61st annual excellence in journalism awards gala
S at u r d ay, j u ly 2 7, 2 01 9 NOPSI Hotel
order of ceremony ________________
Welcome President’s Remarks Melanie Warner Spencer, Renaissance Publishing Master of Ceremonies PJ Morton Special Presentation Lifetime Achievement Recipient Frank Donze, The Times-Picayune Lifetime Achievement Recipient Joe Duke, Loyola University New Orleans Presentation of Scholarships Silver Scribe Announcement Special Awards Presentation
Thank You to Our Sponsors! Bayou Rum, Copa Airlines, NOPSI Hotel, Porchjam, Renaissance Publishing and Stoli Vodka
A Word From Our President ________________________
Welcome to the 61st Annual Excellence in Journalism
Awards Gala. Serving as your president for the past year has been an honor and the best kind of challenge. In that time, the board of directors and I have focused on fundraising initiatives and updated our bylaws to better reflect the way the board operates and to better serve members. We’ve also created several approaches to grow our membership ranks and better communicate with members. Additionally, we continue to work toward creating an endowment and increasing our scholarship award monies. Finally, we have partnered with other media organizations, both nationally and locally — including the Investigative Reporters and Editors association for our journalist members and PRAL for our PR members — to bring more programming and networking opportunities to our members. We’ll continue these efforts in the coming year, and I look forward to tackling new challenges that come our way. The awards contest is on a five-year run of at least 500 entries a year — the best five year run in Press Club history. It’s so satisfying to see the momentum and we have all of you to thank for it. So thank you! The vast number of entries makes the competition fiercer than ever, so if you are a nominee tonight, be proud of the accomplishment and good luck. Tonight, we honor two incredible journalists with our Lifetime Achievement Awards: Joe Duke, whose influence in journalism reaches all over the country and continues to this day; and Frank Donze, whom we honor posthumously and whose loss our community continues to feel. Both gentlemen are so deserving of the accolades, and we look forward to looking at their storied careers and celebrating them this evening. Your PCNO board works hard all year long to create events, programming and content that engages, informs and, yes, sometimes entertains. We hope tonight offers up all of those things and that you have a great time. Thank you for joining us. Cheers! Melanie Warner Spencer President, Press Club of New Orleans 2019-2020
Melanie Warner Spencer is an editor at Renaissance Publishing and oversees Louisiana Life, Acadiana Profile, New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles, New Orleans Bride and Acadiana Weddings. She also contributes to Biz New Orleans and New Orleans Magazine, is editor of the “Let Them Eat Cake,” and “Full Sport Press” blogs at myneworleans. com, a regular guest expert on WWL-TV Channel 4’s WUPL “Morning Show” and a fine art and editorial photographer. Her photography has been widely published and has appeared in juried and group exhibitions throughout the South. She has won multiple awards from the International and Regional Magazine Association, the Press Club of New Orleans, the Texas Press Association and for various juried fine art exhibitions. Over Spencer’s nearly 20-year career, she has served as a staff reporter and columnist at the Austin American-Statesman, senior reporter at The Houston Chronicle, editor-in-chief of Houston Modern Luxury Brides and once spent an exhilarating year as a stringer for Reuters.
about us ________
In 1957, ne arly 100 journalists and public rel ations
PAST PRESIDENTS
professionals gathered in modest quarters in the 200 block of Camp Street to organize the Press Club of New Orleans. The goal of the group was to promote and improve the field of journalism and its related professions through professional development. Today, Press Club activities include the professional, the educational and the social. The club’s 300-plus members represent every level of their fields.
2016-2018 Doug Mouton 2013-2016 Kevin Mumphrey 2010-2013 Christian Moises 2008-2010 Greg Shepperd 2006-2008 Rob Nelson 2003-2006 Dominic Massa 2001-2003 Belinda Hernandez 1999-2001 Matt Scallan 1998-1999 Rich Collins
bOard of Directors, 2018-19 OFFICERS
Melanie Warner Spencer President Renaissance Publishing David T. Baker 1st Vice President The Louisiana Weekly Mona Duffel Jones 2nd Vice President Duffel & Associates Doug Mouton Past President WWL-TV
PUBLIC RELATIONS
1997-1998 Mark Schleifstein 1997 Sam Moore 1995-1997 Jeffrey Meitrodt 1994-1995 S. Lee Alexander
Amy Barrios Multimedia Solutions
1992-1994 Kathy Finn
Greg Buisson Buisson Creative
1989-1990 Kit Gorman
Brittany Cruickshank DEVENEY
1986-1988 Warren Bell
Larry Lovell Peter A. Mayer
1984-1985 Larry Lorenz
1990-1992 Mark Schleifstein 1988-1989 Bob Pavlovich 1985-1986 Randy Callendar 1983-1984 Joe Puglia 1982-1983 Clancy DuBos
journalism EDUCATION
Laura Jayne Loyola University
MEDIA
Chris Finch WVUE Fox 8
1980-1982 Tom Bell 1979-1980 Hal Ledet 1977-1979 Ed Anderson 1976-1977 Guy King 1975-1976 Arnold Porsch 1973-1975 Clarence Doucet 1972-1973 Fritz Harsdorff
Mark Schleifstein The Times-Picayune | Nola.com
1970-1972 Jack Dempsey
Gina Swanson WDSU-TV
1966-1967 Del Hall
1968-1970 Mike Lala 1967-1968 Bill Madden 1965-1966 Fritz Harsdorff 1964-1965 Emile Comar 1963-1964 Jerry Romig 1962-1963 Howard Jacobs 1961-1962 Bob Roesler 1960-1961 Alex Waller 1959-1960 Bill Madden
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @PressClubNOLA. Please use hashtag #nolapressclubawards.
1958-1959 Emile Comar 1957-1958 Gabriel Gelb
master of ceremony __________________
PJ Morton founder of morton records
GRAMMY® Award- and Dove® Award-winning singer,
songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, Morton Records founder, and Maroon 5 keyboardist PJ Morton quietly, independently, and humbly secured his position at the forefront of 21st century soul and R&B. Recorded live and released under Morton Records, “Gumbo Unplugged” garnered a 2019 GRAMMY in the category of “Best Traditional R&B Performance” for “How Deep Is Your Love” [feat. Yebba] among three nominations. His total back-to-back tally of solo nominations is now five. A week prior, he walked on to the world’s biggest stage for a historic performance alongside Maroon 5 at Super Bowl LIII. Throughout 2018, he composed the score for YouTube Premium’s “Champaign ILL” and penned the theme to OWN’s “Ready to Love.” He wrapped up a holiday album, “Christmas With PJ Morton,” which Entertainment Weekly dubbed “this year’s surprise stocking stuffer.” Selling out gigs everywhere from Spain and Japan to Seoul, Korea, he touched down on four continents during the six-month “Gumbo” World Tour. Plus, he grew the roster of Morton Records by way of flagship signings The Amours and producer Erick Bardales. In 2017, “Gumbo” bowed in the Top 10 of the Billboard Heatseekers Albums Chart. Generating over 30 million cumulative streams in under three years, he regularly averages over half-a-million monthly listeners on Spotify. In 2014, Morton’s 2013 release “New Orleans” received a GRAMMY Award nomination. In addition to figuring prominently on Maroon 5’s multiplatinum “Overexposed,” “V,” and “Red Pill Blues,” he has written and produced for everybody from BJ The Chicago Kid, Jermaine Dupri, and Jazmine Sullivan to Monica and India.Arie, winning a GRAMMY® for the latter in 2008. His compositions have popped up in films such as “Couples Retreat.” He has received Dove and Stellar Awards, published his literary debut “Why Can’t I Sing About Love?” in 2009, and become music director for Solange following the release of her opus “A Seat At The Table.”
lifetime achievement award _________________________
Frank Donze The Times-picayune
Fr ank Donze reported on new orleans are a politics
and its practitioners for The Times-Picayune for more than three decades. He is regarded as the finest local political reporter of his generation. Donze was a lifelong New Orleanian. He graduated from Holy Cross High School and LSU, where he earned a degree in print journalism. He was sports editor of The Daily Reveille, the student-run newspaper and joined The Times-Picayune shortly after graduating. In the summer of 1980, after The Times-Picayune merged with The States-Item, and a network of suburban bureaus was established. Donze was posted to the St. Bernard/Plaquemines Bureau. During his three years there, Donze wrote about federal corruption trials of St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s deputies, and he helped document the downfall of the Perez dynasty, which had controlled Plaquemines Parish for more than a half-century. He was assigned to the newspaper’s main office in 1984. He coordinated City Hall coverage of five mayoral administrations, from Dutch Morial through Mitch Landrieu. Donze led coverage of the awarding of an energy-efficiency contract in 1990s that sent several associates of Mayor Marc H. Morial to prison, and he chronicled the collapse of U.S. Rep. William Jefferson’s political machine and the emergence of the gambling industry in New Orleans. Donze was a member of The Times-Picayune team that won two Pulitzer Prizes, a George Polk Award, a National Headliner Award and the Medill Award for Courage in Journalism for coverage of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. After Donze left the newspaper, he joined the Audubon Nature Institute, taking a job that included cultivating media relations, developing and writing stories, preparing Audubon staffers for interviews and producing segments for the institute’s website and social-media pages. He worked there until his death in November 2018. A former member of the Press Club of New Orleans’ board, Donze was a fellow of Loyola University’s Institute of Politics, where he had been a guest lecturer since 1990. He was married to journalist Elizabeth Finney Donze for 27 years. They have two daughters. We all miss him very much.
lifetime achievement award _________________________
Joe Duke loyola university new orleans
Joe Duk e is a lifelong t v journ alist whose c areer
has spanned four decades. Duke began his career at WBRZ-TV in Baton Rouge after graduating from Louisiana State University. He spent four years at KATC-TV in Lafayette as a reporter/photographer, covering the rise of then-Congressman Edwin Edwards. Duke spent the next 20 years in New Orleans working at WDSUTV, WVUE-TV and WWL-TV, where he was news director for 9 years. He was at the opening of the Superdome, the transit strike of 1975, the police strike of 1979, and the election of the first African-American Mayor, Ernest N. “Dutch” Morial. Duke covered an earthquake in Guatemala, an ocean cruise to Cuba by American Jazz greats such as Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz, and Mohammad Ali training for his fight in the Superdome against Leon Spinks. He supervised coverage of Gov. Edwards’ rise and fall and the fires at the Cabildo and the Fairgrounds grandstand. While he was news director, WWL-TV was nationally recognized for journalism—including a National Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence and a George Foster Peabody Award for Investigative Reporting. Newscasts were expanded to 25 hours a week, including one of the first two-hour morning newscasts in the country. Among the talented people he hired were Hoda Kotb, Karen Swenson and Mike Hoss, Len Cannon, Sandy Breland, David McMamara, Heath Allen, Carl Arrendondo and Michelle Miller. CBS News in New York followed. He was Northeast bureau chief in 1998. Later, he became the marketing director of CBS Newspath, the news service for nearly 200 CBS local affiliates around the country, and was later named director of recruiting. Among his recruits were Jim Acosta and Briana Keillor, both now with CNN; Sharyn Alfonsi, of CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” and Michelle Miller of CBS News. Among his network assignments was coverage of Hurricane Katrina. Duke retired from CBS News in 2010 and returned to New Orleans with his wife, Therese Sehrt Duke. In 2015, he traded the newsroom for the classroom at Loyola University, where he teaches communications writing to eager freshmen. Duke prefers attribution to reporter opinion; simple instead of complex sentences, and substantive reporting over the superficial. “Connect the dots of humanity between victim and viewer,” he tells students.
award categories _______________
Categories are listed in presentation order:
To order a duplicate copy of your first place award, please email the name of the category and honoree’s name to pressclubneworleans@gmail.com. Reprints cost $47.80. No names may be added or replaced on awards. No exceptions.
Television / Best Promotional Campaign Television / Governmental – Political Reporting Television / Best Planned Event Television / Environmental – Science Reporting Print / General News Reporting Print / Environmental - Science Reporting Print / Education Reporting Print / Breaking News Reporting Digital / Sports Blog Digital / Best Use Of Facebook Digital / Best Social Video Public Relations / Social Media Public Relations / Overall Campaign TV Videography / Sports Videography TV Videography / Breaking News Videography TV Videography / General News Videography Still Photography / Feature Photo Still Photography / General News Photo Television / Medical – Health Reporting Television / Best Sports Feature Reporting Television / Lifestyle Reporting Television / Breaking News Reporting Print / Lifestyle Reporting Print / Best Cover Print / Best Sports Feature Print / Investigative Reporting Print / Best Sports Column Print / Medical - Health Reporting Print / Best Layout – Design Print / Best Editorial Radio / Best Radio Story Radio / Best Radio Show TV Videography / Best Video Editing TV Videography / Best Photo Essay Television / Best Talk Show Television / Education Reporting Television / Business Reporting Television / Best Sports Special
Print / Best Editorial Illustration Print / Best Column Print / Continuing Coverage Television / Best Public Affairs Television / Best Documentary Television / Best Sports Show Television / Continuing Coverage Public Relations / Digital Media Public Relations / Special Events Digital / Special Section Digital / Lifestyle Blog Digital / Best News Website Still Photography / Portrait Still Photography / Multi-Feature Photo Digital / Best Use Of Instagram Television / Feature Reporting Television / Best Station Promotion Television / Best Sportscast Television / Investigative Reporting TV Videography / Feature Videography TV Videography / Best Visual Storytelling Print / Business Reporting Print / Feature Reporting Print / Best Magazine Public Relations / Community Relations Public Relations / Public Affairs Digital / News Blog Digital / Best Use Of Twitter Digital / Best Social Media Campaign Print / Best Headline Print / Community News Print / Best Critical Review Print / Governmental - Political Reporting Television / General News Reporting Television / Best On-Air Talent Television / Best Weathercast Television / Best Newscast
judges _______ The judges for this year’s competition are a diverse group. They are peers. They are professionals who gave a lot of their time because they know how important this contest is to the individuals who, likewise, took the time to enter it.
Atlanta Press Club Florida Press Club Houston Press Club Idaho Press Club Los Angeles Press Club Milwaukee Press Club Pittsburgh-The Press Club Of Western Pennsylvania Press Club of Cleveland Press Club of Southeast Texas Press Club of Toledo San Diego Press Club San Francisco-Peninsula Press Club Syracuse Press Club Society of Professional Journalists-Utah Headliners Tulsa Press Club
Following tonight’s presentation, go online for a complete list of winners and comments from the judges. Visit the Press Club of New Orleans’ website at PressClubNewOrleans.org.
press club award finalists _________________________
TELEVISION / BEST PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN
PRINT / ENVIRONMENTAL - SCIENCE REPORTING
Erin Finnegan, Stephen Burke, David Bell • WDSU - TV • “MeTV New Orleans Rockin’ Dopsie”
Katy Reckdahl • The Weather Channel • “A Neighborhood Requiem: Part of Climate Migration Series”
Erin Finnegan, Stephen Burke, David Bell • WDSU - TV • “WDSU Making 300”
Mark Schleifstein, Drew Broach • Nola. com • “Thick Invisible Fog’ over Harahan, River Ridge Raises New Questions about Jefferson Landfill”
WVUE Marketing Staff • WVUE - TV • “Fox 8 Knows NOLA” TELEVISION / GOVERNMENTAL – POLITICAL REPORTING
Chris Slaughter, Travers Mackel • WDSU TV • “Government: Cops Not Practicing What They Preach” Lee Zurik • WVUE - TV • “Spears Investigation” Lee Zurik • WVUE - TV • “Unexcused Absences”
Michael Patrick Welch • 64 Parishes • “Fishing for Answers” PRINT / EDUCATION REPORTING
Marta Jewson • The Lens • “Brady’s Room: One Family Navigates Special Education in New Orleans” Katy Reckdahl • Hechinger Report • “Getting a GED While Still Enrolled in High School” Katy Reckdahl • Hechinger Report • “Held Back, But Not Helped”
TELEVISION / BEST PLANNED EVENT
Akili Franklin, Scott Burke • WDSU - TV • “Election Coverage” Peggy Scott Laborde, Jim Moriarty, Barbara Sillery • WYES - TV • “2018 Rex Ball and Meeting of the Courts of Rex and The Mistick Krewe of Comus” Dominic Massa • WWL - TV • “Bacchus 50th Anniversary Parade” TELEVISION / ENVIRONMENTAL – SCIENCE REPORTING
Juliana Mazza • WDSU - TV • “Jefferson Parish Landfill” John Snell • WVUE - TV • “Coast in Crisis: A Tale of Two Fishermen” Lee Zurik, Tom Wright • WVUE - TV • “Left for Dead”
PRINT / BREAKING NEWS REPORTING
Les East • CrescentCitySports.com • “Tom Benson was a winner and made his teams winners” Alan Smason • Crescent City Jewish News • “Anti-Semitic graffiti removed from NJC temple building” Alan Smason • Crescent City Jewish News • “City Council meets amid rancor, withdraws controversial Resolution R-18-5” DIGITAL / SPORTS BLOG
Les East • CrescentCitySports.com • “Crescent City Sports / Football Blog” Sean Fazende • WVUE - TV • “After Further Review” Chris Price • Biz New Orleans Magazine • “The Pennant Chase”
PRINT / GENERAL NEWS REPORTING
Katy Reckdahl • Next City • “A Divided Neighborhood Comes Together Under an Elevated Expressway” Katy Reckdahl • Splinter News • “The Case of the ‘Perfect’ Undocumented Immigrant” Ramon Antonio Vargas • The Advocate • “Jesuit High Sex Abuse Settlements Kept Quiet; One Victim Speaks Out for First Time”
DIGITAL / BEST USE OF FACEBOOK
Chris Finch • WVUE - TV • “360 Degree View of Carnival” WWL - TV Staff • WWL - TV • “3 dead, 7 injured as bullets sprayed outside popular Daiquiri shop” WWOZ Staff • WWOZ - FM • “WWOZ’s 38th Birthday Celebration”
DIGITAL / BEST SOCIAL VIDEO
Kia Callia • WVUE - TV • “Robert Aquarius: New Orleans Folk Artist” Eric Desrosiers • WDSU - TV • “Skull Scavenger Hunt” Crista Rock • Very Local New Orleans • “The Locals: Gene’s Po-Boys”
STILL PHOTOGRAPHY / FEATURE PHOTO
David Grunfeld • Nola.com • “D-Day Commemoration at the National WWII Museum” David Grunfeld • Nola.com • “Streetcar Reflection” Scott Threlkeld • The Advocate • “Fire and Light”
PUBLIC RELATIONS / SOCIAL MEDIA
Betsie Gambel, Staff • Gambel Communications • “Children’s Hospital Jazz Half Marathon & 5K Social Media”
STILL PHOTOGRAPHY / GENERAL NEWS PHOTO
Sophia Germer • The Advocate • “Lawanda ‘Tooti’ St. Sauveur Hugs a Friend”
Betsie Gambel, Staff • Gambel Communications • “Tall Ships New Orleans”
David Grunfeld • Nola.com • “Frozen Interstate”
Karen Hales, Melissa Izor • markit360 • “Social Media Campaign”
David Grunfeld • Nola.com • “Treme Double Homicide”
PUBLIC RELATIONS / OVERALL CAMPAIGN
TELEVISION / MEDICAL – HEALTH REPORTING
Kortney Cleveland, Jessica Strong, Greg Buisson • Buisson Creative • “JCVB Just Imagine Campaign”
Meg Gatto • WVUE - TV • “Audubon Autism Inclusive”
The Ehrhardt Group • The Ehrhardt Group • “Unification of Orleans Parish Public Schools” The Ehrhardt Group • The Ehrhardt Group • “WWE Takes Over New Orleans for WrestleMania 34” TV VIDEOGRAPHY / SPORTS VIDEOGRAPHY
Lance Washington • WVUE-TV • “Fight for Gold” David Williams • Channel 13 St. Tammany Parish Public Schools • “Girls Soccer” Steve Wolfram • WWL-TV • “Saints Fans on Gameday” TV VIDEOGRAPHY / BREAKING NEWS VIDEOGRAPHY
Brian Lukas • WWL - TV • “Exotic Pet Escape” Brian Lukas • WWL - TV • “Varnado Tornado” Tim Matthews • WWL - TV • “Tased” TV VIDEOGRAPHY / GENERAL NEWS VIDEOGRAPHY
TJ Pipitone • WWL - TV • “School Board Travel Investigation” Chris Russell • WVUE - TV • “Air of Uncertainty” John Snell • WVUE - TV • “Coast in Crisis: Rock the Coast”
Paul Murphy • WWL - TV • “Take the Dragon Out” Lee Zurik • WVUE - TV • “Costly Care” TELEVISION / BEST SPORTS FEATURE REPORTING
Sharief Ishaq • WDSU - TV • “The Bayou Ninja” Juliana Mazza • WDSU - TV • “Drew Brees Athon” Doug Mouton • WWL - TV • “The Referee Shortage” TELEVISION / LIFESTYLE REPORTING
Dominic Massa • WWL - TV • “Fess Fundamentals: New Exhibit Honors Professor Longhair’s Legacy” Dave McNamara • WVUE - TV • “Roots of Music” Nancy Parker • WVUE - TV • “Peace in Painting” TELEVISION / BREAKING NEWS REPORTING
Rob Krieger • WVUE - TV • “Varnado Tornado Damage” Akili Franklin, Scott Burke • WDSU - TV • “May 18th Flooding” Paul Murphy, Danny Monteverde, WWL-TV Staff • WWL - TV • “The List: Catholic Church Sex Abuse”
PRINT / LIFESTYLE REPORTING
Jyl Benson, Melanie Spencer, Sarah George • Louisiana Life • “Woman’s Work” Kathy Bradshaw • Where Y’at Magazine • “Tricentennial Tipples: 300 Years of Cocktails” Susan Langenhennig, Liz Jurey • Preservation in Print • “Clear Connection: A contemporary glass passageway creates a seamless transition between a Creole cottage and a Greek Revival townhouse in the French Quarter” PRINT / BEST COVER
Tiffani Reding Amedeo • New Orleans Magazine • “Tacos” Brandon Ballengee, Erin Theriot • 64 Parishes • “Winter 2018 Cover” Liz Jurey • Preservation in Print • “It’s a Mod World: PRC celebrates Mid-Century Modern architecture with fun summer series” PRINT / BEST SPORTS FEATURE
Les East • CrescentCitySports.com • “Drew Brees is Always the Percentage Play” Helen Freund • The Advocate • “A League of Their Own” Larry Holder • The Athletic • “He’s as Important as Anybody: Meet Pete Carmichael Jr., the Unsung Hero of One of the NFL’s Most Potent Offenses” PRINT / INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
David Hammer • WWL - TV • “Terrebonne Sex Trafficking” Hanna Krueger • Nola.com • “Bicyclists Struck by Hit-and-Run Drivers Face a Long Road to Justice” Michael Isaac Stein • The Lens • “Series: Power Plant Astroturfing” PRINT / BEST SPORTS COLUMN
Les East • CrescentCitySports. com / SaturdayDownSouth.com • “Les East Sports Columns” Ralph Malbrough • WWL - TV • “Forecast Saints Columns” Chris Price • Biz New Orleans Magazine • “Biz Sports Columns”
Leslie Snadowsky • Biz New Orleans Magazine • “Getting to The Heart of Employee Health” PRINT / BEST LAYOUT – DESIGN
Tiffani Reding Amedeo • New Orleans Magazine • “Bywater Bounce” Staff • Louisiana Life • “Crescent City Classic Feature” Ali Sullivan, Theresa Cassagne, Tracee Dundas • St. Charles Avenue • “Spring Protocol” PRINT / BEST EDITORIAL
Larry Brook • Southern Jewish Life • “‘Gotcha’ as Journalism” Errol Laborde • New Orleans Magazine • “Speaking Out – Negative Politics” Alan Smason • Crescent City Jewish News • “The Spray of Hate” RADIO / BEST RADIO STORY
Jess Clark • WWNO - FM • “In Central City, Students Add Their Voices To The PostParkland Conversation On Guns” RADIO / BEST RADIO SHOW
Laine Kaplan - Levenson • WWNO - FM • “Sticky Wicket: Louisiana Politics Versus the Press” Diane Mack • WWNO - FM • “Inside the Arts: Its All About New Orleans, Tennessee Williams’ The Mutilated Moscow Ballet” WWOZ Staff • WWOZ • “Live Broadcast from New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival” TV VIDEOGRAPHY / BEST VIDEO EDITING
Tom Gregory • WYES - TV • “The Mighty Mississippi River” Jon Turnipseed • WVUE - TV • “Misjudged” Jon Turnipseed • WVUE - TV • “River Pilots” TV VIDEOGRAPHY / BEST PHOTO ESSAY
Adam Copus • WWL-TV • “Fire Hose Fashionista”
PRINT / MEDICAL - HEALTH REPORTING
Kevin Mumphrey • Channel 13 St. Tammany Parish Public Schools • “Jazz Ensemble”
Helen Freund • Gambit • “How the New Orleans restaurant industry is tackling substance abuse”
Grant Yenni • Channel 13 St. Tammany Parish Public Schools • “Courtney Cole: Country Singer”
TELEVISION / BEST TALK SHOW
Marcia Kavanaugh, Errol Laborde • WYES - TV • “Informed Sources: Water Advisories, Use of Public Funds and Private Investments and Taxes for Seniors” Errol Laborde, Marcia Kavanaugh • WYES TV • “Informed Sources: New Orleans Media in the Digital Age” Travers Mackel • WDSU - TV • “WDSU Hot Seat: Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Debate” TELEVISION / EDUCATION REPORTING
Nancy Parker • WVUE - TV • “Trail of Hope: The McDonogh Three”
Alison Fensterstock • 64 Parishes • “Disturbance in Your Mind: Exploring Esoteric Louisiana” PRINT / CONTINUING COVERAGE
Tristan Baurick • Nola.com • “Insect Invaders Feast on Louisiana Wetlands” Donna Bush • Slidell Magazine • “Continuing Coverage of Louisiana Heroes During Natural Disasters” Nicholas Hamburger • The Louisiana Weekly • “Our Tricentennial: 300 Years Later, Is New Orleans an International City?”
Mike Perlstein • WWL - TV • “School Board Travel” TELEVISION / BEST PUBLIC AFFAIRS Gina Swanson, Katy Reckdahl • WDSU - TV • “Schooled: One App” TELEVISION / BUSINESS REPORTING
Danny Monteverde • WWL - TV • “Advocate Buys Gambit” Leslie Snadowsky • Biz New Orleans Magazine, WUPL - TV • “Biz New Orleans Biz-Cast #1” Lee Zurik, Tom Wright • WVUE - TV • “Harrah’s Conflicts” TELEVISION / BEST SPORTS SPECIAL
Doug Mouton, Danny Rockwell • WWL - TV • “Eye on the Saints: Wildcard Special” Doug Mouton, Danny Rockwell, Adam Ney • WWL - TV • “Tulane’s Perfect Season: 20 Years Later” WVUE Staff • WVUE - TV • “Jim Henderson: A Legend Signs Off” PRINT / BEST EDITORIAL ILLUSTRATION
Ron Domingue, Michael Fulkerson, Josh Danzig • Where Y’at Magazine • “Beyonce & Jay-Z: On the Run II” David Johnson, Arthur Hardy • Arthur Hardy’s Mardi Gras Guide • “2019 Mardi Gras Guide Cover” Arthur Nead • New Orleans Magazine • “The Goats of Canal Street” PRINT / BEST COLUMN
Marcia Kavanaugh, Paula Pendarvis, Lenny Delbert • WYES - TV • “Reshaping a Greater New Orleans: Good Eating Good Health” Margaret Orr, Jaune Jackson • WDSU - TV • “Get Ready Now 2018” Ann Wills, Robert Berning III, Leslie Snadowsky • Community Health Heroes • “Community Health Heroes: November 2018” TELEVISION / BEST DOCUMENTARY
Marcia Kavanaugh, Paula Pendarvis, Larry Roussarie • WYES - TV • “ReShaping a Greater New Orleans: Assignment Education” Ron Yager, Jim Dotson, Jan Gross • WLAE TV • “Catholics in the Crescent City – The St. Louis Cathedral” Lee Zurik • WVUE - TV • “Medical Waste” TELEVISION / BEST SPORTS SHOW
Doug Mouton, Danny Rockwell • WWL-TV • “4th Down on 4” WVUE Sports Staff • WVUE - TV • “The Final Play” WVUE Sports Staff • WVUE - TV • “Fox8 Live Tailgate: Saints vs. Cowboys” TELEVISION / CONTINUING COVERAGE
Kimberly Curth, Rob Masson, Amanda Roberts • WVUE - TV • “Church Sex Abuse Cases”
Chelsea Brasted • Nola.com • “A Night with Stormy Daniels, and Other Columns”
Juliana Mazza • WDSU - TV • “JP Landfill”
Jarvis DeBerry • Nola.com • “Jarvis DeBerry Personal Columns”
Katie Moore, David Hammer • WWL - TV • “Watching Your Wallet”
PUBLIC RELATIONS / DIGITAL MEDIA
STILL PHOTOGRAPHY / MULTI-FEATURE PHOTO
Greg Buisson, Jamie Giorgio, Alex Pierson • Buisson Creative • “JCVB Just Imagine – A Tour of Bayou Barn”
David Grunfeld • Nola.com • “New Orleans Saints Owner Funeral”
The Ehrhardt Group • The Ehrhardt Group • “Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP): Making Louisiana Better”
Ryan Hodgson-Rigsbee, WWOZ Staff • WWOZ - FM • “Wild Opelousas: a new Mardi Gras Indian tribe Grows Out of a Westbank Charter School”
Tom Gregory • tGO Productions • “Good Shepherd’s New Home & New Hope” PUBLIC RELATIONS / SPECIAL EVENTS
Staff • Louisiana Life • “Fat Tuesday Revelations” DIGITAL / BEST USE OF INSTAGRAM
Betsie Gambel, Staff • Gambel Communications • “2018 National Sandwich Day”
Davis Allen • Preservation in Print • “Architecture Quiz of the Week”
Larry Lovell • PeterMayer • “Antoine’s New Orleans Tricentennial Dinner”
Staff • Renaissance Publishing • “Acadiana Profile Magazine”
Peter Mayer PR Staff • PeterMayer • “Hibernia Tower Cupola Relighting”
WWOZ Staff and Volunteers • WWOZ - FM • “Takin’ It to the Streets”
DIGITAL / SPECIAL SECTION
Summer Suleiman • The Distillery • “New Orleans Based Female Founder Raises $2M to Rewire Civic and Govtech” Tom Wright • The Lens • “Behind The Lens: A Podcast by TheLensNOLA.org” WVUE Digital Staff • WVUE - TV • “Coast in Crisis” DIGITAL / LIFESTYLE BLOG
Ashanti Bailey • WVUE - TV • “NOLA Weekend” Clint Durrett, Mary Staes, Very Local New Orleans Staff • Very Local New Orleans • “Very Local New Orleans” Eve Peyton • New Orleans Magazine • “Joie d’Eve” DIGITAL / BEST NEWS WEBSITE
Ashanti Bailey • WVUE-TV • “NolaWeekend. com” Kelly Massicot, Suzanne Tafur • Biz New Orleans Magazine • “BizNewOrleans.com” WWL-TV Staff • WWL-TV • “wwltv.com” STILL PHOTOGRAPHY / PORTRAIT
Sophia Germer • The Advocate • “Femme Fatales” Greg Miles • New Orleans Magazine • “Persona” Greg Miles • New Orleans Magazine • “The Beat”
TELEVISION / FEATURE REPORTING
Meg Farris WWL-TV “The Horse Whisperer” Dave McNamara WVUE - TV “Heart of Louisiana: Driftwood Art” Nancy Parker WVUE - TV “The Gift of Life” TELEVISION / BEST STATION PROMOTION
Erin Finnegan, Joseph Bird WDSU - TV “WDSU Digital Anthem” Nick Chabarria, Paul Corcoran, Josh Meza WWL - TV “WWL - TV Transformation” WVUE Marketing Staff WVUE - TV “Welcome Back to School” TELEVISION / BEST SPORTSCAST
Chris Hagan • WVUE - TV Doug Mouton, Danny Rockwell • WWL - TV WDSU Sports • WDSU - TV TELEVISION / INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
David Hammer • WWL - TV • “The Toxic Truth” Natasha Robin • WVUE - TV • “New Orleans Low Bonds Investigation” Lee Zurik, Nancy Decorte, Tom Wright • WVUE - TV • “Misjudged”
TV VIDEOGRAPHY / FEATURE VIDEOGRAPHY
Megan Mackel • WDSU-TV • “NOLA Chef in the Bay Area” Charlie Steiner • WWOZ • “Second Line for ‘Tee Eva’ Perry Adams” Derek Waldrop • WWL-TV • “Claiborne Avenue Then & Now” TV VIDEOGRAPHY / BEST VISUAL STORYTELLING
Owen Hornstein • WDSU - TV • “Schooled: One App” TJ Pipitone • WWL - TV • “Shattered Lives” Steve Wolfram • WWL - TV • “Fire Ops 101” PRINT / BUSINESS REPORTING
Ashley McLellan • Biz New Orleans Magazine • “Will Our Plates Ever be Too Full?” Kim Singletary • Biz New Orleans Magazine • “Thinking Outside the Final Box” Kim Singletary, Rebecca Friedman • Biz New Orleans Magazine • “The Status of Women in Business in Louisiana: Are We Really That Bad?” PRINT / FEATURE REPORTING
Tristan Baurick • The Times-Picayune • “Tabasco’s Homeland Fights for Survival in Louisiana against Storms and Rising Seas” Larry Holder • The Athletic • “Forgive and Forget: New Orleans still Embraces Marcus Williams after ‘Minneapolis Miracle’” Hanna Krueger • Nola.com • “Over 10,000 Days of Life Spent Digging Graves for New Orleans’ Dead” PRINT / BEST MAGAZINE
PUBLIC RELATIONS / PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Deveney Staff • Deveney • “St. Mary Parish Hospital Service District No. 2 Hospital Management and Community Forum Crisis Mitigation” The Ehrhardt Group • The Ehrhardt Group • “Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-West Passes 2018 Millage” Jessica Strong, Kourtney Cleveland, Greg Buisson • Buisson Creative • “Bad Bet for New Orleans” DIGITAL / NEWS BLOG
Errol Laborde • Renaissance Publishing • “The Editor’s Room” Pamela Marquis • Biz New Orleans Magazine • “Labors of Love” Leslie Snadowsky • Biz New Orleans Magazine • “Leslie’s List” DIGITAL / BEST USE OF TWITTER
Sam Winstrom, Sean Brennan • WWL - TV • “Saints Season on Twitter” WVUE Staff • WVUE - TV • “Saints March to Home Field Advantage” WWOZ Staff • WWOZ - FM • “Jazz Fest” DIGITAL / BEST SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN
Davis Allen, Liz Jurey • Preservation in Print • “#preserveNOLA300” Sam Winstrom, Caegan Moore, Mary Staes • WWL - TV • “Food Bracket Challenge” WWOZ Staff • WWOZ - FM • “Tricentennial Music Moments” PRINT / BEST HEADLINE
Tiffani Reding Amedeo, Errol Laborde, Ashley McLellan • New Orleans Magazine
Kathy Bradshaw • Where Y’at Magazine • “The Krewe of Zulu Puts the Sublime in the Coconut” + Others
Josh Danzig, Michael Fulkerson • Where Y’at Magazine
Kim Singletary • Biz New Orleans Magazine • “Re-Born on the Bayou” + Others
Kendra Maness • Slidell Magazine
Leslie Snadowsky • Biz New Orleans Magazine • “Dumpster Diving Delivers Dividends for Benjamin Bullins” + Others
PUBLIC RELATIONS / COMMUNITY RELATIONS
Greg Buisson, Kortney Cleveland, Jamie Giorgio • Buisson Creative • “Gulf Coast Bank 2017 Annual Report”
PRINT / COMMUNITY NEWS
JC Canicosa • The Maroon • “Class registration order pushes seniors out”
Jessica Strong, Alex Pierson • Buisson Creative • “Brother Martin 50th Anniversary Viewbook”
Susan Langenhennig, Liz Jurey • Preservation in Print • “Hallowed Halls for a New Generation”
Scott Walker • Scott Walker Consulting • “Krewe of Hermes – Beyond the Parade”
Tyler Wann • The Advocate • “Step inside Snake and Jake’s Christmas Lounge”
PRINT / BEST CRITICAL REVIEW
Dominic Massa • WWL - TV • “New NOMA exhibit a fitting tricentennial gift from the Duke of Orleans to his city” Alan Smason • Crescent City Jewish News • “Menken-Schwartz’s Hunchback of Notre Dame is finest JPAS work ever” Alan Smason • Crescent City Jewish News • “Shelbie Mac soars into the Stratos with Peter Pan” PRINT / GOVERNMENTAL - POLITICAL REPORTING
David Hammer • WWL - TV • “Female OPSO Deputies Sexually Harassed” Katy Reckdahl • Juvenile Justice Information Exchange / The Advocate • “Attorneys Struggle to Address JLWOP Resentencing Hearings in Louisiana” Michael Isaac Stein • The Lens • “June Drug Bust Shows Potential Pitfalls of Citywide Surveillance System, Defense Attorneys Say” TELEVISION / GENERAL NEWS REPORTING
Kimberly Curth • WVUE - TV • “Richard Windmann Child Sex Abuse”
Katie Moore • WWL - TV • “Justice for Amelia” Lee Zurik • WVUE - TV • “State of Unrest” TELEVISION / BEST ON-AIR TALENT
Tom Gregory • WYES - TV / WLAE - TV / Cox Sports TV Travers Mackel • WDSU - TV Christina Watkins • WDSU - TV TELEVISION / BEST WEATHERCAST
David Bernard • WVUE - TV Alexandra Cranford • WWL - TV Kweilyn Murphy • WDSU - TV TELEVISION / BEST NEWSCAST
Christina Jenkins, Katie Moore, Derek Waldrip • WWL - TV • “The Asterisk Super Bowl” Dannah Sauer • WVUE - TV • “Fox 8 News at 10”
special awards _____________
BEST IN SHOW BILLY RAINEY MEMORIAL AWARD
Honoring the first-place winner in print breaking news reporting HAL LEDET PRINT PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD
Honoring the best of first-place winners in still photography ASHTON PHELPS, SR. MEMORIAL AWARD
Honoring the first-place winner in editorial writing PRESIDENT’S TELEVISION PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD
past lifetime achievement awards
The Press Club inaugurated its Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992. Presentation of this award is aimed at honoring individuals who not only have demonstrated the utmost in professionalism throughout their careers but have also made significant contributions to the community in the process. 1993 Iris Kelso & Wayne Mack 1994 J. Michael Early
Honoring the best of first-place winners in television photography
1995 Nash Roberts & Bob Roesler
ALEX WALLER MEMORIAL AWARD
1997 Charles “Pie” Dufour & Phil Johnson
Honoring the best of first-place winners in print writing JIM METCALF MEMORIAL AWARD
Honoring the best of first-place winners in broadcast writing
1996 Walter Greaves Cowan & Alec Gifford 1998 Maury Magill & Dave Snyder 1999 Bill Elder & Betty Guillaud 2000 Peter Finney & Terry Flettrich Rohe 2001 Angela Hill & Larry Lorenz 2002 Ronnie Virgets & Jack Wardlaw 2003 Bob and Jan Carr & Buddy Diliberto 2004 William M. Metcalf Jr. & Willie P. Wilson Jr. 2005 Ed Anderson & Richard Angelico
SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS PRESS CLUB OF NEW ORLEANS SCHOLARSHIP
Andrés Fuentes Loyola University Journalism Major
PRESS CLUB OF NEW ORLEANS SCHOLARSHIP
Erin Haynes Loyola University Journalism Major
RENAISSANCE FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP
Rodricka Taylor Dillard University Journalism Major
Silver Scribe Winner
Gabby Killett St. Martin’s Episcopal School
2006 Special award honoring Alec Gifford’s 50 years in broadcasting 2007 Ashton Phelps Jr. 2008 Press Club’s 50th Anniversary 2009 Dan Milham & Walt Philbin 2010 Byron Hughey & Angus Lind 2011 Jim Henderson & Mark Schleifstein 2012 Lynne Jensen & Norman Robinson 2013 Bob Breck & Bill Curl 2014 Ed Daniels & Ted Jackson 2015 John Pope & Sally-Ann Roberts 2016 Bill Capo & Errol Laborde 2017 Bruce Nolan & Margaret Orr 2018 Clancy DuBos & Renette Dejoie-Hall