Daily Herald wins seven Lisagor awards
Seven Daily Herald reporters, writers and photographers were honored Friday night with Peter Lisagor Awards, the highest accolades given to Chicago-area journalists.
Jake Griffin, whose Suburban Watchdog column investigates questionable government spending, won the Best Investigative Reporter Lisagor {for newspapers less than 250,000) for a series of stories looking into what suburban school districts and their board spent on education conferences.
The prestigious Lisagor Awards for Exemplary Journalism are given by the Chicago Headline Club, the Chicago chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
The Daily Herald's other winners are:
• Best Arts Reporting and Criticism (circulation 250,000 or less): Three articles by film critic Dann Gire: A tribute to Roger Ebert and two reviews, 'American Hustle' and 'Hunger Games: Catching Fire'.
• Best Editorial Writing (circulation 250,000 or less): Assistant Vice President/Managing Editor Jim Baumann for “The essential work of 911 dispatchers,” “Arming cops with AEDs a sensible goal” and “Want better democracy? Add some trust.”
• Best Sports Commentary (circulation 250,000 or less): Columnist Mike Imrem, for “Athletes, fans just look at things differently,” “There's just no hope for Ricketts' Cubs guarantee” and “Bottom line: A slur is a slur is a slur.”
• Best Feature Photo: Bob Chwedyk, “Cats Want In.”
• Best Sports Photo: Steve Lundy, “Goalie's Leap”
• Best News Photo (circulation 250,000 or less): Joe Lewnard, “Butterfly child”
In all, the Daily Herald staff was nominated for 21 awards, featuring the work of reporters, editors, photographers and a page designer. The master of ceremonies for the awards was Andy Shaw, president and chief operating officer of the Better Government Association.
The awards are named for reporter and columnist Peter Lisagor, the respected Chicago Daily News Washington bureau chief from 1959 to 1976.