INDIANAPOLIS — Every year, the Society of Professional Journalists honors local news outlets with awards recognizing outstanding achievements in the field of journalism.
On Friday, SPJ honored 12 WTHR 13News journalists with first place medals, three second place recognitions and four third place awards.
The awards were part of the SPJ's "2023 Best of Indiana."
Here's the full list of WTHR award winners:
- Best Newscast (Indianapolis market)
- 1st Place - 13News at 11 – 13News Team (11 p.m. the day the Richmond fire started)
- Best Use of Social Media
- 1st Place - Depending on WTHR – 13News Team
- Election and Campaign Coverage (Indianapolis market)
- 1st Place - Decision 2023: The Community Issues – Lauren Kostiuk, Mike Potter, Scott Allen, Russ Govert, Drew Schuller, Ryan Thedwall, Matt Whisner
- Daily Assignment Reporting (Indianapolis market)
- 1st Place - Hard to Imagine – Karen Campbell, Adam Pyle
- 2nd Place - The Beat Goes On – Karen Campbell, Scott Allen
- Sports Reporting (Indianapolis market)
- 1st Place - Rich Nye Sports Reporting – Rich Nye, Russ Govert
- 2nd Place - What Drivers Do For Fun – Dave Calabro, Josh Blankenship
- Light Feature Story (Indianapolis market)
- 1st Place - The Flying Golf Carts – Chuck Lofton, Steve Rhodes, Megan Simpson
- 2nd Place - Backyard Glass – Chuck Lofton, Steve Rhodes, Megan Simpson
- Investigative Reporting (Indianapolis market)
- 1st Place - Cheating Inside the Fire House – Bob Segall, Ryan Thedwall, Susan Batt
- 3rd Place - A Mother’s Unanswered Questions – Emily Longnecker, Josh Blankenship
- Serious Feature Story (Indianapolis market)
- 1st Place - Composing a Masterpiece Life – Emily Longnecker, Steve Rhodes
- 3rd Place - The Circus Reimagined – Rich Nye
- Coverage of Children’s Issues (Any Indiana Station)
- 1st Place - The Trap – Cierra Putman, Ryan Thedwall
- Education Coverage (Any Indiana Station)
- 1st Place - School Officer in Trouble – Cierra Putman, Ryan Thedwall, Steve Rhodes, Russ Govert, Susan Batt
- Business or Consumer Affairs Reporting (Any Indiana Station)
- 1st Place - The Ambulance Ride – Bob Segall, Josh Blankenship
- Criminal Justice Reporting (Indianapolis Market)
- 1st Place - A Mother’s Mission – Emily Longnecker, Matt Whisner, Ryan Thedwall
- Coverage of Race and Diversity Issues (Any Indiana Station)
- 3rd Place - Meeting Indy’s Cultural Leaders – Jalea Brooks, Cierra Putman, Felicia Lawrence, Chuck Lofton, Julia Moffitt, Joe Fenton, Scott Graber, Russ Govert, Steve Rhodes, Matt Whisner
- Coverage of Government or Politics (Any Indiana Station)
- 3rd Place - 13 Investigates: Government Watchdog – Cierra Putman, Bob Segall, Bill Ditton, Ryan Thedwall, Steve Rhodes, Scott Allen, Russ Govert, Joe Fenton, Susan Batt
- Student News Reporting
- 1st Place - Cleanup to begin at site of Richmond Fire - Alex Almanza
The SPJ will post the full list of "2023 Best of Indiana" winners soon.
For more information on the Society of Professional Journalists, click here.
