Akron Beacon Journal reporter's work amplifying voices of crime victims earns award
Veteran Akron Beacon Journal reporter Stephanie Warsmith this week received the Rev. Dr. Robert A. Denton Outstanding Victim Services Award for her ongoing work amplifying the voices of crime victims and writing about their needs.
Leanne Graham, president and CEO of Summit County’s Victim Assistance Program, praised Warsmith’s work, not only recently, but over the past 25 years during her tenure with the Beacon Journal.
"Stephanie's tireless reporting has not only elevated the awareness around victims' experiences but has also underscored the importance of addressing their hardships, funding victim services, and legislative protections alongside broader crime reduction efforts,” Graham said.
The award is named for after the founder of Victim Services, Denton, an ordained minister, police academy graduate, police chaplain and sociologist.
Denton, now retired, has known Warsmith most of her career and this week called her "a journalist of integrity and compassion, characterized by kindness, humor, and an unwavering commitment to her family and community.”
Warsmith said she first got to know Denton shortly after she arrived at the Beacon Journal and wrote a profile about him for the Beacon Journal’s former Sunday magazine.
She and Beacon Mike Cardew spent a lot of time with him for the story, including watching him officiate a wedding and traveling with him and his wife to their remote cabin in southern Ohio.
“I learned a lot from Bob about crime victims and the agencies that serve them from that story,” Warsmith said, saying she was particularly “honored to receive this award that's given in the name of a man I so admire."
Warsmith and Denton’s relationship mostly dealt with news reporting, but was personal, too.
When Warsmith married her husband, Duane, April 16, 2005, her father, Steve, was dying of cancer. She and Duane opted to marry in the backyard of Warsmith’s family home with just a few family members and friends there.
Denton traveled to Grove City south of Columbus to officiate the wedding, an act of kindness Warsmith continues to appreciate.
“During my 25 years of reporting at the Beacon, I've tried to write stories that illuminate the plight of crime victims, such as recent stories I wrote about sextortion and strangulation, and have included information about community resources available to help them,” Warsmith said.
She’s also written numerous stories about our local victim agencies, including the funding challenges they've faced and changes they've made to their services.
Beacon Journal Executive Editor Cheryl Powell said she couldn’t think of another person more deserving of the Denton honor.
"Stephanie is an outstanding journalist who reports stories with depth and expertise but also with compassion, particularly for people facing — and overcoming — challenging situations,” Powell said.
To learn more about services available to victims, visit https://victimassistanceprogram.org/victim-rights/ or call VAP 24/7 at 330.376.0040.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: ABJ reporter Stephanie Warsmith earns Bob Denton victim services award
