The Chicago Headline Club congratulates all the winners of the 46th annual Peter Lisagor Awards for exemplary journalism.
The awards were handed out May 12 at a gathering of more than 200 members of the local media community. The entries were judged by an impartial Society of Professional Journalists chapter outside Illinois.
BEST ALL MEDIA
Best Investigative Reporting
* ProPublica and Chicago Tribune; “The Price Kids Pay” by Jodi Cohen, Jennifer Smith Richards, Armando Sanchez
Best Feature or Human Interest Single Story
* Chalkbeat; “Inside a Chicago high school’s year of uncertainty” by Mila Koumpilova
Best Feature or Human Interest Series
* Chicago Tribune; “Unsealed: The Tylenol Murders” by Christy Gutowski, Stacy St. Clair
Best Multimedia Collaboration
* Chicago Sun-Times / WBEZ / NPR; “Handguns easily turned into high-capacity machine guns fuel growing violence” by Frank Main, Tom Schuba, Stephanie Zimmermann, Chip Mitchell, Cheryl W. Thompson, Charmaine Runes and Matt Kiefer
Best Data Journalism
* Chicago Tribune and ProPublica; “The Price Kids Pay” by Jennifer Smith Richards, Jodi Cohen, Ruth Talbot
Best Public Service or Engagement
* Crain’s Chicago Business; “Crain’s Forum” by Cassandra West, Staff
Design & Visuals
Best News Photo
* The Daily Herald; “Fiery Roof Collapse” by John Starks
Best Feature Photo
* Block Club Chicago; “An Ode To Chicago’s Queer Spaces: Photos Of Pride, Love And LGBTQ+ Joy In Chicago” by Kathleen Hinkel
Best Sports Photo
* The TRiiBE; “Sierra Canyon’s Amari Bailey could be Chicago’s next hometown hero in the NBA” by Mike Hicks
Best Illustration or Graphics
* Crain’s Chicago Business; “A Safer Haven illustrations” by Cornelia Li, Jason McGregor
Best Design in a Print Publication
* City Bureau; “Will That New Development Benefit Your Community? The People’s Guide to Community Benefits Agreements & Alternatives” by Davon Clark
Best Digital Design
* Chicago Sun-Times; “Ukraine’s Mariupol: a rare dispatch from a city under Russian siege; despair, death everywhere” by Paul Saltzman
Best Use of News Video
* Reuters; “Breaking news video – Reuters” by Eric Cox
Best Use of Feature Video
* Block Club Chicago and Illinois Answers Project; “Life And Death In Chicago’s Most Dangerous Bike Lane” by Colin Boyle
Best Use of Data Visualization
* South Side Weekly and WTTW; “Mapping Chicago’s Racial Segregation” by Pat Sier, Charmaine Runes
Best Multimedia Feature Presentation
* Chicago Tribune; “Unsealed: The Tylenol Murders” by Chicago Tribune staff
Best Social or Short-Form Video
* WTTW News; “WTTW News Explains” by Patty Wetli, Amanda Vinicky, Heather Cherone, Justin Younger, Natalie Younger, Greg Bodfish, Alex Blanchette, Jay Smith
Best Use of Social Media
* Block Club Chicago; “Problems At COVID-19 Testing Pop-Ups” by Kelly Bauer
Commentary & Presentation
Best Column or Editorial From a Small Print/Online Publication
* ABA Journal; “Intersection” by Liane Jackson
Best Column or Editorial From a Large Print/Online Publication
* Chicago Sun-Times (Freelance Columnist); “America `The Beautiful’” by John W. Fountain
Best Sports Commentary
* WSCR-AM / 670 The Score; “Laurence Holmes on Jackie Robinson Day” by Laurence Holmes
Best Featured Reporter or Host
* WGN Radio; “John Williams” by John Williams and Pete Zimmerman
Best Interview (Audio or Video)
* Voice of America TV; “The Artemis Generation: An Interview with NASA Astronaut Victor Glover” by Kane Farabaugh, Adam Greenbaum
Best Blog
* AARP: The Ethel; “Want To Fight Off Stress? Here’s the Key” by Michele Weldon
Best Podcast
* Chicago Tribune and At Will Media; “Unsealed: The Tylenol Murders” by Christy Gutowski, Stacy St. Clair, Jessica Glazer, Claire Tighe, Anmargaret Warner, Molly Getman, and staff
Best Email Newsletter
* Crain’s Chicago Business; “Juice” by Marcus Gilmer, Greg Hinz, Justin Laurence, Mark Walsh
Best Food or Restaurant Coverage
* Eater; “A Daughter’s Culinary Ode to Her Mother Brings Traditional Khmer Food to Chicago
by Naomi Waxman, Jack X. Li, Ashok Selvam
Best Music Coverage
* The TRiiBE; “Who is behind the hip-hop blogs spreading fake news about O-Block on social media?” by Mark Braboy, Matt Chapman
Best Theater or Literary Coverage
* Newcity; “Theater criticism” by Mary Wisniewski
Best Headline From a Small Print/Online Publication
* The DePaulia; “Panic! At The Crypto” by Patrick Sloan-Turner, Ruchi Nawathe
Best Headline From a Large Print/Online Publication
* Chicago Sun-Times; “Nothing lasts forever – but manhole covers come close” by Neil Steinberg
Best Coverage by Subject: Small Print/Online
Best Feature Reporting Single Story/Episode
* Chicago Reader; “Rescuing the legacy of Dancin’ Man” by Jake Austen, Philip Montoro
Best Feature Reporting Series
* Hyde Park Herald; “Who was Samuel Harvard?” by Andrea Holliday
Best Investigative Reporting
* Illinois Answers Project; “Pritzker administration/Centene investigation” by David Jackson, Chuck Neubauer, Rachel Hinton, Grace Golembiewski
Best Reporting on Crime and Justice
* MindSite News and WBEZ; “Illinois is Getting Better at Answering Calls to the Suicide Crisis Line. Will Chicago’s South Side Be Left Behind?” by Josh McGhee, Ola Giwa
Best Education Reporting
* The Times of Northwest Indiana; “St. Stanislaus parents voice concerns about alleged `kill list,’ say school `dropped the ball’” by Joseph S. Pete
Best Business Reporting
* Crain’s Chicago Business; “A family empire built on beer” by Steven R. Strahler
Best Reporting on Race and Diversity
* Block Club Chicago co-published with Injustice Watch; “Chicago Police Are Arresting Thousands More Black Drivers After Traffic Stops Than They Report” by Pascal Sabino
Best Science and Technology Reporting
* Modern Healthcare; “A dirty business: How the medical device sterilization process sickens some to heal others” by Kara Hartnett
Best Political and Government Reporting
* Illinois Answers Project; “Pritzker administration/Centene investigation” by David Jackson, Chuck Neubauer, Rachel Hinton, Grace Golembiewski
Best Arts and Entertainment Reporting
* Chicago Reader; “Will lightning strike Podlasie Club twice?” by Micco Caporale, Philip Montoro
Best Sports Reporting
* The Victory Bell; “Emerging from the Darkness” by Paul Oren
Best Deadline Reporting
* Block Club Chicago; “Fire Kills Children In Humboldt Park” by Mina Bloom, Noah Asimow
Best Community Reporting
* Chicago Magazine; “The Death (And Possible Rebirth) of Jackowo” by Mary Wisniewski, Joanna Marszalek, Zbigniew Bzdak
Best Reporting on Climate Change
* Grist; “Illinois’ Water War” by Adam Mahoney
Best Coverage by Subject: Large Print/Online
Best Feature Reporting Single Story/Episode
* Chicago Tribune; “Armadillos have arrived in downstate Illinois and are heading north – yes, you might someday see an armadillo in your backyard” by Christopher Borrelli
Best Feature Reporting Series
* Chicago Tribune; “Unsealed: The Tylenol Murders” by Christy Gutowski, Stacy St. Clair
Best Investigative Reporting
* Chicago Tribune and ProPublica; “The Price Kids Pay” by Jennifer Smith Richards, Jodi Cohen, Armando Sanchez
Best Reporting on Crime and Justice
* Chicago Sun-Times; “Police shut down some businesses over violence, go easy on clout-heavy bars” by Tim Novak, Frank Main, Sophie Sherry
Best Education Reporting
* ProPublica and Chicago Tribune; “The Price Kids Pay” by Jodi Cohen, Jennifer Smith Richards, Armando Sanchez
Best Business Reporting
* Chicago Tribune; “Chicago’s hometown grocer once again poised for change” by Talia Soglin
Best Reporting on Race and Diversity
* ProPublica; “She Says Doctors Ignored Her Concerns About Her Pregnancy. For Many Black Women, It’s a Familiar Story.” By Duaa Eldeib
Best Science and Technology Reporting
* ProPublica; “Stillbirths: When Babies Die Before Taking Their First Breath” by Duaa Eldeib
Best Political and Government Reporting
* Chicago Sun-Times; “Police shut down some businesses over violence, go easy on clout-heavy bars” by Tim Novak, Frank Main, Sophie Sherry
Best Arts and Entertainment Reporting
* The New York Times; “What Hemingway Left in Sloppy Joe’s Bar 80 Years Ago” by Robert K. Elder
Best Sports Reporting
* Chicago Tribune; “Title IX sports reporting” by Colleen Kane, Meghan Montemurro, Julia Poe, Kori Rumore, Stacy St. Clair, Tina Akouris, Amanda Kaschube
Best Deadline Reporting
* Chicago Sun-Times; “Horror on the Fourth” by Lynn Sweet, Elvia Malagón, Sophie Sherry, Paul Saltzman, Manny Ramos
Best Community Reporting
* Chicago Sun-Times; “In Rogers Park, glimpses of a neighborhood that reflects Chicago’s diversity more than any other” by Elvia Malagón, Pat Nabong
Best Reporting on Climate Change
* Bloomberg; “The End of Snow Threatens to Upend 76 Million American Lives” by David R. Baker, Brian K. Sullivan, Kim Chipman, Mark Chediak, Christopher Cannon
Best Coverage by Subject: Video
Best Feature Reporting Single Story/Episode
* WTTW; “Chicago Stories: The Union Stockyards” by Daniel Andries, Dan Protess, Robert Loerzel, Ian Bertorelli, Tim Boyd, Patty Kaniff, Anthony Fleming III, and Nicholas Tremulis
Best Feature Reporting Series
* WFLD-TV Fox 32 Chicago; “Fox 32 Chicago Good News Special” by Natalie Bomke
Best Investigative Reporting
* NBC Chicago; “Left for Dead: Hit, Run, and Ignored” by Phil Rogers, Shelby Bremer, Nathan Halder, Katy Smyser
Best Reporting on Crime and Justice
* WTTW News; “WTTW News: Permanent Punishment” by Brandis Friedman, Julianne Hill
Best Education Reporting
* WTTW News; “WTTW News: Education Coverage” by WTTW News Team
Best Business Reporting
* WTTW News; “WTTW News: Business Coverage” by WTTW News Team
Best Reporting on Race and Diversity
* NBC 5 Chicago (WMAQ-TV); “The Lost Story of Emmett Till” by Marion Brooks, DS Shin, Tom Jones, Lauren Stauffer, Akemi Harrison, Lisa Balde
Best Science and Technology Reporting
* WTTW News; “WTTW News: Science and Technology Coverage” by Paul Caine, Erica Gunderson, Patty Wetli
Best Political and Government Reporting
* Voice of America; “The Inside Story: Flight of the Translators” by Kane Farabaugh, Adam Greenbaum, Jean Michel Mathurin, Steve Redisch, Brian Allen
Best Arts and Entertainment Reporting
* WTTW; “Chicago Stories: The Birth of Gospel” by Stacy Robinson, Dan Protess, Mizani Ball, Aaron Britton, Brian Wingert, Katerina Simic, Yasmin Rammohan, Anthony Fleming III, Chris Paultre
Best Sports Reporting
* WTTW News; “WTTW News: 50 Years After Title IX, Transgender Athletes Advocate for Protections in High School and College Sports” by Amanda Vinicky
Best Deadline Reporting
* Voice of America TV’ “Survivors Search for Answers as Chicago Area Mourns Mass Shooting Victims” by Kane Farabaugh
Best Community Reporting
* ChicagoTalks (Columbia College Chicago); “Everybody Goes Home: A documentary” by Nell Ambrose, Martha Irvine, Olivia Covey, Curtis Lawrence, Donald York, Lavar Hamlin
Best Reporting on Climate Change
* The Associated Press; “Tribe seeks to adapt as climate change alters ancestral home” by Tammy Webber, Martha Irvine, Andrés Leighton, Alyssa Goodman, Panagiotis Mouzakis, Tim Reiterman, Christopher Hulme
Best Coverage by Subject: Audio
Best Feature Reporting Single Story/Episode
* NPR; “Russian expats have been struggling with their identity since the war began” by Michael Puente
Best Feature Reporting Series
* Inside Chicago Government, The Ben Joravsky Show; “Sounds of City Council: Audio & Analysis” by Dave Glowacz, Ben Joravsky
Best Reporting on Race and Diversity
* WBEZ; “The Black Fire Brigade is training young recruits, hoping to increase Black first responders in the Chicago Fire Department” by Michael Puente , Mark LeBien
Best Political and Government Reporting
* WGN Radio; “Darren Bailey says he no longer supports a complete abortion ban (6/30/2022)” by Lisa Dent, Steve Bertrand, Brian Althimer, Curtis Koch