Lake does a nice job portraying this fallen soldier’s life in authentic terms. He shows some change in the young man’s character before he dies, which makes the piece more engaging and insightful. He follows the transportation of the soldier’s … Read more
This series rather exhaustively looks back over nearly 20 years of history surrounding the prosecution and incarceration of Darryl Hunt, a black man accused of raping and murdering a white woman in downtown Winston-Salem. It uncovers the weaknesses in the … Read more
This piece is beautifully, closely reported: We admired the scene, for example, in which baby Nick’s heart rate calms as his father caresses and talks to him. This is wonderful, real, touching detail. The piece is also plainly, unsentimentally … Read more
This is deadline narrative, written in a refreshing, just-right, lighthearted tone. The tone is supported by the structure: Perry sets up a question, writes up close to the punch line, then backs up to tell the full story. The writing … Read more
Moehringer writes about a man who, many feel, has been wronged. We like the opening paragraphs of the piece, in which Moehringer is crafty with us readers, leading us in one direction, only to turn another way. We like that … Read more
This is a story about a high school girl, Michelle Dowdy, who auditioned for "Hairspray" on a whim and got a part as the understudy to the lead. When DeGregory’s colleague Kelley Benham emailed us the series, she wrote, "It’s … Read more
This journal about traveling with bird-destruction teams in Turkey is honest, informative and full of voice. This is an intimate sharing of a difficult journey. The author uses first person not to grandstand, but to communicate knowingly, American to American, … Read more
We appreciated the good writing in this piece, the evocative detail garnered through interview. It’s a wonderful example of how narrative techniques can flesh out a story that’s been reported, until then, largely as breaking news. Among the effective detail … Read more
This story gives background on the acquittal of Sami Al-Arian of terrorism charges. In 930 words, Gezari provides an intimate sense of his family, some history of his marriage and a thematic conclusion about American justice. Read “For … Read more
Martin and photographer Mike Siegel followed a couple for more than two years as they tried to regain custody of their baby daughter. We liked the ending to the piece, sad and intimate. Read “What’s Best for Baby … Read more
