12th annual First Amendment Awards and Scholarship Dinner

WFAA-TV’s Byron Harris, a Texas reporting icon and one of the most decorated broadcast journalists in the country, received Fort Worth SPJ’s Open Doors Award, the organization’s highest honor, at the 12th annual First Amendment Awards and Scholarship Dinner, April 17, 2015, at Cacharel in Arlington, Texas.
The chapter also distributed $17,500 to 10 students who are either from Texas or attending school in Texas. Providing scholarships dates to the chapter’s early days in the 1940s. Since 2000 alone, $256,000 has been handed out.
Harris holds two Peabody Awards, four national Edward R. Murrow Awards, and three Gerald Loeb Awards for distinguished business reporting. Last year, he won his sixth duPont-Columbia Award — the broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize — for exposing fraud in Texas’ Medicaid dental system.
Harris was the first U.S. reporter to refuse to surrender his camera at Area 51, the government's secret military installation in Nevada. He was arrested and released, then filed a story about classified aircraft sightings all along the West Coast. He has reported from war zones and filed numerous stories from Russia. He chronicled the abuses that led to the savings and loan crisis in the 1980s.
He joins previous Open Doors recipients Brett Shipp, WFAA-TV; Betty Brink, Fort Worth Weekly; the WFAA-TV team of Mark Smith, Billy Bryant, Brett Shipp and Byron Harris; Dan Malone at Tarleton State University; Craig Flournoy, Southern Methodist University; Jennifer Autrey when she was with the Star-Telegram; Hadassah Schloss in the Texas Attorney General’s Office; Ralph Langer with the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas; Diane Wilson, author of “An Unreasonable Woman: A True Story of Shrimpers, Politicos, Polluters, and the Fight for Seadrift, Texas”; and Jennifer Peebles when she was with Texas Watchdog.
The Open Doors Award celebrates the record of an individual or organization that defends the people’s right to open government and open records. It complements the chapter’s First Amendment Awards competition. 2015 First Amendment Award winners (brown type) and finalists, with comments (italics) from judges at the SPJ Florida Professional Chapter:
Defending the Disadvantaged
• circulation over 50,000
Jay Root, The Texas Tribune, “Hurting for Work”
A compelling lead and lots of good investigative work. While rather long, the writing is compelling enough that it does not “read” long. Good inclusion by paper of fact sidebars.
Monica Rhor, Houston Chronicle, “Church Ladies Offer a Helping Hand to Women Newly Released from Prison”
Especially well written; this story really flows. This is the type of story that deserves attention.
Peter Gorman, Fort Worth Weekly, “Late to Class? Off to Court!”
Very good lead. Well researched.
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• circulation under 50,000
Krista Torralva, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, state-supported living center investigated
The writer put a lot of research into this, including public records requests. Article is well written and is the type of article that could spur positive changes if it is given more attention.
Francisco Vara-Orta, San Antonio Express-News, improving school discipline
Two well-written stories. Writer put a lot of time into getting a firsthand perspective.
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• broadcast large market
Scott Noll, KHOU-TV, “Transcript Troubles”
Very intriguing report and subject matter. Reporter clearly sets up the problem and goes after answers. Definitely a strong ending when we see Noll get results for one of his interviewees, only to find out she has two sets of transcripts that do not match.
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• broadcast medium market
David Martin Davies, Texas Public Radio, “Documentary Report: Problems Facing Texas State-Supported Living Centers”
David Davies gave a well-rounded report on mental illness, a hot-button issue that many newsrooms avoid. If it is reported, it is superficial. I appreciate Davies bringing in the story of Sean Yates and the neglect he faced, ultimately leading to his death. This brought the story to life. Driving home the seriousness of the matter, Davies provided shocking actions on behalf of caregivers, including forming a fight club. The audio of the fights and the pain these individuals felt really was tough to listen to but a strong component. Very comprehensive coverage and a great job of digging deep.
General News
• circulation over 50,000
Jeff Prince and Eric Griffey, Fort Worth Weekly, “Shale Math: Half Full or Half Empty”
Excellent lead. Writers obviously put considerable effort into research. This is the sort of article that deserves to win in part because of the attention it will draw to a very important issue.
Ana E. Azpurua, Al Día, “Hay Nás Centroamericanos en las Escuelas de Dallas y Fort Worth”
Ms. Azpurua did an excellent job identifying new immigration trends using public records available from the independent school districts in Dallas, Garland and Fort Worth. She contextualized the data with interviews of school officials, immigration authorities and community organizers. She also provided background information on the migrant children crisis that has relocated more than 5,000 in Texas, and she included resources for families.
Steve Thompson, The Dallas Morning News, “Pouring in Money Couldn’t Keep Dallas’ Bexar Street Project from Sinking”
Writer did good research, and the story deserves attention. Writing suffered by the overuse of cliches, though.
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• circulation under 50,000
Mark Collette, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, “Public Never Had a Say on Costco”
This is a very good look at an issue that has been dealt with by many publications in recent years. It takes a different angle, though, which makes the article all the more engaging. It does an excellent job of putting the issue of incentives in a spotlight, which should encourage more discussion in the community.
Jenna Duncan, Denton Record-Chronicle, “Costs Daunt UNT Libraries”
This is a good story about a bad situation involving funding of university libraries. Well written, giving good exposure to an important topic.
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• broadcast large market
Scott Noll, KHOU-TV, “Suspended Lawyer Still Practicing”
Investigative reporter Scott Noll did an excellent job setting up and framing this story. He sought out all the elements the report needed, including going after the judge who was made fully aware this attorney was practicing while not licensed. In addition, Noll found two great faces for this piece, showing how the attorney’s actions impacted others. A number of elements needed to be woven together, and Noll ordered his report in a way that in the end you got the big reveal, the attorney’s drug arrests.

Green News 
• under 50,000 circulation
Louise Red Corn, The Bigheart Times, “BIA Report is Scathing”
An important story that could have gone unnoticed — or been lost to boring government-speak — were it not for the skill of the reporter, who steered away from an emphasis on numbers and brought the bottom-line issue to life with more reporting and interviews.
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• broadcast medium market
David Martin Davies, Texas Public Radio, “Nordheim Waits for Word on Fracking Fate”
David Davies did a thorough job getting all sides of this story. Fracking is definitely not a subject that will hold a person’s attention, but Davies manages to explain the tough topic well and keep the piece flowing. There was clearly a lot of planning and researching done to execute this piece, and it showed.

Investigative 
• over 50,000 circulation
Jay Root, The Texas Tribune, “Hurting for Work”
This excellent series hit all the right notes. The reporting was meticulous, and the writing, particularly the use of anecdotes, was impactful without stepping over the line into maudlin. The data enhanced the story rather than talked away from it; the elements — photos, video, data — worked hand in hand with the powerful subject matter. This is exactly what investigative reporting should do: uncover a wrong, tell an important and overlooked story that was challenging to report, and in doing so publish a story the public and elected officials can’t ignore. Well done.
Ed Timms and Kevin Krause, The Dallas Morning News, temp agency contracting questioned
An important story that triggered real change. The legal battle and subsequent legal precedent would have been admirable in and of itself. But the story, which could have bogged down in details, instead illustrated a web of secret intertwined interests and clearly showed how taxpayers were on the losing end of sweetheart deals.
Brian M. Rosenthal, Houston Chronicle, no-competition state contracts under fire
Good hustling to get a story and then report the heck out of it; a dogged, fast-paced and enterprising piece with political fallout.
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• under 50,000 circulation
Mark Collette, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, counselor licensing
Reporting that took the case of one individual and just did not let go, springboarding into a broader examination of the state’s failures, getting lawmakers’ attention and triggering calls for change. Good digging, good writing, good persistence and good results.  
John D. Harden, Denton Record-Chronicle, “Building Debt”
A commitment by paper and reporter to dig into an important but dense issue paid off with these thoroughly reported stories. Links to source documents were a plus, and the mapping added to understanding.
Krista Torralva, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, state-supported living center investigated
Excellent use of color and anecdote, coupled with reports, combined to illustrate a major issue and its ramifications for individual families. Nicely done.
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• broadcast large market
Scott Friedman, Eva Parks and Peter Hull, KXAS-TV, “NBC 5 Investigation Prompts Local School District to Replace 100 Football Helmets”
This was an all-around excellent piece, a perfect example of media convergence. The interactive map was really well done. This was the one story that invited viewers to participate in the investigation. This piece relates to everyone, not just parents or sports fans. I found myself looking into helmets in Indiana. Scott Friedman is great at picking stories that involve everyone and also drives consumers to the website to get more information.
Yezmin Thomas, KXTX-TV Telemundo, “Diplomas Falsos”
Using a tip from the audience as a starting point, Ms. Thomas and her production team delved into the very profitable business of selling high school diplomas and GEDs in Texas. In a two-part series, Ms. Thomas and her team followed the compelling cases of four students who were victims of the scam and used public records to track the institutions that issued illegal diplomas. They also used official sources and interviews with lawyers, students and even ICE to illustrate why this is an important issue in Texas, the second state in the country in percentage of adults without a high school diploma.
Scott Friedman, Eva Parks and Peter Hull, KXAS-TV, safety of corrugated tubing questioned
Extremely in-depth and very well covered. Great graphics enhance the story. Interviews really touch on the emotional impact of the story. Scott’s vocal delivery is incredible; his pacing and inflection make the story feel real and natural. Video was shot and edited very well. All-around great production. Each video tells its own story but also gives enough backstory to keep the new viewer involved.
Ted Oberg, KTRK-TV, “Criminal Investigation into Inmate Found in Cell Amid Bugs, Trash, Feces”
Good human interest piece. Like the way it showed the neglect. The use of graphics wasn’t nearly as well done as the others but still was a good story. Very solid work, and the interviews were edited well.
 
Multimedia Project   
• no circulation specifications
Scott Friedman, Eva Parks, Peter Hull, David Tarrant and Vernon Bryant, KXAS-TV/The Dallas Morning News, “Injured Heroes, Broken Promises”
Sound broadcast package encompassing true investigative work of an emotional issue.
Jay Root, The Texas Tribune, “Hurting for Work”
A true multimedia project, well researched and in-depth, The Texas Tribune covered a true social economic issue affecting many Texans. Special project website was well designed, easy to navigate and chock full of content.
 
Opening the Books 
•over 50,000 circulation
Peter Gorman, Fort Worth Weekly, “Royalty Rip-off”
Jumped into a thicket of documents and numbers and came up with a story that pulled the reader in and shed light on a poorly understood practice with widespread implications. Strong explanatory journalism.
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• under 50,000 circulation
Chris Ramirez, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, “When Wells Run Dry”
Detailed and thoroughly reported.
Chris Ramirez, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, “Port Growth”
Good use of public documents to detail issues relating to growth.
 
Opinion or Commentary 
• over 50,000 circulation
Dave Lieber, The Dallas Morning News, “The Watchdog: Questioning DART Claims About Paratransit Success”
Dogged effort to secure huge numbers of records and even more dogged effort to read all 2,700 pages of them, and for a subject involving people most likely to go unnoticed: the disadvantaged, minorities and the elderly.

Reporting on Open Government 
• over 50,000 circulation
Ed Timms and Kevin Krause, The Dallas Morning News, “Temp Firm Has Inside Track”
The legal battle and subsequent legal precedent clearly went beyond what many papers larger than the feisty Morning News would have committed to. Reporting used great detail and showed willingness to chase down the story in every nook and cranny. Taxpayers learning for the first time how they were being fleeced should be happy the Morning News still lands on their doorstep.
Eric Griffey and Kenneth Kost, Fort Worth Weekly, “Drying Up in DWG”
Strong treatment of a complex, often incendiary subject. Adroitly wove individual stories into strong data and wrote human stories into what could have been a morass of numbers and finger-pointing.
Eric Griffey, Fort Worth Weekly, “Laundry Day”
Strong writing in a story that lifted the veil of unfounded accusations. Very nice lead and use of color and anecdote without overdoing it.
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• broadcast major market
Ted Oberg and Trent Seibert, KTRK-TV, “City of Houston Keeps Secret Investigations into Own Employees”
Reporter Oberg’s brisk, almost staccato delivery and producer Seibert’s flash cuts and fades and visual whoop-de-do perfectly showcase a disturbing tale of taxpayer money being used to gather information that the Houston Office of Inspector General ($750,000 annual budget) and by extension the mayor have no intention of revealing. A ton of facts presented, incisive questions asked, stonewalling duly recorded. The opening “Dragnet” metaphor is a bit goofy but no doubt plays well at sweeps time. Great ending on the lead video.
 
Student Work in Student Media 
• no circulation specifications
Michael Marks, Wes Martin, Rabeea Tahir, Larisa Manescu, Gabriel Macias, Kristyn Renfro and Emily Jiminez, ReportingTexas.com, college students and debt
When most student publications localize a story, it's usually an excuse to fill space and meet a deadline with broad strokes and lame quotes. Not so here. In four deep articles, the impact of the high cost of a higher education is brought home with detailed numbers and real people's problems.
Favian Quezada, MyTJCNews.com, “Tyler’s Homeless”
First-person excursions often descend into look-at-me reporting that skirts the real subject and focuses on the tribulations of the journalist. This particular series could have gone off the rails except for one thing: Favian Quezada made sharp observations without arrogance or self-pity. He's your personal guide through a tough situation that locals probably wondered about. He answers their questions and opens their eyes.

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2015 Texas Gridiron Club Scholarships
Staley and Beverly McBrayer Scholarship
Belen Casillas   Stephen F. Austin University
Donna Darovich Scholarship
Ashlea Sigman   University of North Texas
Jack B. Tinsley Scholarship
Dalton LaFerney   University of North Texas
Jerry Flemmons Scholarship
Perla Arellano   UT Austin
Joe Holstead Scholarship
Laura Benson   Abilene Christian University
Lina Davis Scholarship
Brianna Kessler   Texas Wesleyan University
Joey McReynolds   Texas Christian University
Clayton Youngman   Texas Christian University
Jay Milner Scholarship
Carol-Lynn Shelby   Tarleton State University
Gridiron Scholarship
Hannah-Beth Floyd   UT Arlington