It was another year of accolades for the journalism of the Tallahassee Democrat, Florida's century-old capital newspaper and website of record.
At the annual Florida Society of News Editors conference in Orlando Thursday, Democrat staff took home 10 first place awards, two seconds and five third place prizes. The awards recognize the team's coverage of Hurricane Idalia's threat and destruction in neighboring counties and individual journalists who covered the closing of the lifeblood Perry lumber mill and a family's search for justice and answers in a small North Florida town.
"It's been the highest honor of my life to work with a team that produces life-changing, award-winning journalism each year," Executive Editor William Hatfield said. "I'm also eternally grateful to our community for both supporting local journalism and having the courage to share their stories."
The USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, of which the Democrat is a member, left Orlando with almost 70 awards (30 first places, 20 seconds and 19 thirds).
The Democrat's coverage of Idalia, a hurricane without precedent that sideswiped Tallahassee and hammered less populated Big Bend counties , also earned the top Disaster Reporting prize in the Green Eyeshade awards. Since 1950, the Green Eyeshades have recognized the very best journalism in the southeastern United States, with the Democrat vying against much larger papers.
Democrat journalists are also finalists for three of the most prestigious awards in the Sunshine State Awards contest, run by Society of Professional Journalists Florida chapter. For the second time, photojournalist Alicia Devine is in contention for Photojournalist of the Year . She won the title in 2021.
"Alicia Devine is one of those rare photojournalists who can wield the camera and pen with power," Hatfield said. "I could say so much more but her images speak for themselves."
This year, she captured compelling moments on both sides of the blue line. She spent months following a Black Tallahassee Police Department officer and chronicled – in words, photos and video – his life at the intersection of an intensifying debate over law enforcement and race.
On the other side, she was there to get the precise moment when TPD arrested the chair of the Florida Democratic Party for not following a sundown curfew at Tallahassee City Hall and continuing an abortion protest. And then again when a group of protesters were hauled out of the Capitol in hand-cuffs after refusing to rise from a sit-in inside the governor's office.
The Democrat's First Amendment beat reporter Douglas Soule , who has completed his first year on the new beat, is also up for the Barbara A. Petersen Freedom of Information Award for his collection of coverage.
"The First Amendment beat is a complicated one to cover as nuance ebbs and flows through its lines," Hatfield said. "Through insightful and diligent reporting, Douglas simplifies dense and oftentimes contentious legal issues with consideration and care for our broad audience."
He does that while breaking stories, too, such as when he obtained internal communications of a Moms for Liberty chapter showing their plans to pull numerous books from school shelves. He finds fresh angles like tracking down book resellers inundated with books no longer deemed safe by the state for school. He was also the first to reveal how the state is arguing that book removals are protected government speech.
The position is made possible thanks to funding from the nonpartisan Freedom Forum ’s Local Press Initiative and Journalism Funding Partners , a nonprofit that works to increase the depth, diversity and sustainability of local journalism.
Soule and public safety reporter Elena Barrera are also finalists for the Gene Miller Award for Investigative Reporting for their coverage of a 69-year-old Black Tallahassee woman who was awoken at 3 a.m. and arrested for voter fraud as part of Gov. Ron DeSantis' crackdown. Soule and Barrera combed through records and grilled officials as the case caught the attention of Ben Crump, a renowned civil rights attorney.
Just hours after the Democrat published the body camera video , the state prosecutor determined that while there was "probable cause" for an arrest, it was clearly – what the Democrat had shown all along – an "innocent mistake."
Here's a complete list of this year's awards haul.
FLORIDA SOCIETY OF NEWS EDITORS AWARDS
(The Democrat won 10 first place prizes, two second places and five third places, including top prizes in breaking news coverage and community leadership)
Breaking news reporting
Community Leadership
Features Writing
Business
Spot news photography
Sports photography
- First Place: FSU Soccer Supreme – Alicia Devine
- Third Place: Unconquered moments from FSU football 2023 – Alicia Devine
Photo story
Design
- First Place: DEI Whiplash - Nike Ogunbodede
- Second Place : Capitol of Champions - Michael Nelson
- Third Place: Black Lives in the Blue Line - Morgan Ringel
Multimedia
Live video
Feature video
Enterprise stories
Beat reporting
Sports
GREEN EYESHADE AWARDS
In the prestigious Green Eyeshade Awards, run by the Society of Professional Journalists, the Democrat also performed well. Competing against newspapers from around the Southeastern U.S., the Tallahassee Democrat won the top prize for its coverage of the Hurricane Idalia. In addition, the Democrat won the following awards:
Non-Deadline Reporting / Small Dailies
Disaster Reporting / All Dailies
Sports Photography
- Second Place: Moments of Triumph - Alicia Devine
SUNSHINE STATE AWARDS
The Tallahassee Democrat is also a finalist for three of the most prestigious awards and a number of categories in the Sunshine State Awards, organized by the Florida Society of Professional Journalists.
SPECIAL AWARDS
PRINT AND ONLINE
BEST OF GANNETT
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee Democrat brings home top journalism prizes for hurricane coverage, more
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