The Peter Lisagor Awards are an annual celebration of the best journalism produced throughout the Chicagoland region, spanning all mediums including print, radio, television and digital.
While the awards are usually presented at our annual banquet, we are making the announcement digitally this year due to concerns over the coronavirus and COVID-19.
We have a couple more surprises this year, as well!
Every Lisagor finalist and winner will receive a free membership to the Headline Club and the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ). If you’re named as a finalist or winner (no “staff” awards)— you’ll get a free membership or renewal for a year, but we need help collecting your contact information.
So, please fill out this form by May 31. Heck, please do it right now.
Also, if you’re a member, finalist or a winner this year, please share a photo of yourself on social media with the hashtag #WeAreTheHeadlineClub. Let’s celebrate together. Here is the complete list of finalists.
Now, the Awards:
2019 Watchdog Award winner
The Watchdog Award honors Chicago-area news reporting that calls attention to situations in which the public is being armed or poorly served.
Winner: “The Quiet Rooms”
Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois
by Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune; Jodi S. Cohen & Lakeidra Chavis, ProPublica Illinois
This investigation exposed the harmful overuse and misuse of seclusion and physical restraints in public schools across Illinois.
Here’s what judges had to say about “The Quiet Rooms” and the runners-up
The Anne Keegan Award
Created in 2012 to honor longtime Chicago Tribune writer Anne Keegan, this award recognizes journalists who write stories that capture the “dignity and spirit of the common man.”
This year’s winner of the Anne Keegan Award is Lolly Bowean.
She wins the Anne Keegan Award for her deeply-reported and beautifully-written stories about life in the city’s African American community.
Read more about the award and hear from Lolly here.
Chicago Headline Club Service Awards
We also have two SECRET awards that we’ve planned all year: The inaugural Chicago Headline Club Service Awards go to Susan S. Stevens and Howard S. Dubin for their decades of dedication and service to the club.
Susan S. Stevens
Sue is the backbone of the Chicago Headline Club. In addition to serving as the club’s longtime treasurer, she has been our institutional memory and the voice of reason during times of transition.
Sue spent most of her journalism career at UPI and the City News Bureau, and is a journalism pioneer who joined the Headline Club in 1969—the first year women were officially welcomed to join.
Howard S. Dubin
The Lisagor Awards wouldn’t exist without Howard. Literally: He actually started them when he served as president of the Chicago Headline Club in 1977.
Over many years, he has been a tireless supporter of journalists locally and nationally, both on the front lines and behind the scenes. In both roles, he has elevated the institution of journalism in our city and beyond.
Peter Lisagor Awards
Below are the winners of the 2019 Peter Lisagor Awards.
Note: we will get plaques to the winners once the awards company reopens, since they’ve currently stopped production due to COVID-19.
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
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
Best Investigative Reporting
Chicago Sun-Times, “GI Bill failures, broken promises,” Stephanie Zimmermann
Best Feature Story
Chicago Sun-Times, “Where’s Bob?,” Neil Steinberg
Best Feature Series
Chicago Tribune, “‘No Home for a Child,’ the untold story of AJ Freund’s tragically short life,” Christy Gutowski
Best Short Film Documentary
WBBM-TV Chicago, “What Happened to the Chicago Mob?“, Jim Williams, Edward Marshall and Cornelius Mack
Best Photography
The Associated Press, “Reclaiming Chicago Lawn,” Martha Irvine
Best Multimedia Collaboration
Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois, “The Quiet Rooms,” Staff
Best Graphics
Chicago Tribune, “Seclusion and Restraint,” Jonathon Berlin, Jemal R. Brinson, Nausheen Husain and Mark Friesen
Best Illustration
for ProPublica Illinois, co-published by the Chicago Sun-Times, “You’re Destroying Families,” Lydia Fu
Best Data Journalism
Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois, “The Quiet Rooms,” Staffs
GENERAL INTEREST DAILY NEWSPAPER, NEWS SERVICE OR BUREAU
Best Deadline Reporting, circulation more than 100,000
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, “Workplace Killings in Aurora,” Staff
Best Investigative Reporting, circulation more than 100,000
Chicago Tribune, “Domestic violence victims face risk of being attacked again following Cook County reforms, a Tribune investigation found,” David Jackson, Madeline Buckley
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
Best Political and Government Reporting, circulation more than 100,000
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
and Part 2
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
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
Best Science, Health, Technology or Environment Reporting, circulation less than 100,000
The Daily Herald, “In this boxing class, the fight is against Parkinson’s,” Katlyn Smith
Best News Column or Commentary, circulation more than 100,000
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
Daily Southtown, Ted Slowik news columns, Ted Slowik
Best Editorial Writing, circulation less than 100,000
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; Part 2
Best Business or Consumer Reporting, circulation less than 100,000
The Times of Northwest Indiana, “Parched in a retail desert, Gary businesses struggle through crime, economic challenges,” Joseph S. Pete
Best Feature Story or Series, circulation more than 100,000
Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ Chicago, “Motive,” Frank Main, Colin McNulty
Best Feature Story or Series, circulation less than 100,000
The Daily Herald, “Remembering AJ,” Lauren Rohr and Jake Griffin
Best Arts Reporting and Criticism, circulation more than 100,000
Chicago Tribune, “Reviving Chicago’s architectural past,” Blair Kamin
Best Arts Reporting and Criticism, circulation less than 100,000
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, “Marquise Walker’s story: Surviving an abusive, overbearing sports father,” Michael O’Brien
Best Sports Story, circulation less than 100,000
The Daily Herald, “How Swimming Lets Teen with Alopecia Be Herself,” Lauren Rohr
Best Sports Commentary, circulation more than 100,000
Chicago Sun-Times, Rick Morrissey columns, 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, “Vigil for teen killed,” Armando L. Sanchez
Best News Photo, circulation less than 100,000
The Daily Herald, “Grief in Aurora,” Jeff Knox
Best Feature Photo, circulation more than 100,000
Chicago Tribune, “Electrocution survivor,” Brian Cassella
Best Feature Photo, circulation less than 100,000
The Daily Herald, “Eyes on the Prize,” Rick West
Best Sports Photo, circulation more than 100,000
Chicago Tribune, “Walk-off solo home run,” Chris Sweda
Best Sports Photo, circulation less than 100,000
The Daily Herald, “Wrestling Reflection,” John Starks
Best Design
Chicago Sun-Times, “The Stone cold truth,” Akiko Spencer
Best Technology Reporting
Chicago Tribune, “Digital home invasions,” Ally Marotti
Best Special News Section
Chicago Sun-Times, “The decade in review,” Staff
NON-DAILY NEWSPAPER, MAGAZINE OR NEWSPAPER MAGAZINE
Best In-depth Reporting in a General-Interest Publication, Magazine or Magazine Section
Bloomberg Businessweek, “The State with the Highest Suicide Rate is Short on Shrinks,” Monte Reel
Best In-depth Reporting in a Community Newspaper
Better Government Association/Riverside Landmark,“Small Town Government, Chicago-style Politics,” Casey Toner 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
Best News Column or Commentary
Crain’s Chicago Business, Joe Cahill business commentary series, Joe Cahill sample piece
Best Editorial Writing
Crain’s Chicago Business, Ann Dwyer
Best Business Reporting
Bloomberg Businessweek, “Vanillanomics,” Monte Reel
Best Feature Story
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
Best Non-deadline Reporting in Newspaper or Magazine
Bloomberg Businessweek, “The State with the Highest Suicide Rate is Short on Shrinks,” Monte Reel
Best Political Reporting in Newspaper or Magazine
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
Best Arts Reporting and Criticism
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
Best Photography
Chicago Reader, “The gospel according to Mama Lou,” Amanda Tugade, Geoff Stellfox and Philip Montoro
Best Design
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
Chicago Lawyer, Eugene Smith illustrations, Eugene Smith
General Excellence in Print Journalism
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
Video 1; Video 2; Video 3;
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
Best On Camera Talent
Jeremy Ross, WBBM-TV2
Best Feature News Report
NBC 5 Chicago and Telemundo Chicago, “Secrets of the Trade,” Staffs, NBC5 Investigates and Telemundo Investiga; Video 1, Video 2, Video 3
Best Public Affairs Programming
NBC 5 Chicago, “Cannabis in Illinois,” Courtney Copenhagen, Phil Rogers, Michael McGovern, Katy Smyser, Tracy Davis and Ron Zachara; Video 1, Video 2, Video 3
Best Business or Consumer Reporting
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
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
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
Best News Specialty/Education/Schools News
WTTW/Chicago Tonight, “Continuing Coverage: The Chicago Teachers Strike of 2019,” Brandis Friedman, Nick Blumberg, Amanda Vinicky, Paris Schutz and Matt Masteron
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
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
Best News Specialty/Religious
WLS-TV ABC7 Chicago, “Return to Auschwitz: A Survivor’s Story,” Alan Krashesky, Ross Weidner, Jim Mastri and Casey Klaus
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
Best Investigative Reporting
WBEZ, “Getting Away with Murder,” Patrick Smith, Chip Mitchell, Shannon Heffernan and Robert Wildeboer
Best Reporter
Best Feature Reporting
WBEZ, “Chicago’s Red Summer,” Jessica Pupovac, Jesse Dukes and Shawn Allee
Best Public Affairs Programming
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, “Closing the Gap on Life Expectancy,” Bianca Martin, Meha Ahmad, Stephanie Kim, Nereida Moreno, Jenn White and Daniel Tucker
Best Sports Story
WBEZ, “Partially Blind Fighter Has His Eye On the Prize,” Michael Puente and Annie Russell
SPECIALTY/TRADE
Best Deadline Report
Bloomberg News, “China Halts U.S. Agriculture Purchases as Trade War Heats Up,” Steve Yang and Isis Almeida
Best In-depth Report or Series
Chicago Medicine, “The debate over gadolinium-based contrast agents,” Howard Wolinsky
Best Commentary
Gateway Journalism Review, “Newspaper Endorsements Still Matter” and “Run that Photo,” Abdon Pallasch and Jackie Spinner
Best Business or Consumer Reporting
Bloomberg News, “Shhhhh, Big Dairy Is in Bed with Almond Milk,” Lydia Mulvany, Deena Shanker and Leslie Patton
Best Feature Story or Series
ABA Journal, “Change Agents: A new wave of reform prosecutors upends the status quo,” Liane Jackson
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
Best News Web Site
Best Individual Blog Post – Independent
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
Best Continuing Blog – Independent
Chicago Public Square, “Chicago Public Square: Chicago’s new front page,” Charlie Meyerson and Keith J. Taylor
Best Continuing Blog – Affiliated
Patch.com, Mark Konkol columns, Mark Konkol
Best Email Newsletter
Chalkbeat Chicago, Chalkbeat Chicago weekly newsletter, Cassie Walker Burke and Yana Kunichoff
Best Deadline Reporting
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
ProPublica Illinois, co-published by the Chicago Sun-Times, “You’re Destroying Families,” Melissa Sanchez and Duaa Eldeib
Best Series – Non-deadline Reporting
Chicago Sun-Times, WBEZ Chicago, “Motive” Frank Main and Colin McNulty
Best Breaking News Story
Chalkbeat Chicago, “Chicago teachers strike ends after 11-day standoff,” Cassie Walker Burke, Yana Kunichoff, Ariel Cheung, Philissa Cramer, Sharon Noguchi and Kalyn Belsha
Best Neighborhood/Community News
Best Business or Consumer Reporting
Chicago Tribune, “Flight 191’s legacy,” Staff
Best Feature Story or Series
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
Best Food Coverage
chicagotribune.com, Restaurant reviews, Phil Vettel
Best Music Coverage
WBEZ Chicago, Comedy Central, “South Sides Stories,” Bashir Salahuddin, Diallo Riddle, James Edwards, Dave Helem, Bia Medious and Kevin Dawson
Best Theater Coverage
chicagotribune.com, Chris Jones
Best Literary Coverage
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
Best Use of News Video
Chicago Sun-Times, “A town’s pride,” Ashlee Rezin Garcia and Lauren FitzPatrick
Best Use of Feature Video
WTTW, “Firsthand: Gun Violence,” Dan Protess, Anne Gleason, Cai Thomas, Sam Rong, Jude Leak and Lesley Kubistal
Best Use of Digital Technology
Crain’s Chicago Business, “Crain’s Chicago Business cranks on digital technology,” Staff
General Excellence in Online Journalism
Better Government Association, Staff
Best Photo
Chicago Tribune, “Race riots 100 years later,” E. Jason Wambsgans
Best New Podcast
Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ Chicago, Motive, Frank Main and Colin McNulty
Best Podcast
Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ Chicago, Motive, Colin McNulty and Frank Main; Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3
Best Podcast Single Episode
WBEZ Chicago, Comedy Central, South Side Stories “Englewood,” Bashir Salahuddin, Diallo Riddle, James Edwards, Kellye Howard, Bia Medious and Kevin Dawson