialty/Religious
WLS-TV ABC7 Chicago, “Return to Auschwitz: A Survivor’s Story,” Alan Krashesky, Ross Weidner, Jim Mastri and Casey Klaus
WLS-TV, “MAAFA Redemption Project,” Roz Varon, Joseph Imbrogno and Irit Nayden
WAND TV, “Religion in Illinois,” Douglas Wolfe, Andy Barker and Steve Nichols
Best Video Journalist
Kane Farabaugh, Voice of America TV
BROADCAST: RADIO
Best In-depth News Story or Series
WBEZ Chicago, “Power Players: WBEZ’s Investigation into Clout at ComEd,” Dan Mihalopoulos, Tony Arnold, Dave McKinney and Alex Keefe
WBEZ, “Faster DNA Testing Leads to Longer Waits,” Patrick Smith and Robert Wildeboer
WBEZ, “On Background: 2019 Chicago Mayoral Election Coverage,” Becky Vevea, Claudia Morell, Linda Lutton, Dan Mihalopoulos, James Edwards and Alex Keefe
Best Investigative Reporting
WBEZ, “Getting Away with Murder,” Patrick Smith, Chip Mitchell, Shannon Heffernan and Robert Wildeboer
Best Reporter
Shannon Heffernan, WBEZ
Michael Puente, WBEZ
Maria Ines Zamudio, WBEZ
Best Feature Reporting
WBEZ/Chicago Public Media, “Women Curate a Film Fest from Cook County Jail,” Linda Paul, Ken Davis and Cate Cahan
WBEZ, “Home Sellers in Historic Town Say Oil Giant BP Is Lowballing Them,” Michael Puente and Annie Russell
WBEZ, “Chicago’s Red Summer,” Jessica Pupovac, Jesse Dukes and Shawn Allee
Best Public Affairs Programming
Lakeshore Public Radio, “Off Mic, December 20, 2019,” Michael Puente
WBEZ Chicago, Comedy Central, “South Side Stories,” Staff
WBEZ, “On Background: The WBEZ Politics Podcast,” Becky Vevea, Claudia Morell, Dan Mihalopoulos, Kristen Schorsch, Justin Bull and Alex Keefe
Best Business or Consumer Reporting
WBEZ Chicago, Comedy Central South Side Stories, “Money Or Merch?,” Bashir Salahuddin, Diallo Riddle, James Edwards, Taneshia Rice, Bia Medious and Kevin Dawson
Best Health or Science Reporting
WBEZ/Chicago Public Media, “Want to Combat Climate Change? Get Out and Plant a Tree,” Ken Davis, Linda Paul and Cate Cahan
WBEZ, “Chicago’s Lead Pipes,” Monica Eng, Jessica Pupovac, Michael Lansu and Jesse Dukes
WBEZ, “Closing the Gap on Life Expectancy,” Bianca Martin, Meha Ahmad, Stephanie Kim, Nereida Moreno, Jenn White and Daniel Tucker
Best Sports Story
WBEZ, “A Final Act for Gymnastics Team at University of Illinois at Chicago,” Kate McGee, Manuel Martinez and Kate Grossman
WBEZ, “Partially Blind Fighter Has His Eye On the Prize,” Michael Puente and Annie Russell
SPECIALTY/TRADE
Best Deadline Report
Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, “101M birth injury award sets state record,” Marc Karlinsky
Bloomberg News, “Walgreens Boots Is Exploring a Potential Take-Private Deal,” Kiel Porter, Ed Hammond, Dinesh Nair and Nabila Ahmed
Bloomberg News, “China Halts U.S. Agriculture Purchases as Trade War Heats Up,” Steve Yang and Isis Almeida
Best In-depth Report or Series
ABA Journal, “Break Down: Prisons are housing mental health patients who’ve committed no crimes,” Julianne Hill
modernhealthcare.com, “Patient safety: To Err is a Leadership Failure,” Harris Meyer, Maria Castellucci, Tim Broderick, Matt Weinstock and Aurora Aguilar
Chicago Medicine,” The debate over gadolinium-based contrast agents,” Howard Wolinsky
Best Commentary
Better Government Association, David Greising columns, David Greising
WVON-AM, “YOJOE Knows Commentary Composite,” Yolanda Joe
Gateway Journalism Review, “Newspaper Endorsements Still Matter; Run that photo,” Abdon Pallasch and Jackie Spinner
Best Business or Consumer Reporting
Bloomberg News, “Moneyball for Cattle Is Creating an American Steak Renaissance,” Lydia Mulvany and Michael Hirtzer
Bloomberg News, “Shhhhh, Big Dairy Is in Bed with Almond Milk,” Lydia Mulvany, Deena Shanker and Leslie Patton
Reuters, “U.S. Airlines Tap Army Helicopter Pilots to Ease Shortage,” Tracy Rucinski
Best Feature Story or Series
Medicine on the Midway magazine, ”Four alumni confront the gun violence epidemic,” Jamie Bartosch and Anna Madrzyk
ABA Journal, “Change Agents: A new wave of reform prosecutors upends the status quo,” Liane Jackson
ABA Journal, “The Coming Storm: Lawyers are unleashing a flurry of lawsuits to step up the fight against climate change,” Darlene Ricker
Best Design
ABA Journal, 2019 designs, Sara Wadford
ONLINE
Best Multimedia Feature Presentation
WTTW, “Firsthand: Gun Violence,” Anne Gleason, Jenny Macchione, Justin Henderson, Mike Scipioni, Nate Beversluis and Kevin Crowley
Chicago Sun-Times, WBEZ Chicago, “Motive,” Frank Main and Colin McNulty
Chicago Sun-Times, “’Chicago: City of murals,” Staff
Best News Web Site
Better Government Association, Staff
Block Club, Staff
Chicago Tribune, Staff
Best Individual Blog Post – Independent
Medium.com, John W. Fountain
NBC Think, Pacific Standard, Forbes, Michele Weldon
Best Individual Blog Post – Affiliated
Forbes.com, “Diesel Trucks Swarm in Chicago Neighborhood Already Plagued By Pollution And Racism,” John Lippert
Chicago Sun-Times, “Mom, I asked, why do we collect depictions of people in blackface?”, Evan F. Moore
Best Continuing Blog – Independent
Chicago Public Square, “Chicago Public Square: Chicago’s new front page,” Charlie Meyerson and Keith J. Taylor
ChicagoNow, “Opinionated Woman,” Judy Marcus
ChicagoNow, ”I’ve Got the Hippy Shakes,” Howard Moore
Best Continuing Blog – Affiliated
Chicago Inno, “25 Under 25,” Katherine Davis
Patch.com, Mark Konkol columns, Mark Konkol
Chicago Reader, Leor Galil and Philip Montoro
Best Email Newsletter
Block Club, Block Club Chicago newsletters, Staff
Chalkbeat Chicago, Chalkbeat Chicago weekly newsletter, Cassie Walker Burke and Yana Kunichoff
Best Deadline Reporting
Chicago Tribune, “Federal agents and Chicago police were confiscating drugs and guns from luggage when rapper Juice Wrld suffered seizure at Midway, officials say,” Megan Crepeau and Rosemary Sobol
Chicago Tribune, “Breaking news: A.J. Freund found dead, his parents charged with murder,” Angie Leventis Lourgos, Robert McCoppin, John Keilman and Amanda Marazzo
Chicago Tribune, “Months after facing her cousin’s killer in court, pregnant 18-year-old Treja Kelley was making big plans. Then a gunman stepped from an alley.,” Rosemary Sobol, Elvia Malagon and Jeremy Gorner
Best Non-deadline Reporting
Block Club, “Former 42 Grams Chef Seeks Redemption with Stone Flower. But Will Bucktown Diners Support Someone Who Attacked His Ex-Wife?,” Hannah Alani
ProPublica Illinois, “Financial Aid Loophole: Parents Are Giving Up Custody of Their Kids to Get Need-Based College Financial Aid,” Jodi S. Cohen, Melissa Sanchez and Duaa Eldeib
ProPublica Illinois, co-published by the Chicago Sun-Times, “You’re Destroying Families,” Melissa Sanchez and Duaa Eldeib
Best Series – Non-deadline Reporting
Better Government Association, “O’Hare’s Billions in Broken Promises,” Alejandra Cancino
Chicago Sun-Times, WBEZ Chicago, “Motive” Frank Main and Colin McNulty
Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois, “The Quiet Rooms,” Jennifer Smith Richards, Jodi S. Cohen and Lakeidra Chavis
Best Breaking News Story
Block Club, “Yes, There’s an Alligator Living in the Humboldt Park Lagoon; And Chicago is Cheering it On,” Mina Bloom
Chalkbeat Chicago, “Chicago teachers strike ends after 11-day standoff,” Cassie Walker Burke, Yana Kunichoff, Ariel Cheung, Philissa Cramer, Sharon Noguchi and Kalyn Belsha
Chicago Tribune, “The polar vortex: Chicago spends 52 hours below zero,” Staff
Best Neighborhood/Community News
Staff, Block Club
Suzanne McBride, AustinTalks
Bill Smith, Charles Bartling and Jan Smith, Evanston Now
Best Business or Consumer Reporting
WBEZ, “Illinois Doctors Sound the Alarm on State Vaccine Policy,” Kristen Schorsch, Alex Keefe and Cate Cahan
Chicago Tribune, “Flight 191’s legacy,” Staff
Chicago Sun-Times, “’GI Bill failures, broken promises,” Stephanie Zimmermann
Best Feature Story or Series
Chicago Sun-Times, “43 years ago, a Romeoville mom vanished. Finally, her family knows why,” Stefano Esposito
ProPublica Illinois, co-published by The Atlantic, “The Legend of A-N-N-A: Revisiting an American Town Where Black People Weren’t Welcome After Dark,” Logan Jaffe
Bloomberg News, “The State with the Highest Suicide Rate is Short on Shrinks,” Monte Reel
Best Food Coverage
Block Club, “Abuse in Chicago’s Restaurant Industry,” Kelly Bauer and Hannah Alani
Fooditor, Chicago food scene coverage, Michael Gebert
chicagotribune.com, Restaurant reviews, Phil Vettel
Best Music Coverage
chicagotribune.com, “Prince’s 1999 keeps on giving in 2019,” Greg Kot
chicagotribune.com, “Chicago’s influence on popular music, and vice-versa, goes mobile, global in 2019,” Jessica Roti
WBEZ Chicago, Comedy Central, “South Sides Stories,” Bashir Salahuddin, Diallo Riddle, James Edwards, Dave Helem, Bia Medious and Kevin Dawson
Best Theater Coverage
Chicago Reader, Kerry Reid, Aimee Levitt, Kaylen Ralph and Novid Parsi
chicagotribune.com, Chris Jones
Best Literary Coverage
South Side Weekly, Selected literary coverage, Christian Belanger, Brittanee Rolle, Max Budovitch, Tammy Xu and Ashvini Kartik-Narayan
Literary Hub, “The Life and Death of an American Indie Press,” Taylor Moore
Chicago Sun-Times, Book reviews, Paul Saltzman
Best Investigative/Public Service Reporting
Chicago Tribune, “Why adults with developmental disabilities are waiting seven years, or longer, for programs they need to live on their own,” Marie Fazio
The Daily Kos, “The Fortress,” Gretchen Hammond, Tim Mulholland, Ellen Chamberlain, Slone Terranella and Hope Winkles
Chicago Sun-Times, “Corruption in Chicago,” Jon Seidel, Fran Spielman, Tim Novak, Mark Brown and Tina Sfondeles
Best Use of News Video
Chicago Tribune, “We tested popular cellphones for radiofrequency radiation. Now the FCC is investigating.,“ Jemal R. Brinson, Sam Roe and Jonathon Berlin
Chicago Sun-Times, “A town’s pride,” Ashlee Rezin Garcia and Lauren FitzPatrick
Chicago Tribune, “Colder than the South Pole,” Staff
Best Use of Feature Video
The Marshall Project, “We Are Witnesses: Chicago,” Maggie Bowman, Stacy Robinson, Carroll Bogert, Gordon Quinn, Betsy Steinberg and Rise Sanders-Weir
Chicago Tribune, “Looking for a fight,” Erin Hooley
WTTW, “Firsthand: Gun Violence,” Dan Protess, Anne Gleason, Cai Thomas, Sam Rong, Jude Leak and Lesley Kubistal
Best Use of Digital Technology
City Bureau, Documenters.org, Staff
Crain’s Chicago Business, “Crain’s Chicago Business cranks on digital technology,” Staff
WBEZ, “DEH-vin or Deh-VOHN? Why The CTA Pronounces Chicago Street Names a Certain Way,” Monica Eng and Katherine Nagasawa
General Excellence in Online Journalism
Better Government Association, Staff
Chicago Sun-Times, Staff
ProPublica Illinois, Staff
Best Photo
Chicago Tribune, “Looking for a fight,” Erin Hooley
Chicago Tribune, ”Polar vortex,” Staff
Chicago Tribune, “Race riots 100 years later,” E. Jason Wambsgans
Best New Podcast
Crain’s Chicago Business, Crain’s Daily Gist, Amy Guth
Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ Chicago, Motive, Frank Main and Colin McNulty
WBEZ Chicago, Comedy Central, South Side Stories, Staff
Best Podcast
Chicago Tribune, Bear Download, Mitch Trubisky, Rich Campbell and Dan Wiederer
WBEZ, Public Official A, Dave McKinney, Colin McNulty and Kevin Dawson
Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ Chicago, Motive, Colin McNulty and Frank Main
Best Podcast Single Episode
Chicago Sun-Times, WBEZ Chicago, Motive, episode 6, “Mousey is dead,” Frank Main and Colin McNulty
WBEZ Chicago, Comedy Central, South Side Stories “Englewood,” Bashir Salahuddin, Diallo Riddle, James Edwards, Kellye Howard, Bia Medious and Kevin Dawson
Chicago Sun-Times, WBEZ Chicago, Motive, episode 10, “Mother’s Day,” Frank Main and Colin McNulty