The Houston Chronicle's coverage of Hurricane Harvey is a finalist for breaking news honors in the prestigious 65th Scripps Howard Awards, up against two other media powerhouses: The San Francisco Chronicle and The Press Democrat, both selected for coverage of wildfires in North Carolina.
Journalists covering those events spent days in the midst of tragedy — hours interviewing victims, surveying and chronicling damage, and advising news consumers on how to stay safe. Their work told the tales of the losses and the coming together of communities in need.
They weren't alone in their quests to inform the public during a busy year of news. The Washington Post leads news organizations receiving recognition from the judges of the 65th Annual Scripps Howard Awards, with five of its entries selected as finalists.
Also earning finalist spots with the Scripps Howard Awards, presented by the Scripps Howard Foundation and The E.W. Scripps Company, are:
Breaking News:
Houston Chronicle – “Hurricane Harvey: Houston’s Reckoning”
San Francisco Chronicle – “Wine Country Fires”
The Press Democrat – “Northern California Wildfires”
Broadcast – Local Coverage:
WCPO – “Policing Their Own”
WFAA TV – “Criminal Caretakers”
WXIA 11Alive Atlanta – “The Drug Whisperer”
Broadcast – National, International Coverage:
CBS News – “Ambush in Niger”
CNN – “Passports in the Shadows”
FRONTLINE PBS – “Last Days of Solitary”
Business/Financial Reporting:
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – “Mexico Blackouts”
Reuters – “The Body Trade”
The Post and Courier – “Stickin’ With the Pig: A Tale of Loyalty and Loss”
Community Journalism:
Bristol Herald Courier – “Addicted at Birth”
Capital News Service – “Home Sick”
The Frontier – “Shadow Land: How Rape Stays Hidden in Oklahoma”
Environmental Reporting:
FRONTLINE PBS – “War on the EPA”
The Oregonian/OregonLive – “The Loneliest Polar Bear”
Univision News Digital – “Life in the Eye of the Hurricane”
First Amendment:
Malheur Enterprise – “Deadly Decisions – The Fight for Records”
Orlando Sentinel – “Schools Without Rules”
The Kansas City Star – “Why So Secret, Kansas?”
Human Interest Storytelling:
CBS News – “60 Minutes”: “The Wounds of War”
The Washington Post – “Disabled America”
The Washington Post – “Children and Gun Violence”
Innovation:
Arizona Republic with the USA Today Network – “The Wall”
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists – “Paradise Papers: Secrets of the Global Elite”
The New York Times – “Blockbuster Videos”
Investigative Reporting:
The New York Times – “Harassed”
The Washington Post – “Roy Moore”
The Washington Post and “60 Minutes” – “DEA/The Whistleblower”
Multimedia Journalism:
GateHouse Media – “In the Shadow of Wind Farms”
Tampa Bay Times – “Why Cops Shoot”
The Washington Post – “Sin Luz: Life Without Power”
Opinion:
Alabama Media Group – “Stand for Decency, Reject Roy Moore”
Los Angeles Times – “Our Dishonest President”
The Kansas City Star – Melinda Henneberger Commentary from The Kansas City Star
Radio/Podcast:
NPR – Rough Translation’s “The Congo We Listen To”
WBEZ – “The View From Room 205”
WNIN-FM – “A Scar on the System – The Case of Albert Fink”
Topic of the Year – Divided America:
InsideClimate News – “Finding Middle Ground: Conversations Across America”
ProPublica – “Documenting Hate”
VICE News – “Charlottesville: Race & Terror”
Visual Journalism:
British Broadcasting Corporation – Darren Conway
Los Angeles Daily News – Hans Gutknecht, “I Am Homeless”
San Francisco Chronicle – Leah Mills
Winners of the Scripps Howard Awards will be announced March 6 via live streams on Facebook and YouTube. An awards ceremony is scheduled for April 19 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Congratulations to all of the finalists for the 2017 #ScrippsHowardAwards! Tune in on March 6 as we announce the winners via a live stream on Facebook and YouTube and join us for the awards show in Cincinnati on April 19. pic.twitter.com/KiPDCqkmU9
— ScrippsHowardAwards (@SH_Awards) February 27, 2018