2022 Golden Press Card: Newspapers (Small) - East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists

Here are the 2022 Golden Press Card winners in the Newspaper (Small) categories. The entries were judged by the Hawaii SPJ Pro Chapter.

SERIES/PACKAGE/PROJECT WRITING (Newspaper – Small)

First Place
Contestant Name: BLANK Newspaper
Entry Title: Forever Crunk: Brandon Gibson’s lasting legacy lives at the intersection of philanthropy and fun
Entry Credit: Please see above comments
Links: See entry
Judge Comments: Brandon Gibson was JOY. I didn’t need to know that he was a singer, emcee, performer, writer, you name it. The collection of memorials from friends kept me interested in his ability to be every aspect of a friend. I could almost hear him talk. April Hill talked about being in his presence: It was like you just ate the most perfect bite of food you’ve ever had. The glow, the effervescence, the buoyancy of his joy – he was magnetic. It felt so good to read this package.

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING (Newspaper – Small)

First Place
Contestant Name: The Crossville Chronicle
Entry Title: Heather Mullinix-Village Inn
Entry Credit: Heather Mullinix
Links: See entry, See entry, See entry, See entry, See entry
Judge Comments: Not getting answers from city officials about drama at City Hall, this reporter filed public records requests and was thus able to tell an important back story about problems at a low-income housing facility that led to the resignation of the city manager. Nicely done.

SPORTS REPORTING (Newspaper – Small)

First Place
Contestant Name: BLANK Newspaper
Entry Title: The BLANK guide to the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Entry Credit: Matt Rankin
Links: See entry
Judge Comments: Excellent. I have never seen news media devote so much space and information to the World Cup in a language that a normal person could understand. Good job.

PERSONAL COLUMNS/REVIEW/CRITICISM (Newspaper – Small)

First Place
Contestant Name: BLANK Newspaper
Entry Title: A final farewell – Reflections of the loss, love and life of a mother
Entry Credit: Steve Wildsmith
Links:
Judge Comments: What a nice tribute to his mom. She wasn’t perfect but she tried her best. Sounds like many moms. They tried their best. What more could any of us ask for? Nice job.

PERSONAL COLUMNS/REVIEW/CRITICISM (Newspaper – Small)

Second Place
Contestant Name: BLANK Newspaper
Entry Title: One for the ages
Entry Credit: William Wright
Links: See entry
Judge Comments: I had to read this column three times to make sure I wasn’t missing something. Yes, sports make people do things they ordinarily wouldn’t do – especially when the win is so dramatic and last minute like this one was. This award is not one for the ages. It is what it is.

GENERAL REPORTING (Newspaper – Small)

First Place
Contestant Name: BLANK Newspaper
Entry Title: Knoxville’s radio godfather’s lifelong love affair with WUTK keeps ‘The Rock’ rolling
Entry Credit: Steve Wildsmith
Links: See entry
Judge Comments: This sweet story just rolls off the page, the lyrical writing style making us see – and hear! – the characters that fill this informative work Excellent job!

FEATURE REPORTING (Newspaper – Small)

First Place
Contestant Name: The Crossville Chronicle
Entry Title: Heather Mullinix
Entry Credit: Heather Mullinix
Links:
Judge Comments: Heather Mullinix grabs you with a riveting lede about a man who was badly hurt and thought he was dying, and then never let’s go of your emotions and your attention. Tight and clean writing with just the right number of details and descriptions build the drama. This reporter knows what questions to ask and how to listen because the quotes are so compelling. I am sure I was not the only reader who was fully engaged to the last graf.

FEATURE REPORTING (Newspaper – Small)

Second Place
Contestant Name: BLANK Newspaper
Entry Title: Pitch perfect
Entry Credit: Matt Rankin
Links: See entry
Judge Comments: Matt Rankin also did a fine job by starting with a single soccer match and branching into many interesting topics, including growing local interest in soccer, recent crimes that connected with the match, the actions of the fans that day, and varied background on a new semi-professional soccer league and its teams. Readers are left with a lot more than just the score and the game highlights.