2011 Sunshine State Awards Honor Florida’s Best Journalism

HOLLYWOOD, Fla., June 11, 2011 – An Orlando Sentinel night police reporter in his first year as a journalist won top honors Saturday in the 2011 Sunshine State Awards. The statewide journalism competition, which recognizes Florida’s best work of 2010, is presented by the Society of Professional Journalists’ South Florida Chapter. The awards were presented in a ceremony at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel.

Orlando Sentinel rookie reporter Jeff Weiner upheld the best tradition of journalism by uncovering government abuse of power, earning him the James K. Batten Award for Public Service. In his series Criminal Barbering, Weiner showed the Orange County Sheriff’s Office circumvented the law by teaming with the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation to conduct warrantless searches of barbershops owned by blacks and Hispanics in a drug and weapons crackdown. The story resulted in dismissal of three state officials, several state investigations and calls for a federal probe of civil-rights violations.

Michael LaForgia, of The Palm Beach Post, captured the Gene Miller Award for Investigative Reporting for his stories on sex offenders and other felons who ran camps for homeless kids. LaForgia ran background checks on the people operating taxpayer-funded summer camps serving some of the community’s most vulnerable children.

In this year’s competition, more than 600 entries – from print, television, radio and online media – were evaluated by news professionals in other states. The Orlando Sentinel took home the most first-place honors, claiming 12 of the 65 awards. The Miami Herald (five first-place awards) and Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers (four) rounded out the top three finishers.

View the complete list of competition results here.

“Despite trying times for our profession, the daily work of Florida journalists continues to serve citizens well,” said Michael Koretzky, president of SPJ South Florida.

SPJ South Florida also partnered with The Florida College Press Association to present a competition for student journalists. Winners were announced in 12 categories. Eckerd College’s student newspaper, The Current, earned three first-place awards, including Best College Newspaper. University of Florida journalism student Rebekah Shepherd was named College Journalist of the Year.

View the complete list of FCPA competition results here.

The event sponsors of the 2011 Sunshine State Awards are Greenberg Traurig and The Betsy Hotel.

The Society of Professional Journalists is the oldest and largest professional journalism organization in the country. SPJ’s South Florida Pro Chapter, which serves journalists in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe Counties, was named 2010 Chapter of the Year. Net proceeds from the chapter’s Sunshine State Awards competition support scholarships for high school and college students and professional development opportunities for working journalists.

More on the 17th annual Sunshine State Awards competition…

FORT LAUDERDALE – BrowardBulldog.org celebrated its first year of operation in style Tuesday evening at YOLO in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Attended by nearly 100 friends and supporters, the online newspaper’s first fundraising event raised more than $10,000 to help pay for additional reporters, photography and expanded coverage.

“The backing and encouragement of our many supporters is very much appreciated, as we all realize how important the presence of quality journalism is to our community,” said Kevin Boyd, chair of BrowardBulldog’s Board of Directors. “Having these experienced and ethical journalists working in Broward County will do much to encourage the checks and balances needed to ensure a high quality of life and stability in our community.”

BrowardBulldog.org is a nonprofit investigative news site dedicated to reporting in the public interest. As traditional media falter because of declining revenues, a new model of journalism is emerging. By shifting to nonprofit public media where news is supported by memberships, sponsorships and grants, reporters are free to pursue those issues of most importance to the community.

“Journalism is essential to a properly functioning democracy – that’s not a motto, it’s the truth. Our mission is to write the stories that are going uncovered because of lack of resources and changing priorities in our area’s traditional newsrooms,” said Dan Christensen, BrowardBulldog.org’s founder and editor. “We are filling that gap with original, in-depth reporting to give Broward County residents critical information they need.”

The event was also the official launch of a redesigned website. BrowardBulldog.org has a new look and features making it easier to navigate and engage readers. The new design includes a feature story, friendlier links to social media and search functions.

Among new additions to the site is advertising to support BrowardBulldog.org, and “See Click Fix,” a service that helps readers identify problems in their neighborhoods that government officials should fix or repair.

The site has racked up some impressive numbers for an independent newcomer. In its first year, BrowardBulldog.org can boast 1.5 million hits and more than 425,000 page views. The site is drawing more than 8000 unique IPs each month and should grow quickly with the introduction of sharing tools.

As always, the new site will contain the same vigilant watchdog journalism that has distinguished BrowardBulldog.org as one of the top investigative news websites in South Florida.

“Successful entrepreneurial news takes more than excellent reporting,” said Kevin Davis, CEO for the Investigative News Network. “It takes patience, a good business plan, and the ability to tap into local support. BrowardBulldog.org is an excellent example of the non-profit journalism revolution happening across the country and throughout our Network.”

Palm Beach billionaire Jeff Greene accused The Miami Herald and St. Petersburg Times in a libel lawsuit filed Wednesday of orchestrating a “plan to assassinate [his] character” that cost him the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate in Florida…

Program topics include Journalism Next, Secrets to Personal Branding, and Business Reporting for Non-Business Journalists. And there’s much more!

Early registration for SPJ professional members is $185. That deal ends Sept. 8!

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“My warmest thanks to ICCAS, which welcomed me in May and made me a member of a very special family,” said Tamayo. “As I return to full-time reporting and writing, I know that my experience at ICCAS will help me to better understand Cuba issues.”

“We greatly appreciate Tamayo’s many and valuable contributions during his time with us, and wish him well in his new duties,” said Jaime Suchlicki, Director of ICCAS. “The door is always open for Tamayo to return.”

Reproduced from ICCAS news release issued on Thursday, November 5, 2009.

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