2018 Page One Awards in Photography
MNSPJ congratulates all the winners recognized Thursday night at the annual Page One Awards! Here’s a list of winners for excellence in photography.
Best News Photography
First Place, Evan Frost, Chris Juhn, Courtney Perry, MPR News
Judge’s comment
“The MPR team’s news photography displayed a wide range of effective images, which showed both the human impact of major news stories and gave the viewer a sense of what makes local landscapes and communities unique.”
Second Place, Richard Tsong-Taatarii, Star Tribune
Third Place, Jean Pieri, St. Paul Pioneer Press
Best Feature Photography
First Place, Brian Peterson, Star Tribune
Second Place, Maria Cardona, Evan Frost, MPR News
Third Place, Nate Ryan, The Current /Minnesota Public Radio
Best Portrait Photography Newspaper – 50,000+ circulation
First Place, Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune
“Portraits: Immigrants and food”
Judge’s comment
“The most whimsical of a series of portraits of immigrants and food. Nicely done.”
Second Place, Shelly Mosman, City Pages “Charlie Parr”
Third Place, Bill Klotz, Finance-Commerce “Mohammed Lowall”
Best Sports Photography Newspaper – 50,000+ circulation
First Place, Caroline Yang, Monika Lawrence and Evan Frost, MPR
Judge’s comment
“Nice look at a different story. Several nice pictures here!”
Second Place, Liz Flores, Star Tribune
Third Place, Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune
MNSPJ announces winners of the Popovich award
Each year, the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists recognizes those who fight for First Amendment rights with the chapter’s Peter S. Popovich Award.
This year, the award goes to a citizens group in Victoria, Minnesota, for their five-year effort to legally compel their City Council to open meetings, follow the law and provide public information to the public.
Ken Goulart, Larry Gubbe, Tom Funk, Alan Kildow, Sonya Braunschweig and a handful of citizens fought City Hall for basic public records like council meeting minutes and email communications. They were challenged and threatened, but they stood their ground and exercised their First Amendment right to speak out, holding the government accountable for its modus operandi of secrecy.
Read a Star Tribune story on the court case.
The group spent upwards of $20,000 of their own money, filed 21 Data Practices Act requests and spent thousands of hours researching records, filing requests for information, issuing correspondence and attending council meetings. When they were met with continued resistance from City Hall, the Victoria citizens took their battle to court and won a resounding victory with an order that showed four council members intentionally violated the Open Meeting Law 38 times.
In her ruling, Judge Janet Barke Cain said of the city officials: “The defendants express their ignorance of the OML to a degree this court finds shameful with regard to their duty to the public.”
The case will help journalists in Minnesota in that it serves as a warning to those who would flout the Open Meeting Law that violations will be taken seriously and that those who break the law will face consequences.
The group will accept the award and speak at this year’s MNSPJ Page One Awards banquet on June 14.
MNSPJ seeks board candidates
MNSPJ is seeking candidates for the 2018-19 board year. Join us!
The chapter is led by a diverse, volunteer board of media professionals, past and present, who are driven by a desire to promote and protect quality journalism and the public’s right to know.
This year’s election will begin on June 20, with candidate statements due by June 15. Results of this year’s election will be announced at the MNSPJ annual meeting in July.
Any member in good standing with the Society of Professional Journalists can run for office. Interested candidates should send a biography and short statement of candidacy to minnesota.spj@gmail.com by June 15.
Questions can be directed to MNSPJ president-elect Joe Spear at jspear@mankatofreepress.com.
Join us for the MNSPJ Page One Awards
Tickets are available now for the 2018 Page One Awards, which will celebrate the best in Minnesota journalism.
Christopher Ingraham, a Washington Post reporter with an affinity for odd, off-the-beaten-path datasets, will be the keynote speaker. He expertly uses data to break down knotty topics, including gun policy.
In 2015, Chris attained upper Midwestern notoriety after reporting on a USDA report that ranked Red Lake County, Minnesota dead last in the nation for “natural amenities.” He subsequently visited the county at the invite of a local businessman, fell in love with the region, and moved there with his family the following year. He’s working on a book about the experience.
The Page One Awards will recognize the state’s top journalists, with awards for investigative reporting, beat reporting and story of the year.
Buy tickets to the banquet here.
Date: Thursday, June 14
Location: Town & Country Club
Town & Country Club
(300 Mississippi River Blvd. N., St. Paul, Minn.)
Time:
Reception begins at 5:30 p.m.
Dinner served at 7:00 p.m.
MNSPJ opposes restrictions to cameras in courts
The Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists supports the Minnesota Supreme Court in its efforts to bring the sound and pictures of the courtroom into the homes of all Minnesotans.
On April 25, the court will take public testimony on an advisory committee’s proposal it make permanent a pilot program allowing cameras to cover some sentencings in courtrooms. Until the pilot program, the public had little or no access via pictures and sound to one of the most important branches of government — the one that can give or take away a citizen’s freedom.
The pilot program has proven to not only shed light on the taxpayer-funded justice system, but shown that transparency does no harm to the administration of justice or victims of crime. It has only given the people more insight into the emotions, complications and humanity that plays out in Minnesota courtrooms every day.
The Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists supports this hard-fought First Amendment right and opposes those at the Minnesota Legislature who would favor restricting how public audiences can see court proceedings.
We oppose ill-advised legislation that would shut down access to information that shows how the justice system works and return to a blackout system in Minnesota courtrooms.
We strongly disagree with DFL and GOP members of the House of Representatives Public Safety Committee who favored including the bill in final omnibus legislation that would also be problematic to the Minnesota Constitutional separation of powers, as outlined by the objections of the Minnesota State Bar Association.
Testimony at the public safety committee hearing on this bill was flawed, suggesting victims would no longer come forward should cameras be allowed. Those testifying provided no evidence to back up their claims. Under the current pilot program and the one proposed, victims cannot be photographed or recorded without their written consent.
Minnesota is far behind the transparency in government curve compared to our neighboring states, who all allow cameras in nearly all court proceedings while Minnesota’s plan allows cameras only after a verdict has been rendered.
The Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists holds the belief that camera access in courts equates to public access.
Signed:
Jenna Ross, MNSPJ president
Joe Spear, MNSPJ president-elect
Hal Davis, MNSPJ, FOIA committee
For more information, contact:
Joe Spear
Managing Editor
The Free Press
Mankato Magazine
Minnesota Valley Business
Free Press Media
507-344-6382
jspear@mankatofreepress.com
Twitter @jfspear
Managing Editor
The Free Press
Mankato Magazine
Minnesota Valley Business
Free Press Media
507-344-6382
jspear@mankatofreepress.com
Twitter @jfspear
