MnIndy wins four first place Page One awards, four others

At last night’s Society of Professional Journalists Page One Awards banquet, the Minnesota Independent took home four first place prizes, including Best Independent News Blog and Best Use of Mulitimedia by an Independent News Site for its coverage of the Republican National Convention. Headlined by NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw, the evening concluded with awards presented for the best in Minnesota print, broadcast and online journalism by WCCO-TV’s Jason DeRusha and Liz Collin.

A list of MnIndy’s eight awards, with judges’ notes:

First place awards

Best single news story — Independent Web site:

“Convention cash: The biggest loophole in American politics,” Paul Demko

This story stood out in a field crowded with good work because of the enterprising approach taken by the reporters. They didn’t take no for an answer and called the businesses that refused to report their donations, getting great — and contradictory — quotes that added to the outrage factor. A great example of  watchdog journalism.

Best use of multimedia — Independent Web site:

RNC Multimedia, Newsroom

MinnesotaIndependent.com did the best job of using multimedia tools to capture the RNC: Twitter for news of the moment, photos, video and text greater storytelling context and depth. But no one in this category has truly harnessed the potential power of multimedia storytelling.

Best use of video — Independent Web site:

“The F30 Pedal Cloud brings people-powered protest to the RNC,” Paul Schmelzer

Good use of angles, cuts, music and interviews turned what could have been a dull feature into a treat.

Best independent news blog — Independent Web site:

“The Monitor blog,” Newsroom

The Monitor does all the things a good blog should: Showcases the authority of its writers; aggregates the best of the Web; integrates video, photos and Twitter feeds; interacts with readers, and updates throughout the day. I don’t need to go anywhere because you bring it all to me.

Second place awards

Best single news story — Independent Web site:

“Are jihadist groups luring Minnesota Somalis back to fight?,” Abdi Aynte

Best Web site — Independent Web site:

Newsroom Staff (First place went to the Twin Cities Daily Planet.)

Third Place

Best continuing coverage — Independent Web site:

“Nasser Kazeminy/Norm Coleman lawsuits,” Steve Perry

Best single news story — Independent Web site:

“Minneapolis parks’ Red Bull and Pepsi dealings put Coke contract at risk,” Chris Steller

Here’s the full winners list.