Hoosier State Press Association - The Indiana Publisher - Better Newspaper Contest
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/96748
Ray Moscowitz Award Virginia Black & Mary Kate Malone South Bend Tribune We were dumbfounded in March when we were court-ordered not to publish a story ��� a breach to the First Amendment not seen since the Pentagon Papers 40 years earlier. The path to that court order ��� after which we temporarily removed the online article and an audio tape ��� was a long but ultimately rewarding one. Even before a 10-year-old South Bend boy was beaten to death by his father in November, we had already begun to investigate claims that Indiana���s Department of Child Services employees act unchecked in a system cloaked with confidentiality. But after the boy, Tramelle Sturgis, was found tortured, burned and beaten to death in his family���s South Bend home, our project was infused with urgency. We spoke with parents, judges, police, social workers and others who work with the child protection system. We learned that DCS had quietly changed policies that some are convinced put children ��� including Tramelle ��� at risk. We published a series each Sunday in the month of February called ���For the Love of Children.��� The series spurred such reaction that legislators began holding up newspaper front pages on the floor of the Statehouse, calling for changes. But even as we continued to cover child-abuse issues, our discovery that DCS had been recording all calls to its newly centralized child-abuse hotline the year before led us down another path as well, one that called into question basic press freedoms. Indiana public-records law requires access to all ���records��� involving a child���s fatality or near fatality. We had already filed Freedom of Information Act requests for everything involving Tramelle���s death, and others. The records we were given did not include transcripts or recordings of phone records. We fought for the calls in court, and a juvenile court judge ultimately ruled in our favor, ordering the release of transcripts and audio copies of the calls. As we prepared to publish what we learned, we received word that DCS attorneys were approaching Indiana���s appeals court to prevent us from publishing. We quickly posted our story on our website. Hundreds of people read about and heard the call there before the appeals court issued a stay and set a hearing for Monday morning, forcing us to remove our online work. But Indiana���s attorney general dismissed the case, determining DCS��� effort to prevent publication was inconsistent with the First Amendment. In fact, the attorney general publicly apologized to The Tribune a few months later. Our investigative and storytelling efforts ��� which have continued long past the original series have enhanced the debate over childwelfare issues all around the state. State legislators have mandated a special committee to study DCS changes and policies to make recommendations for possible change early next year. We hope you find our efforts noteworthy. Tim Harmon, executive editor South Bend Tribune Moscowitz winners 1998 ��� State of Secrecy series, Evansville Courier & Press, The Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne), The Indianapolis Star, The Star Press (Muncie), The Times (Munster), South Bend Tribune and the Tribune-Star (Terre Haute) 2004 ��� Coverage of Johnson Memorial Hospital and Franklin school district closed-door meetings, Daily Journal (Franklin) 2005 ��� Coverage of the actions of community governmental units, The Banner (Knightstown) 2008 ��� Jackson County Sheriff���s Department transparency, Dan Davis, The Tribune (Seymour) 2009 ��� Failing Kalab, Libby Keeling & Kate Braser, Evansville Courier & Press 2011 ��� Duke Energy & Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission misdeeds, John Russell, The Indianapolis Star 2011 ��� Greenfield-Central High School graduation rate inflation, Kristy Deer, Daily Reporter (Greenfield) 2012 ��� For the Love of Children, Virginia Black & Mary Kate Malone, South Bend Tribune The Moscowitz Award honors those who foster the advancement of the First Amend�� ent. m It recog�� izes jour�� alistic achieve�� ent by a newspaper n n m or news�� aper professional who succ�� eded in opening p e records or meetings or otherwise lifting a veil of secrecy. Member newspapers may make nominations for this award given occasionally as endeavors merit it. Charlie Biggs Commitment to Community Award Patrick Lanman Editor & general manager, Vevay Newspapers Inc. The nomination for this year���s winner of the Charlie Biggs Commitment to Community Award presents a new challenge in reporting services performed. In the past a letter appeared in the awards publication explaining the reasons the candidate deserved the honor. To follow the format this year would require reprinting 20 letters, including one signed by 82 residents of Vevay, Ind. Vevay Newspapers��� Ginny Leap, office manager, and Erin Williams, advertising director, led the charge and sent a binder of letters including ones from the: ��� Assistant principal/athletic director, Switzerland County High School ��� Pastor of a local church who visits the ill and developed a church family ��� Organizer of a church camp trip to Florida ��� ���single most important thing the community does for young people.��� ��� Person who sees complaints as opportunities for growth and improvement ��� One who took a group of adults and students to Georgia to a homeless shelter to work over the weekend ��� Representative of sheriff deputies on Merit Board, currently serving as president ��� Member of school endow�� ent m committee ��� Library director, Switzerland County Public Library ��� Tireless volunteer at schools, church, Lions Club, youth groups and other events in the community ��� Executive director, Switzerland County Museums ��� Chaplain, Switzerland County E.M.S. Inc. ��� President, Switzerland County Council ��� Advisory Board, Switzerland County E.M.S. Inc. ��� Executive director, Community Foundation of Switzerland County ��� Speaker at the local high school graduation, the Memorial Day celebration at the local courthouse and other such events ��� Sheriff, Switzerland County Sheriff���s Office ��� Director, Switzerland County E.M.S. Inc. ��� Office Manager, Switzerland County E.M.S. Inc. ��� Chief Paramedic, Switzerland County E.M.S. Inc. ��� Paramedic, Switzerland County E.M.S. Inc. ��� Executive director, VevaySwitzerland County Foundation Inc. ��� Judge, Switzerland Circuit Court ��� State Farm Insurance agent Excerpts from these letters tell of Pat���s service, including: ��� Journalist who often attends events as a community member as well ��� Announcer at local high school basketball games for many years Direct quotes from some of the letters include: ��� ���I have often said that God gives us 24 hours in a day and somehow gives Pat 30.��� ��� ���We have a lot of wonderful people that call our county home. None have touched as many lives as Patrick Lanman.��� ��� ���Mr. Lanman took the lead in bringing together community stakeholders to create a vision for the celebration (of Vevay���s Bicentennial in 2013).��� ��� ���The opportunities he has given the Switzerland County Historical Society have helped us keep the community informed as we evolved from a ���club��� to a serious preservation organization and a part of the economic development of our community.��� ��� ���The interesting part of the (camp) trip is they aren���t just his church members but students from all churches in our county.��� ��� ���I cannot think of a person who does more and works any harder to help make our community a great place to live.��� ��� ��� ��� our one and only grocery store in Vevay closed. After hearing from many of our residents that it wasn���t possible to get to a grocery store several miles away, he made arrangements so that a bus was able to transport those citizens to a grocery once a week.��� ��� ���It is a pleasure working with someone in the news media who simply wants to report the facts and doesn���t try to manipulate the story into something controversial or sensational.��� ��� ���Pat not only does hospital visits there (closest hospital 20 miles away), but as far away as Cincinnati and Louisville, 50 miles away. When my husband was terminally ill, Pat came to Indianapolis, 100 miles away, to visit. As my husband was dying in our home, March 2011, Pat stayed three days and three nights helping my entire family deal with his death, and we would have been lost without his presence.��� ��� ���Pat Lanman is a fair, trustworthy intelligent editor of our newspaper, but his presence is felt throughout community by his devotion to his God, his family and his town.��� ��� ���Pat is fabulous at finding ways to make people shine and do their very best.��� ��� ���Pat leads by example and always puts the needs of others ahead of self.��� ��� ��� ��� it is fair to say that Pat is an instrumental piece of Switzerland County, and it is definitely a better place to live because of all of his hard work and commitment.��� Biggs winners 2004 ��� Jim Barbieri, Bluffton News-Banner (first winner) 2005 ��� Bob Dickson, The Alexandria Times-Tribune 2006 ��� Randy West, The Corydon Democrat 2007 ��� George O. Witwer, KPC Media Group: The News-Sun (Kendallville); The Evening Star (Auburn); The Herald Republican (Angola) 2008 ��� Lilian Carmer, North Vernon Plain Dealer 2009 ��� Harry McCawley, The Republic (Columbus) 2010 ��� No award given. 2011 ��� Bob Kriebel, Journal & Courier (Lafayette) 2012 ��� Patrick Lanman, Vevay Newspapers Inc. When Charlie Biggs, former publisher of The Hope Star-Journal, a past president of the HSPA Board of Directors, and longtime committee member and past chairman of the Newsroom Seminar Committee, died a few days before the 2003 Newsroom Seminar, the committee decided a permanent award should be named after him. Charlie lived his community. Few citizens, let alone newspaper professionals, get as deeply involved in the place they call home and make such a positive difference. Charlie loved his hometown, wrote about it, talked about it and took part in its life. He cared. To honor Charlie and his commitment to community, the Newsroom Seminar Committee created this award to recognize others who serve as he did. The award recognizes Indiana newspaper personnel who: ��� Write or publish stories about the communities they serve; ��� Are involved in the life of the community; and/or ��� Demonstrate they make a difference in the community through journalistic efforts. Page 11