The 87th National Headliner Award winners honoring the best journalism in the United States in 2020 were announced. The awards were founded in 1934 by the Press Club of Atlantic City. The annual contest is one of the oldest and largest in the country that recognizes journalistic merit in the communications industry.
The Best in Show Newspapers award this year went to Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi of the Tampa Bay Times for their story “Targeted.”
“With a stunning hit-parade of police body cam footage and starkly written narrative, the Tampa Bay Times uncovers a shocking police practice that amounts to harassing potential wrongdoers from the unwelcoming precincts of Pasco County, Florida,” the judges said.
The Los Angeles Times won 15 awards, including six first places, while The Star Tribune in Minnesota won nine awards, including six first places.
The Times’ Marcus Yam and Alan Hagman won the Best in Show Photography award for Yam’s portfolio entitled “The Long Road: An Exodus from Venezuela.”
“A powerful storytelling image by a photographer (Yam) who gained trust and access for his subjects,” the judges said. “The photographer captures layers of agony on human sufferings. Each image was compelling and storytelling.”
The Best in Show Online award this year went to Andrew Quilty of The Intercept for his story titled “The CIA’s Afghan Death Squad.”
“This shocking and meticulously reported story exposed the CIA-supported murders of dozens of Afghan children and civilians that can only be described as unprosecuted war crimes,” the judges said. “Reporter Andrew Quilty painstakingly pieced together one of the darkest chapters of the Afghanistan War, where women and children as young as eight were summarily executed by CIA-trained paramilitary units that were supported by American air power and advisers.”
The Best in Show Radio award this year went to Shima Olaee and Jad Abumrad of Osm Audio and WNYC’s Radiolab for their story titled “The Flag and the Fury.”
“Overall, this is an amazing mix of storytelling and historical audio clips folded in that illustrates what the Confederate flag means to many people,” the judges said.
National Public Radio won eight awards, including three first places.
The Best in Show Television award went to Morgan Till, Nadja Drost, Bruno Federico, Carlos Villalón, Bruno Federico and Sara Just of PBS NewsHour for their story titled “Desperate Journey.”
“Extraordinary, embedded, risk-filled documentary of what refugees are going through as they navigate jungles and rivers heading north to the U.S. Exceptional reporting and documenting,” the judges said.
CBS News won 16 awards, including five first places.
Here are the first-, second- and third-place awards for the newspaper, photography, online, radio and television categories.
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