MinnMon’s Birkey a Finalist in the 2007 Online Journalism Awards

Of 712 English-language entries submitted from around the world, Andy Birkey‘s reporting for Minnesota Monitor has been selected among the 70 finalists of the 2007 Online Journalism Awards. In the running for best beat reporting by a small website for his coverage of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues, Birkey is one of only three local finalists in the contest, which recognizes “excellence in digital journalism.”

Birkey’s stories have ranged from interviews with GLBT political candidates to, most recently, issues surrounding the arrest of Sen. Larry Craig in a restroom at the Twin Cities international airport, in addition to his regular reporting on religion and politics. His competition in the small website beat-reporting category includes Minnesota Monitor’s sister site, Colorado Confidential, which is a finalist for its general news beats.

The only Minnesota finalists are the American Public Media radio program Speaking of Faith and the Star Tribune, for its multimedia report on Liberians living in Minnesota, spearheaded by producer Regina McCombs and former reporter Sharon Schmickle.

Winners in the eighth annual awards, presented by the Online News Association and the USC Annenberg School for Communication, will be announced at the OJA awards banquet held in Toronto on Oct. 18 and 19.