WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - Aug 29, 2014) - Finalists for the 2014 Online Journalism Awards, representing a wide range of nonprofit, public, academic, major media, and emerging technology organizations from around the globe, were announced today by the Online News Association.
This year, the OJA categories were updated to keep up with the rapidly evolving media industry with new data journalism and enhanced investigative awards. Ten of the awards now come with a total of $52,500 in prize money, courtesy of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Gannett Foundation, and the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. These awards honor data journalism, visual digital storytelling, investigative journalism, public service, technical innovation, and general excellence.
"In case there was any doubt, this year's finalists demonstrate that digital journalism isn't just bells and whistles, which some think of when they think 'digital,'" said Joshua Hatch, ONA Board member and Online Journalism Awards Committee Chair. "Judges saw works of original and innovative journalism that truly had no broadcast or print analogue. It's clear that when journalists go all in on digital, they create completely new and engaging ways to tell stories and inform readers."
A group of 60 industry-leading journalists and new media professionals teamed up to screen entrants and select semi-finalists. Twelve judges, representing a diverse cross-section of the industry, then conferred to determine finalists and winners from independent, community, nonprofit, major media, start-up, and international news sites.
The results will be announced at the 2014 ONA Conference and Online Journalism Awards Banquet on Saturday, Sept. 27, in Chicago.
The finalists, many pushing the envelope of innovation and excellence in digital storytelling and distribution, are:
KNIGHT AWARD FOR PUBLIC SERVICE
- Deadly Delays, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
- Earthquake Preparedness in Southern California, Los Angeles Times
- Innocents Lost: A Miami Herald I-Team Investigation, The Miami Herald
- Rape in the Fields, The Center for Investigative Reporting, Investigative Reporting Program at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, FRONTLINE and Univision
- Segregation Now, ProPublica
- Shadow Campus: A Globe Spotlight Investigation, BostonGlobe.com / The Boston Globe
GENERAL EXCELLENCE IN ONLINE JOURNALISM, SMALL
- minnpost.com, MinnPost
- publicintegrity.org, The Center for Public Integrity
- texastribune.com, The Texas Tribune
GENERAL EXCELLENCE IN ONLINE JOURNALISM, MEDIUM
- motherjones.com, Mother Jones
- news.stlpublicradio.org, St. Louis Public Radio
- propublica.org, ProPublica
- qz.com, Quartz
GENERAL EXCELLENCE IN ONLINE JOURNALISM, LARGE
- latimes.com, Los Angeles Times
- npr.org, NPR.org
- nytimes.com, The New York Times
- washingtonpost.com, The Washington Post
- wsj.com, The Wall Street Journal
GANNETT FOUNDATION AWARD FOR TECHNICAL INNOVATION IN THE SERVICE OF DIGITAL JOURNALISM
- Journalists' Toolbox, Northwestern University Knight Lab
- Quartz Chartbuilder, Quartz
- Tabula, Mozilla OpenNews, ProPublica, and LA NACIÓN (Argentina)
BREAKING NEWS, SMALL
- No finalists
BREAKING NEWS, MEDIUM
- Alberta Floods, Calgary Herald
- Atlanta Winter Storm, WSB-TV: Channel 2 Action News / wsbtv.com
- Lac-Mégantic Explosion, CBC Montreal
BREAKING NEWS, LARGE
- Oso Landslide, The Seattle Times
- Yarnell Hill Fire, Republic Media: Arizona Republic / 12 News / azcentral.com
PLANNED NEWS/EVENTS, SMALL
- 31 Days, 31 Ways, The Texas Tribune
- After the Meltdown, The Center for Public Integrity
PLANNED NEWS/EVENTS, MEDIUM
- Boston's Mayoral Race: Square by Square, WBUR
- Newtown: One Year After, Mother Jones
PLANNED NEWS/EVENTS, LARGE
- 2013 Legislative Elections in Argentina, LA NACIÓN (Argentina)
- NYC 2013: The Race for Mayor, The New York Times
- Sochi Olympics, The New York Times
- Superstorm Sandy, Newsday / Newsday.com
- World Chess Championship 2013, VG
EXPLANATORY REPORTING, SMALL
- Battle for the Airwaves & Broadband, The Center for Public Integrity
- InfoGuide: China's Maritime Disputes, Council on Foreign Relations
- Oakland Police Beat, Oakland Police Beat
- ReBuilding Haiti, The Pixel Hunt, The European Journalism Centre
EXPLANATORY REPORTING, MEDIUM
- Breaking the Silence, The Baltimore Sun
- China's Memory Hole, ProPublica
- Segregation Now, ProPublica
- The Heartbleed Hit List, Mashable
EXPLANATORY REPORTING, LARGE
- How America Gets By, Al Jazeera America
- How Detroit Went Broke, Detroit Free Press
- Planet Money Makes A T-Shirt, NPR
- Privacy and Information Security, Al Jazeera America
- Sea Change: The Pacific's Perilous Turn, The Seattle Times
TOPICAL REPORTING, SMALL
- Environment Reporting - Sam Evans-Brown, Reporter, New Hampshire Public Radio
- Texas Abortion Filibuster, The Texas Tribune
TOPICAL REPORTING, MEDIUM
- Betrayed by Silence, MPR News
- Guns Reporting, Mother Jones
- ProPublica's Health Care Coverage, ProPublica
TOPICAL REPORTING, LARGE
- Cell-phone Snooping by Local Law Enforcement, USA TODAY / Gannett
- Paying Till It Hurts, The New York Times
- Supplement Shell Game: The People Behind Risky Pills, USA TODAY
- Surveillance, ProPublica and The New York Times
ONLINE COMMENTARY, SMALL
- Desk Rants, Commentary by Eugene Robinson, OZY Media
- Susie Cagle's Illustrated Commentary at Medium, Susie Cagle
ONLINE COMMENTARY, MEDIUM
- Exoneree Diaries, WBEZ, Chicago Public Media
- Sarah Lazarovic, Maclean's
- Six Words, ProPublica
ONLINE COMMENTARY, LARGE
- Code Switch, NPR
- The Upshot, The New York Times
FEATURE, SMALL
- How Washington Starves Its Election Watchdog, The Center for Public Integrity
- Myanmar Emerges, GlobalPost
- On My Block: Voices From District One, KUT Austin
- The Good Life: The Movement that Changed Maine, BDN Maine
FEATURE, MEDIUM
- Running in Place: Education in Indian Country, Education Week
- Segregation Now, ProPublica
- The Ballad of Kiwi Gardner, Mashable
- Wild Horses In Crisis, Oregon Public Broadcasting
FEATURE, LARGE
- Last Days of a Storm Chaser, National Geographic Magazine
- Planet Money Makes A T-Shirt, NPR
- Refuge: 18 Stories of the Syrian Exodus, The Washington Post
- A Short History of the Highrise, The New York Times
- The Lobotomy Files, The Wall Street Journal
STUDENT PROJECTS, SMALL
- Fearless, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
- Return to Elwha, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
- What is Home?, University of Miami
STUDENT PROJECTS, LARGE
- Battling Meth: A Mother's Road to Recovery, Center for Sustainable Journalism at Kennesaw State University
- DenseCity, NYCity News Service and CUNY Graduate School of Journalism
- News 21: Back Home, Carnegie-Knight News21, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University
THE AL NEUHARTH INNOVATION IN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM AWARD, SMALL
- No finalists
THE AL NEUHARTH INNOVATION IN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM AWARD, MEDIUM
- Overdose, ProPublica
- Sex Predators Unleashed, South Florida Sun Sentinel
- Temp Land, ProPublica
THE AL NEUHARTH INNOVATION IN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM AWARD, LARGE
- Argentina's Senate Expenses 2004-2014, Part II, LA NACIÓN (Argentina)
- China Leaks, The Center for Public Integrity's International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
- Deadly Delays, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
- Fugitives Next Door, USA TODAY / Gannett Digital
- Innocents Lost: A Miami Herald I-Team Investigation, The Miami Herald
- Opening and Reporting on Public Officials Salaries and Assets in Argentina, LA NACIÓN (Argentina)
EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION IN VISUAL DIGITAL STORYTELLING, SMALL
EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION IN VISUAL DIGITAL STORYTELLING, MEDIUM
- Proof: For Many Rape Victims in Maine, Justice Comes Only From Being Believed, BDN Maine
- Segregation Now, ProPublica
- Thin Ice: Exploring Mount Hood's Secret World, Oregon Public Broadcasting
EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION IN VISUAL DIGITAL STORYTELLING, LARGE
- Borderland, NPR and The Center for Investigative Reporting
- National Geographic's Visual Digital Storytelling, National Geographic Magazine
- Planet Money Makes A T-Shirt, NPR
- Reshaping New York, The New York Times
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA AWARD IN INVESTIGATIVE DATA JOURNALISM, SMALL/MEDIUM
- Betrayed by Silence, MPR News
- ER Wait Watcher, ProPublica
- Fatal Care: Foster Care Tragedies Cloaked in Secrecy, The Edmonton Journal and Calgary Herald
- Puppet States: Where the Money Went, The Center for Public Integrity
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA AWARD IN INVESTIGATIVE DATA JOURNALISM, LARGE
- Deadly Delays, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
- Fugitives Next Door, USA TODAY / Gannett Digital
- Homes for the Taking: Liens, Loss and Profiteers, The Washington Post
- Opening and Reporting on Public Officials Salaries and Assets in Argentina, LA NACIÓN (Argentina)
The judges for the final round of this year's awards were:
- Kenan Davis, Interactive Journalist, Guardian US
- Kat Downs, Director of Graphics, The Washington Post
- Tyson Evans, Deputy Editor for Interactive News, The New York Times
- Rich Jaroslovsky, Vice President for Content, SmartNews, Inc., and ONA Founding Member
- Scott Klein, Assistant Managing Editor, ProPublica
- Martin Kotynek, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, The Zeit
- Doug Mitchell, Consultant/Project Manager, NPR
- Tasneem Raja, Interactive Editor, Mother Jones
- Momi Peralta Ramos, Data Project Manager and Multimedia Development Manager, LA NACIÓN (Argentina)
- Hari Sreenivasan, Correspondent/Anchor, PBS NewsHour
- Lam Thuy Vo, Interactive Editor, Al Jazeera America
- Ben Welsh, Database Producer, Los Angeles Times
Launched in 2000, the OJAs are the only comprehensive set of journalism prizes honoring excellence in digital journalism. Tickets to the OJA Banquet, where winners will be announced Sept. 27, are available here.
About ONA
The Online News Association is the world's largest association of online journalists. ONA's mission is to inspire innovation and excellence among journalists to better serve the public. The membership includes news writers, producers, designers, editors, bloggers, technologists, photographers, academics, students and others who produce and distribute news for digital delivery systems. ONA also hosts the annual Online News Association annual conference and administers the Online Journalism Awards.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit knightfoundation.org
About the Gannett Foundation
The Gannett Foundation is a corporate foundation sponsored by Gannett Co., Inc. whose mission is to invest in the future of the communities in which Gannett does business, and in the future of our industry. It supports projects that take a creative approach to fundamental issues such as education and neighborhood improvement, economic development, youth development, community problem-solving, assistance to disadvantaged people, environmental conservation and cultural enrichment.
About the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications
The University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications is driving innovation and engagement across the disciplines of advertising, journalism, public relations and telecommunication. The strength of its programs, faculty, students and alumni -- in research and in practice -- has earned the college ongoing recognition as one of the best in the nation among its peers. The college offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees and certificates, both online and on campus. The college's strength is drawn from both academic rigor and experiential learning. CJC students have the opportunity to gain practical experience in the Innovation News Center, which generates content across multiple platforms, and a strategic communication agency that will begin operation in Fall 2014. The college includes seven broadcast and digital media properties and the nation's only program in public interest communications.
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