‘Exceptional work.’ Sun Herald staff wins big at annual Louisiana-Mississippi AP awards
The Sun Herald staff has won an armful of honors at this year’s Louisiana-Mississippi Associated Press Broadcasters and Media Editors awards.
That’s a figurative armful and not literal, as the new coronavirus pandemic canceled the awards ceremony planned for Saturday in Baton Rouge.
This year, the Sun Herald competed in the highest division for newspapers with competition like The Advocate and Times-Picayune. We swept the categories for multimedia and continuing coverage, and placed first in four categories.
As the senior news editor, I’m most proud of our coverage of the tragic shooting of Biloxi officer Robert “Mac” McKeithen.
From our videographer first seeing a tweet in the wee hours of the morning and racing to the scene, to our well-sourced veteran reporters scooping the competition, every single person on our newsroom staff reported this story, producing over 20 stories in one week.
As the judge’s comment said, “A staff of fewer than 10 cranking out story after riveting story to cover an event that tore at their community’s heart. Exceptional work.”
I’m delighted to announce the stories, photos and videos that have earned 2019 APBME awards:
Multimedia
1st: Anita Lee and Justin Mitchell, “’Brain drain’ on the Coast has Potential to Get Worse, Experts Warn. Can it be Fixed?”
Judges comment: A solid effort and a textbook example of how multimedia can expand the story well beyond the printed page. The videos — hearing the voices of millennials for perspective — and the graphic showing the hard numbers were a great use of resources.
2nd: Anita Lee and Alyssa Newton, “The Power to Open Bonnet Carré Spillway Rests 200 Miles from ‘Struggling’ Gulf Coast”
Judges comment: This report really brought home the impact of the spillway’s opening — an event that has become the new normal. The video of the oyster farmers gave the issue a personal impact, and the video about why the Gulf Coast is powerless — presenting the history — was important, too, answering the policy ”why”.
Continuing Coverage
1st: Sun Herald, “Biloxi Officer ‘Ambushed’ and Shot to Death Outside of Police Station”
Judges comment: After reporting the shooting death of Patrolman Robert ‘Mac’ McKeithen, the Sun Herald staff was everywhere the story took them: the manhunt; a solid profile of the officer; an arrest; the funeral; and an interview with a family he helped to save during Hurricane Katrina. The Sun Herald gave its readers every twist and turn of the story, producing photo galleries and videos that parlayed their access to officials who wanted to share the story. A staff of fewer than 10 cranking out story after riveting story to cover an event that tore at their community’s heart. Exceptional work. Congratulations.
2nd: Anita Lee, Mary Perez and Alyssa Newton, “Devastating Effects of the Record Bonnet Carré Spillway Openings”
Judges comment: “They’ve survived hurricanes, the Great Recession, the BP oil spill. But nothing prepared Mississippi Coast businesses for what happened this year,” wrote the Sun Herald, in its exhaustive coverage of the ecological and economic impact of the Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to open the Bonnet Carre spillway, releasing fresh water into the Mississippi Sound. The coverage put a face on the devastation, from oyster farmers and restaurants to deserted local beaches and merchants with no one to buy their souvenirs. The paper also hosted a forum where panelists and readers could voice their concerns. Excellent work and a valuable public service.
3rd: Margaret Baker and Alyssa Newton, “Community Questions Fatal Shooting by Moss Point Police Officer”
Judges comment: Margaret Baker and Alyssa Newton were allover the officer-involved shooting. From breaking the news to following the victim’s family’s protest to the release of the cop’s body camera footage and calls for a wider probe, in text and photos and video, their work answered a lot of questions, and raised some, too.
Investigative Reporting
3rd: Margaret Baker, “Mississippi Lawmaker Was Drunk When He ‘Punched’ His Wife in the Face Over Sex, Report Says”
Judges comment: Margaret Baker doggedly pursued the story of a state lawmaker arrested on a domestic violence charge. She fought for, and won, access to 911 tapes and video footage from police officers’ response to the scene. The lawmaker’s wife eventually testified on her husband’s behalf, resulting in a not-guilty decision, but the judge pointed out that the woman was obviously afraid of her alleged abuser.
Breaking News Story
2nd: Sun Herald, “’Deliberate and Violent Attack.’ Reward Offered as Police Search for Biloxi Cop’s Killer”
Judges comment: Good storytelling on main bar about shooting and suspect. Compelling sidebar profiling the dead policeman.
Business
1st: Mary Perez, “Camille Cut is No More. A Look at New Changes to the Barrier Islands of the Mississippi Coast.”
Judges comment: Mary Perez knows that the barrier islands are important to her readers. She took the opportunity to tell that story, and the story of the other islands. Her lede: “It’s time to order new signs and update the brochures, because for the first time in 50 years, there’s no longer a Camille Cut or an East and West Ship Island.”
2nd: Mary Perez, “Will Anyone Restore Biloxi’s Saenger Theatre Like They Did in New Orleans and Mobile?”
Judges comment: Mary Perez also wrote about efforts to save the historic Saenger Theater in Biloxi, the neglected sibling of grander venues in New Orleans and Mobile. She chronicled the history — it was believed to be Biloxi’s first building with air-conditioning — but also the present, addressing the thriving theater community in the area.
Feature Story
1st: Margaret Baker, “’There is a way out.’ After Cycle of Abuse Nearly Killed Her, Coast Woman Shares Her Story.”
Judges comment: Baker had a great source with a grisly but important story to tell. And she made the most of it, unfolding the story in her own voice while making sure that Courtney Schouest’s voice was front and center. “I kept thinking he would change,” she said. “Iwanted to believe him. I kept going back. I don’t want this to happen to anyone else.” And Baker did the legwork, verifying elements of the story through police reports and text messages Schouest saved. What resulted was a report that has the potential to save lives, to convince women in similar, dire circumstances to take that step and flee a dangerous relationship.
3rd: Justin Mitchell, “’We’re just like them.’ Meet the Drag Queens Changing Minds and Hearts on the Coast”
Judges comment: Justin Mitchell did it all on this story about drag queens appearing outside the realm of gay clubs, in a compelling story, video and images.
Breaking News Photography
3rd: Alyssa Newton, “Coroner Identifies Three Teens Pulled from Biloxi River After Accidental Drowning”
Judges comment: Captured the sorrow and grief on the riverbank.
Every single person at the Sun Herald wants to continue serving our Mississippi Gulf Coast community by reporting more exceptional work and more investigative stories that hold our leaders accountable.
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Find the full list of 2019 Louisiana-Mississippi APBME winners at http://discover.ap.org/contests/louisiana-mississippi
