WASHINGTON, D.C. – Finalists for the 2014 Online Journalism Awards, representing a wide range of nonprofit, public, academic, major media, and emerging technology organizations from around the globe, were announced today by the Online News Association.
This year, the OJA categories were updated to keep up with the rapidly evolving media industry with new data journalism and enhanced investigative awards. Ten of the awards now come with a total of $52,500 in prize money, courtesy of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Gannett Foundation, and The University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. These awards honor data journalism, visual digital storytelling, investigative journalism, public service, technical innovation, and general excellence.
“In case there was any doubt, this year’s finalists demonstrate that digital journalism isn’t just bells and whistles, which some think of when they think ‘digital,’ ” said Joshua Hatch, ONA Board member and Online Journalism Awards Committee Chair. “Judges saw works of original and innovative journalism that truly had no broadcast or print analogue. It’s clear that when journalists go all in on digital, they create completely new and engaging ways to tell stories and inform readers.”
A group of 60 industry-leading journalists and new media professionals teamed up to screen entrants and select semi-finalists. Twelve judges, representing a diverse cross-section of the industry, then conferred to determine finalists and winners from independent, community, nonprofit, major media, start-up, and international news sites.
The winners will be announced at the 2014 ONA Conference and Online Journalism Awards Banquet on Saturday, Sept. 27, in Chicago.
The finalists, many pushing the envelope of innovation and excellence in digital storytelling and distribution, are:
Knight Award for Public Service
Deadly Delays, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Earthquake Preparedness in Southern California, Los Angeles Times
Innocents Lost: A Miami Herald I-Team Investigation, The Miami Herald
Rape in the Fields, The Center for Investigative Reporting, Investigative Reporting Program at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, FRONTLINE and Univision
Segregation Now, ProPublica
Shadow Campus: A Globe Spotlight Investigation, BostonGlobe.com / The Boston Globe
General Excellence in Online Journalism, Small
minnpost.com, MinnPost
publicintegrity.org, The Center for Public Integrity
texastribune.com, The Texas Tribune
General Excellence in Online Journalism, Medium
motherjones.com, Mother Jones
news.stlpublicradio.org, St. Louis Public Radio
propublica.org, ProPublica
qz.com, Quartz
General Excellence in Online Journalism, Large
latimes.com, Los Angeles Times
npr.org, NPR.org
nytimes.com, The New York Times
washingtonpost.com, The Washington Post
wsj.com, The Wall Street Journal
Gannett Foundation Award for Technical Innovation in the Service of Digital Journalism
Journalists’ Toolbox, Northwestern University Knight Lab
Quartz Chartbuilder, Quartz
Tabula, Mozilla OpenNews, ProPublica, and LA NACIÓN (Argentina)
Breaking News, Small
No finalists
Breaking News, Medium
Alberta Floods, Calgary Herald
Atlanta Winter Storm, WSB-TV: Channel 2 Action News / wsbtv.com
Lac-Mégantic Explosion, CBC Montreal
Breaking News, Large
Oso Landslide, The Seattle Times
Yarnell Hill Fire, Republic Media: Arizona Republic / 12 News / azcentral.com
Planned News/Events, Small
31 Days, 31 Ways, The Texas Tribune
After the Meltdown, The Center for Public Integrity
Planned News/Events, Medium
Boston’s Mayoral Race: Square by Square, WBUR
Newtown: One Year After, Mother Jones
Planned News/Events, Large
2013 Legislative Elections in Argentina, LA NACIÓN (Argentina)
NYC 2013: The Race for Mayor, The New York Times
Sochi Olympics, The New York Times
Superstorm Sandy, Newsday / Newsday.com
World Chess Championship 2013, VG
Explanatory Reporting, Small
Battle for the Airwaves & Broadband, The Center for Public Integrity
InfoGuide: China’s Maritime Disputes, Council on Foreign Relations
Oakland Police Beat, Oakland Police Beat
ReBuilding Haiti, The Pixel Hunt, The European Journalism Centre
Explanatory Reporting, Medium
Breaking the Silence, The Baltimore Sun
China’s Memory Hole, ProPublica
Segregation Now, ProPublica
The Heartbleed Hit List, Mashable
Explanatory Reporting, Large
How America Gets By, Al Jazeera America
How Detroit Went Broke, Detroit Free Press
Planet Money Makes A T-Shirt, NPR
Privacy and Information Security, Al Jazeera America
Sea Change: The Pacific’s Perilous Turn, The Seattle Times
Topical Reporting, Small
Environment Reporting – Sam Evans-Brown, Reporter, New Hampshire Public Radio
Texas Abortion Filibuster, The Texas Tribune
Topical Reporting, Medium
Betrayed by Silence, MPR News
Guns Reporting, Mother Jones
ProPublica’s Health Care Coverage, ProPublica
Topical Reporting, Large
Cell-phone Snooping by Local Law Enforcement, USA TODAY / Gannett
Paying Till It Hurts, The New York Times
Supplement Shell Game: The People Behind Risky Pills, USA TODAY
Surveillance, ProPublica and The New York Times
Online Commentary, Small
Desk Rants, Commentary by Eugene Robinson, OZY Media
Susie Cagle’s Illustrated Commentary at Medium, Susie Cagle
Online Commentary, Medium
Exoneree Diaries, WBEZ, Chicago Public Media
Sarah Lazarovic, Maclean’s
Six Words, ProPublica
Online Commentary, Large
Code Switch, NPR
The Upshot, The New York Times
Feature, Small
How Washington Starves Its Election Watchdog, The Center for Public Integrity
Myanmar Emerges, GlobalPost
On My Block: Voices From District One, KUT Austin
The Good Life: The Movement that Changed Maine, BDN Maine
Feature, Medium
Running in Place: Education in Indian Country, Education Week
Segregation Now, ProPublica
The Ballad of Kiwi Gardner, Mashable
Wild Horses In Crisis, Oregon Public Broadcasting
Feature, Large
Last Days of a Storm Chaser, National Geographic Magazine
Planet Money Makes A T-Shirt, NPR
Refuge: 18 Stories of the Syrian Exodus, The Washington Post
A Short History of the Highrise, The New York Times
The Lobotomy Files, The Wall Street Journal
Student Projects, Small
Fearless, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
Return to Elwha, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
What is Home?, University of Miami
Student Projects, Large
Battling Meth: A Mother’s Road to Recovery, Center for Sustainable Journalism at Kennesaw State University
DenseCity, NYCity News Service and CUNY Graduate School of Journalism
News 21: Back Home, Carnegie-Knight News21, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University
The Al Neuharth Innovation in Investigative Journalism Award, Small
No finalists
The Al Neuharth Innovation in Investigative Journalism Award, Medium
Overdose, ProPublica
Sex Predators Unleashed, South Florida Sun Sentinel
Temp Land, ProPublica
The Al Neuharth Innovation in Investigative Journalism Award, Large
Argentina’s Senate Expenses 2004-2014, Part II, LA NACIÓN (Argentina)
China Leaks, The Center for Public Integrity’s International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
Deadly Delays, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Fugitives Next Door, USA TODAY / Gannett Digital
Innocents Lost: A Miami Herald I-Team Investigation, The Miami Herald
Opening and Reporting on Public Officials Salaries and Assets in Argentina, LA NACIÓN (Argentina)
Excellence and Innovation in Visual Digital Storytelling, Small
Hollow, Hollow Interactive
In Flight, Kiln ✺
Excellence and Innovation in Visual Digital Storytelling, Medium
Proof: For Many Rape Victims in Maine, Justice Comes Only From Being Believed, BDN Maine
Segregation Now, ProPublica
Thin Ice: Exploring Mount Hood’s Secret World, Oregon Public Broadcasting
Excellence and Innovation in Visual Digital Storytelling, Large
Borderland, NPR and The Center for Investigative Reporting
National Geographic’s Visual Digital Storytelling, National Geographic Magazine
Planet Money Makes A T-Shirt, NPR
Reshaping New York, The New York Times
University of Florida Award in Investigative Data Journalism, Small/Medium
Betrayed by Silence, MPR News
ER Wait Watcher, ProPublica
Fatal Care: Foster Care Tragedies Cloaked in Secrecy, The Edmonton Journal and Calgary Herald
Puppet States: Where the Money Went, The Center for Public Integrity
University of Florida Award in Investigative Data Journalism, Large
Deadly Delays, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
FugitivesNext Door, USA TODAY / Gannett Digital
Homes for the Taking: Liens, Loss and Profiteers, The Washington Post
Opening and Reporting on Public Officials Salaries and Assets in Argentina, LA NACIÓN (Argentina)
The judges for the final round of this year’s awards were:
Kenan Davis, Interactive Journalist, Guardian US
Kat Downs, Director of Graphics, The Washington Post
Tyson Evans, Deputy Editor for Interactive News, The New York Times
Rich Jaroslovsky, Vice President for Content, SmartNews, Inc., and ONA Founding Member
Scott Klein, Assistant Managing Editor, ProPublica
Martin Kotynek, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, The Zeit
Doug Mitchell, Consultant/Project Manager, NPR
Tasneem Raja, Interactive Editor, Mother Jones
Momi Peralta Ramos, Data Project Manager and Multimedia Development Manager, LA NACIÓN (Argentina)
Hari Sreenivasan, Correspondent/Anchor, PBS NewsHour
Lam Thuy Vo, Interactive Editor, Al Jazeera America
Ben Welsh, Database Producer, Los Angeles Times
Launched in 2000, the OJAs are the only comprehensive set of journalism prizes honoring excellence in digital journalism. Tickets to the OJA Banquet, where winners will be announced Sept. 27, are available here.
* Judges were recused from discussing categories in which their own organizations were entered.
About ONA
The Online News Association is the world’s largest association of online journalists. ONA’s mission is to inspire innovation and excellence among journalists to better serve the public. The membership includes news writers, producers, designers, editors, bloggers, technologists, photographers, academics, students and others who produce and distribute news for digital delivery systems. ONA also hosts the annual Online News Association annual conference and administers the Online Journalism Awards.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit knightfoundation.org
About the Gannett Foundation
The Gannett Foundation is a corporate foundation sponsored by Gannett Co., Inc. whose mission is to invest in the future of the communities in which Gannett does business, and in the future of our industry. It supports projects that take a creative approach to fundamental issues such as education and neighborhood improvement, economic development, youth development, community problem-solving, assistance to disadvantaged people, environmental conservation and cultural enrichment.
About the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications
The University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications is driving innovation and engagement across the disciplines of advertising, journalism, public relations and telecommunication. The strength of its programs, faculty, students and alumni — in research and in practice — has earned the college ongoing recognition as one of the best in the nation among its peers. The college offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees and certificates, both online and on campus. The college’s strength is drawn from both academic rigor and experiential learning. CJC students have the opportunity to gain practical experience in the Innovation News Center, which generates content across multiple platforms, and a strategic communication agency that will begin operation in Fall 2014. The college includes seven broadcast and digital media properties and the nation’s only program in public interest communications.
For more information, contact: The Online News Association at awards@journalists.org.