For the sixth time in eight years, the Tallahassee Democrat has won the Gold Medal in Public Service Journalism – this time for a photojournalist’s inside look at the hidden heroics that take place in the Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare emergency room and trauma bays.
The Democrat also took home a first place for its breaking news coverage of the Florida State University mass shooting in the recent Florida Society of News Editors contest for Division B, which covers the state’s medium-sized newspapers and news operations.
The idea for the story that won the Gold Medal, the top prize in the contest granted to just three news operations of different sizes, was inspired by a line that appears in so many stories about shootings in the capital city: “The victim was transported to the hospital….”
The Tallahassee Democrat and Alicia Devine explored what that really means.
Embedded alongside the ER trauma team, she captured the chaotic tug-of-war between life and death that occurs behind the front lines of the city’s decades-long fight against gun violence. She also followed up with the victim and shared his new outlook on life and guns. And she inspired a doctor who shared his private battle with becoming numb to the violence.
Devine, who has worked at the paper for eight years, has been recognized with the Gold Medal three times.
“Alicia Devine, who has also twice bern named as the best photojournalist in Florida, has a heart for this community and showing the struggles that occur outside the public eye,” said Editor William Hatfield. “But this critically important story would not have been possible without the trust of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. Their courage led to what one reader called a ‘stunning piece of work that shows a different side of the struggle we’re facing.’ “
The entire Democrat news team was also recognized for its quick, empathetic and investigative coverage of the mass shooting at FSU.
The story, which was published just 14 minutes after the first shot was fired, was personal to many journalists in the newsroom.
“As sirens wailed and frantic calls came into the newsroom, editors and reporters shared information with loved ones – sometimes even their own children and spouses barricaded in classrooms – as they pushed out a firehose of vital breaking updates,” Hatfield said, noting the Democrat’s goal of trying to be “an instrument of healing in the days after the shooting.”
Democrat journalists were also recognized for their coverage of the sale of TMH and the ensuing controversy, the tragic death of Missy Mogle, Florida A&M University’s turbulent presidential search, and its FSU sports reporting.
FLORIDA SOCIETY OF NEWS EDITORS AWARDS
(The Democrat won eight awards in Division B in the annual FSNE contest — the Gold Medal in Public Service, two first place prizes, and five third places.)
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee Democrat wins journalism Gold Medal for 6th time in 8 years
Reporting by Staff reports, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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