SIDEBAR: LGBT media recognized with 2013 NLGJA awards

by Chuck Colbert

The National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) recently announced the winners of its 2013 Excellence in Journalism Awards. A number of recipients are members from LGBT media.

In addition to special recognition, awards are presented for excellence in news writing, feature writing, opinion writing, local television, network television, radio, online, HIV/AIDS coverage and student journalism.

Awards will be presented in Boston on August 24 during an NLGJA reception.

The NLGJA 2013 Journalist of the Year is Michael Luongo, a freelance journalist, editor and photographer and New York University adjunct professor who teaches travel writing. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Bloomberg News, CNN, National Geographic Traveler, Gay City News, the Advocate, Condé Nast Traveler, Travel+Leisure, Details, Man About World and other publications, with most of his travel writing and international correspondence work concentrating on the Middle East and Latin America.

One Excellence in Journalism Awards judge commented that Michael Luongo “gains amazing access to the Palestinian, Israeli and Egyptian worlds. His ability to weave a narrative draws the reader into his stories, be they about pinkwashing in Israel, the difficulties of being gay in Palestine, or what became of the out gay activists in Egypt’s manifestation of the Arab Spring. He also shows versatility, reporting on both the gay world for the mainstream media and on the lesser known aspects of straight Arab society in Egypt and the just plain fascinating continued existence of Samaritans in Israel.”

Luongo is an LGBT Media Summit panelist for the breakout session on international story coverage.

Second place in the Journalist of the Year category went to Chris Geidner of BuzzFeed.

Geidner serves as moderator for a Friday, August 23, mid-day plenary, “What’s Next for DOMA and Same-Sex Marriage.”

The NLGJA Sarah Pettit LGBT Journalist of the Year Award is Lila Shapiro, a staff reporter at The Huffington Post.

Second place for the Pettit award is Kate Sosin of Chicago’s Windy City Times.

The Sarah Pettit Memorial Award, named for the late Newsweek journalist and founding editor of Out magazine, honors the LGBT Media Journalist of the Year.

Other award recipients, including LGBT media professionals, are:

Print/online awards

Excellence in HIV/AIDS Coverage Award

First: Rita Rubin for “Healing the Hurt,” with Oriol Gutierrez, POZ Magazine

Second: Diane Anderson-Minshall, HIV Plus Magazine

Excellence in News Writing Award

First: Kate Sosin for “Generation Halsted: A Special Windy City Times LGBTQ Youth Investigation,” with Erica Demarest, Bill Healy and Tracy Baim

Second: Chris Johnson for a series on historic LGBT elections wins, Washington Blade

Third: Timothy Cwiek for his coverage of the Nizah Morris case, Philadelphia Gay News

Excellence in Feature Writing Award

First: Mark Johnson for “Uniquely Human: The Science of Gender, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Second: Joan Garrett McClane for “A tempest in my soul: A son’s secret brings Baptist minister to his knees,” Chattanooga Times Free Press

Third: Kathleen Wilkinson for “Close to Her Heart: Glenn Close’s Passion Project,” Curve Magazine

Excellence in Opinion/Editorial Writing Award

First: Kate Riley for a series of same-sex marriage editorials, with Lance Dickie, Thanh Tan and Sharon Pian Chan, the Seattle Times

Second: Sean Bugg for an opinion writing series, Metro Weekly

Third: Kerry Eleveld for “Why Barack Obama Will be A better Progressive in His Second Term,” the Atlantic

Excellence in Online Journalism Award

First: Blake Ellis for a series on same-sex couples’ financial challenges, CNNMoney

Second: Alissa Bohling for “Transgender, Gender Nonconforming People Among First, Most Affected by War on Terror’s Biometrics Craze,” Truthout

Third: Michael Luongo for “Gay Palestinians caught in the middle of conflict,” Global Post

Excellence in Multimedia Award

First: Olivia Ford for the video series “A Day in the Life,” with Mark S. King, Becky Allen and Kellee Terrell, TheBody.com

Excellence in Photojournalism Award

First: Preston Gannaway for “Teddy Ebony as a Young Man,” the Virginian Pilot

Second: Scott A. Drake for “Gay Blades,” Philadelphia Gay News

Excellence in Student Journalism Award

First: Sarah Fournier for “Transition Leads to Joy,” Pavement Pieces

Second: Alissa Brouillet for “The LGBT Mind,” with Adam Ilenich, Kellie Rowe, Marcela Salvador and Justin Wan, Media Garden

Broadcast awards

Excellence in Network Television Award

First: David Corvo for “Golden Star,” with Kate Snow, Charmian Ling, Meghan Frank and Beverly Chase, NBCUniversal

Second: Tommy Nguyen for “Josie’s Story,” with Hoda Kotb, Allison Orr, Nicholas Capote and Liz Cole, NBCUniversal

Excellence in Local Television Award

First: Joe Fryer for “Same-Sex Marriage in Washington,” with Jeff Christian, KING-TV

Excellence in Radio Award

First: Julia Scott for “Bon Voyage,” KALW 91.7 FM (San Francisco)

Second: Bob Mondello for “Hollywood’s History of Putting Gay Rights on Trial,” with Sara Sarasohn and Sami Yenigun, NPR All Things Considered

NLGJA’s Excellence in Journalism Awards were established in 1993 to foster, recognize and reward excellence in journalism on issues related to the LGBT community.

Volume 15

Issue 5

SIDEBAR