ASNE Awards winners

The American Society of News Editors 2018 ASNE Awards for distinguished writing, digital storytelling and photography:

staff of The New York Times

Dave Helling of The Kansas City Star

Tony Bartelme of The Post and Courier

Paul Kiel and Hannah Fresques of ProPublica

Mike Baker and Justin Mayo of The Seattle Times

Dahleen Glanton of the Chicago Tribune

Marisa Kwiatkowski, Mark Alesia and Tim Evans of The Indianapolis Star

staff of The Arizona Republic

staff of the The Press Democrat

Lisa Krantz of the San Antonio Express-News

For details, click on

https://www.poynter.org/news/asne-announces-2018-award-winners

Ocker joins baseball-writing gods

Sheldon Ocker, who covered the Indians for 33 years, has been named the 2018 J.G. Taylor Spink Award chosen by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Sheldon Ocker

Sheldon got 168 of the 426 votes. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Jim Reeves was second with 143 votes. Minneapolis writer Patrick Reussee got 113.

Sheldon joins such writing luminaries as Ring Lardner, Grantland Rice, Damon Runyon, Heywood Broun, Shirley Povich, Red Smith, Jim Murray and my late, former Dayton Daily News sports editor/boss, Si Burick. Classy company, Sheldon.

Spink was the late editor of The Sporting News, baseball’s bible.

Sheldon switched from the Cavaliers to the Indians in 1981 when Bob Nold decided he didn’t want to spent his entire spring and summer on the road or in Cleveland.

He will receive the award in Cooperstown, New York during the Baseball Hall of Fame enshrinement weekend July 23-30, 2018.

Sheldon retired from Ol’ Blue Walls after the 2013 season.

He was the national Writers’ Association president in 1985 and Cleveland chapter chair 11 times.

Pyle award for Connie Schultz

Syndicated and former PD Pulitzer-winning columnist Connie Schultz will receive the 2018 Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.

Connie won her Pulitzer in 2005 while at the PD.

Connie Schultz

The Pyle award, named for the famous World War II war correspondent who brought America stories of G.I. Joes, will be handed to Connie during the society’s June 7-10 conference in Cincinnati.

For 10 years Creators Syndicate has been distributing Connie’s columns.

Connie responded:

“Many years ago, a reader familiar with my work sent me a first-edition copy of Ernie Pyle’s book ‘Brave Men’ and Lee G. Miller’s biography ‘The Story of Ernie Pyle.’ The reader, who identified himself as an elderly man, asked that I never stop writing about the ‘regular men and women who make up this great country.’

Ernie Pyle

“Both books continue to hold a place of honor in my personal library, but since learning of this award, they feel like whispers from the grave of a great journalist who died before I was born.

"Ernie Pyle knew there is no such thing as an ordinary person, and it has been my privilege to illustrate that singular truth for nearly 40 years, one story at a time. I hope to do so as long as I draw a breath.”

Sherrod Brown, a U.S. Senator from Ohio, is married to Connie, who also is a Professional in Residence at Kent State’s Journalism and Mass Media School. They have four children and five grandchildren and live in Cleveland.

Since 1993 Pyle winners have included Dave Barry, Art Buchwald, Roger Ebert, Judith “Miss Manners” Martin and Andy Rooney.

Dana, Indiana native Ernest Taylor Pyle was killed in 1945 on Okinawa in the last pitched battle of World War II. Infantry soldiers buried him with his helmet still on. He was 44.

He won a Pulitzer in 1944 for his interviews of “dogface” soldiers for the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain.

His early reporting as America’s first aviation columnist created a friendship with legendary pilot Amelia Earhart.

Two who had a common Features Department editor at the BJ were inducted into the Press Club of Cleveland 2015 Journalism Hall of Fame Saturday night at the Ritz-Carlton in Cleveland.

Former BJ and current PD entertainment critic Mark Dawidziak and BJ columnist Bob Dyer were honored. A few decades ago their words passed before my eyes as their editor in the Features Department of Ol’ Blue Eyes.

Also inducted were Tom Hamilton, Cleveland Indians broadcaster; WTAM’s Ken Robinson; Reader’s Digest editor in chief Liz Ludlow Vaccariello; and, for the Chuck Heaton Award, WKYC meterologist Betsy Kling who, like Dyer, is from Copley.

Four with BJ ties -- Kathy Antoniotti, George Bing Davis, Doug Livingston and Lew Stamp -- and Eric Poston, the late BJ Alums founder Harry Liggett’s nephew who is a Kent State journalism student and lives in Green, were among 80 named to the Ohio School Board Association 2014 Media Honor Roll.

All five were nominated by the Green School District, but Livingston also was nominated by Coventry and Akron school districts.

Why George Bing and not George W. Davis, as we knew him during his earlier BJ days? 

Explains his wife, Merleen Fick Davis:

“His grandmother called him that when he was born. Everyone from his hometown and family call him Bing. So if he forgets someone's name and they call him Bing we know it has to be from the McDonald/Youngstown area.”

George W./George Bing was a McDonald High School graduate before he moved on to Youngstown State and Bowling Green. George and Merleen live in Massillon.

Kathy Antoniotti is a pets columnist and southern Summit/northern Stark reporter.

Livingston, BJ education writer, will need to add a room to his house for all his awards and did a bang-up job exposing the charter schools disgrace in Ohio.

Stamp took a 2006 BJ buyout after 30 years with Ol’ Blue but his camera still clicks away with panache.  

By the way, counting the editor, managing editor, reporters and interns, the BJ lists 70 people to contact for news. That’s a long way from the 200+ in the newsroom when I retired in 1996.

Only Antoniotti and Livingston among the honored quintet are on the BJ list.

Dyer 7-0 as Ohio's best columnist

Livingston has 3 1^st in Ohio contest

Bob Dyer

The Beacon Journal’s Bob Dyer was named Best Columnist in Ohio for the 7th consecutive year in the 2014 Ohio’s Best Journalism contest sponsored
by the Society of Professional Journalists chapters in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus.

The BJ’s Doug Livingston won three first places in K-12 education, children’s issues and explanatory reporting.

Since joining the Akron Beacon Journal in 1984, Bob’s stories and columns have won 60 regional and national awards.

In 2008, the National Society of Professional Journalists voted the Cleveland native Best Columnist in the Nation. In 2013, the National Society of Newspaper Columnists named him Best Humor Columnist in the Nation.

He was a lead writer for A Question of Color, a yearlong examination of racial attitudes in Akron that won a Pulitzer Prize in 1994.

Bob has written three books. One of them, Omar! My Life On and Off the Field, an autobiography co-written with Cleveland Indians baseball star Omar Vizquel, spent four weeks on the New York Times bestseller list in 2002, peaking at No. 27 among hardcover nonfiction.

The same publisher released a collection of Dyer’s best columns, Blimp Pilot Terrorizes Akron and Other Hot Air

13 at BJ win state awards

The Beacon Journal won first place in various state competitions.

Phil Masturzo

Photographers Phil Masturzo and Ed Suba, reporters Betty Linn-Fisher, Nate Ulrich, Marla Rodenour, Ryan Lewis, Katie Byard, Mary Beth Breckenridge, Paula Schleis, Doug Livingston, Rick Steinhauser, Mark Turner, Bob DeMay were all first in one category or another.

That’s 13 staff members, out of just over 60 total. The other 47 must feel really left out.

I tried to find the story on Ohio.com for a link, but couldn’t. So you’ll have to check today’s BJ B section for it.

Current, former BJ staffers win Ohio newspapers awards

The Beacon Journal racked up a ton of Press Club of Cleveland awards among Ohio newspapers and three former BJ writers got first places as Plain Dealer staffers.

BJ columnist Bob Dyer won Best in Ohio again. So did photographer Ed Suba Jr.

Dyer also won first place for a general news column on a Mogadore dispute and a single essay on the PC push.

Suba also won three second-place awards for general feature, studio photography and personal/portrait.

Feature writer Mary Beth Breckenridge won first-place awards for a general news story on the toll war has taken on military families, and in lifestyle, for her column on re-gifting.

Photographer Karen Schiely won first place awards for general news and general feature.

Editorial page editor Michael Douglas won first place for an editorial on the health care contradictions in Gov. John Kasich’s administration.

Crime reporter Phil Trexler won first place for his stories on Akron Municipal Judge Joy Malek Oldfield.

For multiple page design, photo director Kimberly Barth, assistant news editor Richard Stallsmith and photographer Mike Cardew won first place for their layout of “Chaplain lifts spirits.”

Barth, Schiely and news editor Mark Turner won a second place for multiple page design for “Matters of the heart.’’

Turner also won a second place for page design for the America Today/Civility project.

Other awards were:

Second place, digital media, breaking news, reporters Rick Armon, Stephanie Warsmith, John Higgins, “Restaurant owner dies hours after meeting President Obama.”

Second place, single essay, managing editor Doug Oplinger, “We’re hurting each other,” a summary of the America Today/Civility project.

Third place, public service, staff, America Today/Civility project

Also as part of the America Today/Civility project, third place, general news, multiple stories, Carol Biliczky, Betty Lin-Fisher and David Knox, about student debt.

Two third-place awards for food writer Lisa Abraham, food writing. Third place, general feature, Paula Schleis. Third place obituary, reporter Marilyn Miller, “Local Vietnam hero.”

The Plain Dealer was chosen best large newspaper in Ohio and Cleveland.com the best newspaper web site in Ohio. 

Among more than two dozen PD first place winners were former BJ reporter Sheryl Harris for a business column on funeral homes, former BJ sports writer Terry Pluto as part of a 4-reporter team reporting on Jimmy Haslam buying the Browns and former BJ columnist Regina Brett for her radio show.

To read the articles, click on http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news/beacon-journal-staff-wins-multiple-journalism-awards-1.404467 and http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/06/press_club_honors_plain_dealer.html

The list of Bob Dyer's national and Ohio awards makes you wonder how the BJ is able to hang onto this treasure. Disclaimer: Since Dyer and I were Blue Room lunch partners for a decade or so, I may be a bit prejudiced.

But check out Bob's awards list:

Best Columnist in the Nation, National Society of Professional Journalists, 2008.

*One of lead writers, Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, 1994.

            *Contributor, Pulitzer Prize for General News Reporting, 1987.

            *Nominated for Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing, 1993 and 2004.

*Finalist, Distinguished Writing Award for Commentary/Column Writing,   American Society of News Editors, 2012

*Third place, General Commentary, Society for Features Journalism, 2011

*Third place, Herb Caen Award, National Society of Newspaper Columnists, 2010.

*Third place, Multiple-Topic Columns, National Society of Newspaper             Columnists, 2009.

*Third place, General-Interest Columns, National Society of Newspaper   Columnists, 2008.

*Fourth place, Multiple-Topic Columns, National Society of Newspaper

 Columnists, 1996.

           

REGIONAL HONORS

            *Best Columnist in Ohio, Associated Press, 2012.

            *Best Columnist in Ohio, Press Club of Cleveland, 2012.

            *Best Columnist in Ohio, Associated Press, 2011.

            *Best Essayist in Ohio, Press Club of Cleveland, 2011.

            *Best Columnist in Ohio, Ohio Society of Professional Journalists, 2010.

            *Best Columnist in Ohio, Press Club of Cleveland, 2010.

            *Best Columnist in Ohio, Ohio Society of Professional Journalists, 2009.

            *First place, Political Commentary, Ohio Society of Professional Journalists, 2012.

            *First place, Consumer Reporting, Ohio Society of Professional Journalists, 2012.

            *First place, General-Interest Column, Press Club of Cleveland, 2011.

            *First place, Newsmaker Profile, Ohio Society of Professional Journalists, 2011.

            *First place, General-Interest Column, Press Club of Cleveland, 2010.

            *First place, Personality Profile, Press Club of Cleveland, 2005.

            *First place, Feature Writing, Ohio Associated Press, 2001.

*First place, Feature Writing, Press Club of Cleveland, 1993.

            *First place, Arts/Entertainment Writing, Press Club of Cleveland, 1987.

            *First place, Arts/Entertainment Writing, Press Club of Cleveland, 1986.

            *First place, Investigative Reporting, Women in Communications, 1986.

            *First place, Newspaper Series, Women in Communication, 1986.

           

            *Second place, Best Columnist in Ohio, Ohio Society of Professional Journalists, 2012.

            *Second place, Media Criticism, Ohio Society of Professional Journalists, 2012.

            *Second place, General-Interest Column, Press Club of Cleveland, 2012.

            *Second place, Essay, Press Club of Cleveland, 2012.

            *Second place, Column Writing, Ohio Associated Press, 2008

            *Second place, Newsmaker Profile, Ohio Society of Professional Journalists, 2005.

            *Second place, Personality Profile, Ohio SPJ, 2000.

            *Second place, Public Service Journalism, Ohio SPJ, 1998.

            *Second place, Sunday Magazine Human Interest Story, Press Club of Cleveland, 1995.

            *Second place, Arts/Entertainment Writing, Press Club of Cleveland, 1990.

            *Third place, Best Columnist in Ohio, Associated Press, 2010.

            *Third place, Feature Reporting, Ohio Associated Press, 1993.

Wow! Just wow!!!