2004 Excellence in Journalism Awards
June 24, 2005
SPJ Hawaii Chapter
2004 Excellence in Journalism contest results
For release: 9:30 p.m. Friday, June 24, 2005
The Greater Oregon and Cincinnati chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists judged the 382 entries in this year’s contest. Awards were presented at the Ala Moana Hotel.
For duplicates of trophies, please contact Wendell at (808) 244-3344 or fax (808) 244-5558.
If you would like a copy of the awards video, we can provide one on DVD for $10. Contact Stirling Morita at spj@flex.com
Daily Newspaper
D1 Business Reporting
First Place
"What you can get for $450,000," Dan Martin, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Comments: Terrific real estate piece. Leaping off the news that the median price for a home on Oahu is $450,000, Martin tracks down what that median price actually gets you. Often, it's cramped, inferior houses.
Finalists
"City Bank Hostile Takeover," Malia Zimmerman. Hawaii Reporter.
"Hawai‘i exports pricey seawater," Sean Hao, The Honolulu Advertiser.
D2 Spot News Reporting
First Place
"Shark Attack," Melissa Tanji, Brian Perry, The Maui News
Comments: Textbook spot news coverage, but flawless, gripping story-telling as well.
Finalists
"He was trying to help," Chris Loos, Dave Smith, Hawaii Tribune-Herald.
"1 Dead/Cop Shot," Rod Antone, Sally Apgar, Mary Vorsino, Leila Fujimori, Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
D3 General News/Enterprise Reporting
First Place
"Judging the Judges," Rob Perez, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Comments: "This remarkable series sheds light on Hawaii's secretive judicial system, and actually changes the way the system does business. By turning attention on how judges are retained, or kicked off, the bench, the reporter and the newspaper have done true public service."
Finalists
"Military Town," Jaymes Song, The Associated Press.
"Hawaii on TV Lacks State's Racial Diversity," Michael Tsai, The Honolulu Advertiser.
D4 Feature Writing/Short Form
First Place
"Isle musician Tau Moe saved lives in the Holocaust," Mary Vorsino, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Comments: Moving piece on a musician who hid Jewish people in his trunk and smuggled them to safety, as sort of a Polynesian Schindler's list, as the writer so aptly puts it.
Finalists
"A Girl named Skye," Helen Altonn, Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
" ‘Idol’ Hooked Hawai’i from Start," Michael Tsai, Honolulu Advertiser.
D5 Feature Writing/Long Form
First Place
"Tourist ‘Bibles’ Angering Hawai‘i," Timothy Hurley, The Honolulu Advertiser
Comments: Fascinating feature on a series of tourist guides that are bluntly written and encourage readers to visit remote areas that can be unsafe.
Finalists
"Kalapana: Remembering the town that Pele took, Nadine Kam, Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
"Hawaii man steals identity of dead man for eight years," Rob Perez, Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
D6 News Page Design
First Place
"The Curse – Reversed!", Adams Sparks, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Comments: Clever use of reverse typography. A nifty idea, well executed.
Finalists
"Other Hawaii," Greg Taylor, Jon Orque, Martha Hernandez, The Honolulu Advertiser.
"Something to Shout About," Brad Sherman, The Maui News.
D7 Feature Page Design
First Place
"Sake Sense"
Christina Sykes
The Honolulu Advertiser
Comments: Her sleek use of typographical elements dramatically improves what other wise would have been lackluster photography.
Finalists
"Mixed Marriages," Betty Shimabukuro, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
"Ray Charles," Mike Rovner, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Online
I1 Online Spot News Reporting
First Place
"2004 General Election Coverage," Online Staff, The Honolulu Advertiser
Comments: Very nice election results page gives readers as much or as little information as they want. Easy to navigate.
Finalist
"Department of Education Cuts Pay," Laura Brown, Hawaii Reporter
I2 Online General News Reporting
First Place
"The Other Hawai'i: A Journey with Hokule'a," Online Staff, The Honolulu Advertiser
Comments: A beautiful package that only online media could present. Highly interactive, carefully thought out. Fascinating subject.
Finalists
"Dispatches," Online Staff, The Honolulu Advertiser
"The Graying of Hawai'i," Online Staff, The Honolulu Advertiser
Magazine
M1 Business Reporting
First Place
"Agribusiness in Kekaha, Kaua'i," Teresa Dawson, Environment Hawai‘i
Comments: Incredible work digging this all up and explaining it all clearly.
Finalists
"Top 20 Wealthiest Landowners," Maria Torres-Kitamura, David K. Choo, Hawaii Business
"Poor Little Rich Isle," Jacy L. Youn, Hawaii Business
M2 Industry or Trade Reporting
First Place
"How Much is Your Home Worth Now?", Ronna Bolante, Michael Keany, Honolulu Magazine
Comments: This story is extremely well-researched. The writing is sharp and clear even with a large amount of numbers.
Finalist
"Aquaculturists Are Challenged to Pay Attention to Environment," Patricia Tummons,
Environment Hawai‘i
M3 Profile
First Place
"Dog the Bounty Hunter," David Thompson, Honolulu Magazine
Comments: A fascinating, colorful story about a job you don’t hear much about.
Finalists
"Cliff Hanger," Paul Devlin Wood, Hana Hou! Magazine
"Depth Charge," David Thompson, Hana Hou! Magazine
M4 Feature Writing/Short Form
First Place
"Reading Aloud," Katherine Nichols, Honolulu Magazine
Comments: Nichols writes so that the reader can feel, smell, touch and see the scene of her reading to her children.
Finalists
"All Consuming," Georgette Woo, HMSA, Island Scene magazine
"Truth along the Blue Line," Jim Boccil Honolulu Magazine
M5 Feature Writing/Long Form
First Place
"The Kiss of the Mango," Rita Ariyoshi, Spirit of Aloha
Comments: This captivated us from beginning to end.
Finalists
"Global Village, " Julia Steele, Hana Hou! Magazine
"Local Style for Lolos," David K. Choo, Jacy L. Youn, Hawaii Business
M6 Page Design
First Place
"The Sweet Secrets of Laupahoehoe Point," Darrell Ishii, Franco Salmoiraghi, Tom Chapman, Brett Uprichard, Les Peetz, Spirit of Aloha
Comments: Strong black and white photos help tell the story. Great use of white space. Layout reflects B/W photos. Clean, simple, easy to read.
Finalists
"Arm Candy," PacificBasin Communications, Ala Moana Magazine
"Voyage to Kure," Darrell Ishii, Spirit of Aloha
M7 Magazine Cover
First Place
"Ghost Stories," October 2004, Jayson Harper, Honolulu Magazine
Comments: Clean, attractive cover clearly displays the message of the cover story.
Finalists
"The Games We Play," Darrell Ishii, Cory Lum, Spirit of Aloha
"Unwanted: Dead or Alive," Wes Funai, Hawaii Business
Nondaily Newspaper
ND1 Business Reporting
First Place
"Directors are close but is that a bad thing?", Harold Nedd, Pacific Business News
Comments: This was well-written and showed real enterprise on an important topic.
Finalists
"Tourism industry coverage," Prabha Natarajan, Pacific Business News
"Banking industry coverage," Harold Nedd, Pacific Business News
ND2 General News/Enterprise Reporting
First Place
"Suffering Secrecy Exile," Beverly Ann Deepe Keever, Honolulu Weekly
Comments: A gripping, compelling story, made more attractive by polished writing. An easy pick for a winner.
Finalists
"Artists and a few pests clog Waikiki," Prabha Natarajan, Pacific Business News
"Students say 'go' to stoplight," Shannon Strollenmaier, Kalamalama
ND3 Feature Writing
First Place
"Fans still sucking 'em up at Don Ho's show," Nina Wu, Pacific Business News
Comments: Nicely written, Clearly a lot of research went into this.
Finalists
"All on the course of a day's work," Harold Nedd, Pacific Business News
"A ‘Summit Moment’ with Ms. Emme Tomimbang," Alvin Santander, Filipino Summit
ND4 Community Reporting
First Place
"A Family Tradition Born in Mystery," Don Chapman, MidWeek
Comments: Fascinating topic that pulls the reader along. Well-researched and written.
Finalist
"Student’s say ‘go’ to stoplight," Shannon Stollenmaier, Kalamalama
ND5 Page Design
No entries
Open Print
P1 Column Writing/News
First Place
"A Soldier's Story," 1st Sgt. Robert Jennings, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Comments: A 1st Sgt. Deployed in Iraq offers a regular, first-hand look inside the war zone. This arrangement connected an average reader with the rest of the readers, and showed up the "pros."
Finalists
"The Buzz," Erika Engle, Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
"Volcanic Ash," David Shapiro, The Honolulu Advertiser.
P2 Column Writing/Features or Sports
First Place
"Dining," John Heckathorn, Honolulu Magazine
Comments: Funny, witty, sharp. Columns go way beyond mere restaurant reviewing.
Finalists
"About Women," Catherine E. Toth, The Honolulu Advertiser.
"Honolulu Lite," Charles Memminger, Honolulu Star Bulletin.
P3 Government Reporting
First Place
"Lingle's Secret Trip," Bruce Dunford, The Associated Press
Comments: In this instance, the AP reporter noticed the governor's appearance schedule was empty for four straight days. Dunford uncovered a secret trip, one the governor's press secretary lied about.
Finalists
"BRT: The City's $50-Million Mistake," Ronna Bolante. Honolulu Magazine
"Natural Resource Budget Suffers Punishing Blows," Patricia Tummons, Environment Hawai‘i
P4 Breaking News Reporting
First Place
"Coverage of Dobelle firing and aftermath," Craig Gima, Rick Daysog and staff, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Comments: We're a couple of thousand miles from Hawaii, and we found this coverage on the firing of a university president fascinating.
Finalists
"Concrete Strike," Dan Nakaso, Advertiser Staff, The Honolulu Advertiser
"1 Dead/Cop Shot," Rod Antone, Mary Vorsino, Leila Fujimori, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
P5 Sports Reporting
First Place
"Family, friends have been Clay's foundation," Ann Miller, The Honolulu Advertiser
Comments: An outstanding job of tracing the personal factors that turned someone into a world-class athlete and also a well-balanced, mature human being.
Finalists
"Story of an umpire never to forget," Kalani Simpson, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
"It's Clay Day," Ann Miller, The Honolulu Advertiser
P6 Arts/Entertainment Writing
First Place
"The 50 Greatest Hawai‘i Albums of All Time," Ronna Bolante, Michael Keany. Honolulu Magazine
Comments: Inspired concept, assembling a panel of experts to choose. The magazine devoted almost 30 pages to the feature. Impressive.
Finalists
"Catch a Fire," Liza Simon, Hana Hou! Magazine
"Addicted to Love," Gary C.W. Chun, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
P7 Editorial Opinion
First Place
"Harris wrongly put taxpayers in publishing role," Lee Catterall, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Comments: This was highly entertaining. We loved the last line.
Finalists
"Bush v. Constitution: Faith-based initiative bad for America," Loren Moreno, Kalamalama
"More than Just Raw Sewage in Oahu's Ocean Stinks," Malia Zimmerman, Hawaii Reporter
P8 Editorial Cartoon
First Place
"Power Transfer," Corky Trinidad, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Comments: It made us laugh.
Finalist
"Aloha, farewell," Dick Adair, The Honolulu Advertiser
P9 Illustration
First Place
"Sea Hunt," Ralph Kagehiro Hana Hou! Magazine
Comments: Professional illustration that also conveys the power of reeling in a marlin or other large sea life.
Finalists
"Suddenly single," Jon Orque, The Honolulu Advertiser
"Putting Out the Blaze," Kip Aoki, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
P10 Informational Graphic
First Place
"Other Hawai’i," Greg Taylor, Jon Orque, Martha Hernandez, The Honolulu Advertiser
Comments: Easy to understand. Lots of entry points. Provided lots of information. All elements came together for a nice informative graphic.
Finalist
"Protecting Hawaii's reefs," Dave Swann, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
P11 News Photography
First Place
"1 dead/cop shot," F.L. Morris, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Comments: Terrific impact. Great expression on police officer’s face. Kudos to the paper for using such a strong image.
Finalists
"Coming Home," Jeff Widener, The Honolulu Advertiser
"Hawaii Marine Buried at Punchbowl," Craig T. Kojima, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
P12 Feature Photography
First Place
"3 Guys in a Barrel," F.L. Morris, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Comments: Image has strong composition and is not the typical wave shot.
Finalists
"The Promise," Ken Ige, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
"A Gripping Tail," Jeff Widener, The Honolulu Advertiser
P13 Sports Photography
First Place
"Soccer Header," Amanda Cowan, The Maui News
Comments: This entry was chosen because it caught both action and emotion. Although we all agreed it could have used a tighter vertical crop.
P14 Photo Essay
First Place
"Ku'e," Ed Greevy, Honolulu Magazine
Comments: There were many strong, storytelling images in this entry as well as a variety of perspectives. The images are well-rounded as a package to present a whole story. One particular image that stood out was of Keko’olani because of the movement in the image.
Finalist
"Shipping Out," Lucy Pemoni, Honolulu Magazine
P15 Investigative Reporting
First Place
"Camp Leader a Sex Offender," Christie Wilson, The Honolulu Advertiser
Comments: A tremendous public service.
Finalists
"Free Air Travel," Ilima Loomis, The Maui News.
"Cal Kawamoto Investigation," Rick Daysog, Honolulu Star Bulletin
P16 Public Service Reporting
First Place
"The Graying of Hawai‘i," Advertiser staff, The Honolulu Advertiser
Comments: Complete, thorough – filled with compelling stories of real people. Great use of stats and graphics. Explains "why you, the reader, should care." Excellent blend of news, biz, life staffs.
Finalists
"Judging the Judges," Rob Perez, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
"Dobelle Stories," Craig Gima, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Radio
R1 General News/Enterprise Reporting
First Place
"Ala Wai Watershed Series," Kayla Rosenfeld, Hawaii Public Radio KHPR & KIPO
Comments: Good enterprise report. Illuminates an issue of obvious importance to Hawaiians.
Finalists
"Hawaii Film Festival Offers Moviegoers Unique View of Asia," Heidi Chang, Voice of America
"Hawaii's Four Constitutional Amendments," Chad Blair, Hawaii Public Radio
R2 Feature Reporting
First Place
"Jazz Ukulele," Heidi Chang, Voice of America
No comments.
Finalists
"Music of the Pacific Islands," Kayla Rosenfeld, Hawaii Public Radio KHPR & KIPO
"Kira's Christmas," Noe Tanigawa, Hawaii Public Radio
Student
S1 News Writing
First Place
"Forest Restoration Plan Starts with Logging," Loretta Sherwood, Environment Hawai’i
Comments: Well-written and comprehensive. Editing is tight and story is clear.
Finalist
"Sodexho negotiating with new food vendors," Alice Kim, Ka Leo O Hawaii
S2 Feature Writing
First Place
"On the Road to Salvation," Alexandre Da Silva, Ka Leo O Hawaii
Comments: Nice balance between a gritty subject and the uplifting message. Good, strong relevant quotes.
Finalists
"Blue Angels thrilling ambassadors of flight," Chuck Cordill, Kalamalama
"Many unaware of HI public's right to know," Janet Mock, Ka Leo O Hawaii
S3 Broadcast Reporting
No entries
Television
T1 Government Reporting
(no award)
T2 Business Reporting (no award)
T3 General News/Enterprise Reporting
Finalist
"War Torn," Stephanie Lum, KHNL News 8
T4 Feature Reporting
First place
"Bus Boy," Pamela Young, KITV
Comments: Bus Boy – Enjoyed story subject. We felt reporter thought outside of the box with transitions. She put together a fun feature story.
Finalist
"Surfer for Life," Gary Sprinkle, KITV
Comments: Surfer for Life – Had potential for a great story, but fell short by not embellishing on this unique character. Nice photography effect.
T5 Investigative Reporting
First Place
"Whale Watching Death Investigation," Keoki Kerr, KITV
Comments: Good interesting story. Good use of video off top. Obvious that the reporter did good legwork. One of those stories that can make a difference. Lots of follow-up opportunities. Would’ve liked to hear from more people on the boat, but those involved still told a solid story.
T6 Series Reporting
First Place
"War Torn," Stephanie Lum, Duncan Armstrong, KHNL News 8
Comments: This was by leaps and bounds the best story out of the 30 submitted in all categories combined. Finally someone who knows how to use nats and let the subjects tell their own story. Great job.
T7 Videography
First Place
"Cold Mountain," Duncan Armstrong, KHNL-TV
Comments: Good use of natural sound in a difficult situation. Interviews consistent with the progression of the story.
T8 Documentary
First Place
"Mixed Plate in Holland," Pamela Young, KITV
Comments: Photography is good – beautifully shot scenery both on the barge and in Holland. Would make a great travel piece for those wanting to ride the barge and visit Holland.
T9 Special News Program
First Place
"Pacific Adventures: Kodiak," Gary Sprinkle, KITV
Comments: Great photography – compelling bear video – decent writing. Watch overuse of music.
T10 Public Service Reporting
(no award)
Thank you to the judges of the Pacific Northest Region 10 and Ohio contests: