Sheboygan Press wins eight Wisconsin journalism awards, including for coverage of COVID-19 and police and mental health

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
·7 min read
Cropped image of the cover of the Dec. 19, 2020, Sheboygan Press.
Cropped image of the cover of the Dec. 19, 2020, Sheboygan Press.

SHEBOYGAN - Sheboygan’s daily newspaper, The Sheboygan Press, won six second-place awards, one third-place award and one honorable mention award in the 2021 Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation Better Newspaper Contest.

“These awards are one representation of the hard work and dedication our journalists put in every day, including the sacrifices made amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” Sheboygan Press Editor Brandon Reid said. “We set out each day with the mission of having an impact on our community, and these awards are a product of that work.”

The awards were given Friday during the WNA's awards ceremony. The Sheboygan Press competes in Division B, which includes newspapers with daily print circulation of less than 9,999. The WNA Foundation is a not-for-profit created in 1980 that works to improve Wisconsin’s newspaper enterprises.

The 2021 contest had 2,117 entries from 98 newspapers. Eligible entries were published between Sept. 1, 2020, and Aug. 31, 2021, and were judged by members of the West Virginia Press Association.

More: Read the Sheboygan Press' 2021 Community Impact Report: 9 stories that made a difference

More: In 2020 contest, Sheboygan Press wins 11 statewide journalism awards

Here's what to know about the Sheboygan Press' 2021 awards.

Seconds for Feature Story, Reporting on Local Government, photography and video

Reporter Diana Dombrowski won a second place in the Feature Story category for her article “'We had no idea what was coming': Since COVID-19 hit Sheboygan County, it’s been this team’s job to lead the fight."

"The sad part of this story is that we still have no idea what’s ahead in the pandemic," the judge wrote of the article, which was published in December 2020. "This story highlights the stress of trying to keep people informed and safe in a time when so much hatred and misinformation abounds."

Leadership at the Sheboygan County Health and Human services include from left, Health Officer Starrlene Grossman, Lead Health Strategist Libby Jacobs, and Clinical Services Supervisor Amanda Strojinc pose in their main conference room, Wednesday, December 16, 2020, in Sheboygan, Wis. The three meet often in the room to help coordinate the county health efforts.

Dombrowski left the Sheboygan Press in June 2021 and is now a reporter covering Yonkers for lohud.com, another Gannett newspaper in New York.

Reporter AnnMarie Hilton won a second place award in the Reporting on Local Government category for her stories "Wisconsin’s Supreme Court raised doubts about local health officers’ power to enforce orders. Some counties are trying to change that."; "Wisconsin’s Supreme Court raised doubts about local health officers’ power to enforce orders. Some counties are trying to change that."; and "Too many luxury apartments? Sheboygan studied its housing supply and affordability. Here’s what it discovered." 

"AnnMarie Hilton’s stories have everything — statistics, citation of documents she uses, thorough explanations," the judge wrote.

The judge continued that the "Wisconsin's Supreme Court raised doubts" story "drew me in from the lede on with its details, such as the large group taking to the courthouse steps and the county administrator using a megaphone to talk to them. I felt like I was there during the chaos. Then, she went on to blow me away with the detailed story that followed."

Hilton left the Sheboygan Press in May 2021 and is now a K-12 education reporter for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin in Appleton.

Photographer Gary C. Klein won four second-place awards for his work:

  • Sports Action Photo for a photo from the Vanderpan Invitational track meet;

  • Artistic Photo for a photo of the Making Spirits Bright holiday light display;

  • Photo Gallery for a gallery of Holy Name Catholic Church; and

  • Best Video for a video documenting the Sheboygan Armory demolition.

For the Sports Action Photo, the judge wrote: "I wish I knew what these runners were thinking. This shot just makes me smile!"

And for the gallery of Holy Name Catholic Church, the judge wrote: "I loved the use of the fisheye lens in this series. A nice variety of pictures to highlight a church’s celebration."

Third for Best Video

Klein claimed a third place in the Best Video category for a video of the Elkhart Lake vintage race car parade.

Honorable mention for Enterprise/Interpretive Reporting

Dombrowski took an honorable mention in the Enterprise/Interpretive Reporting category for her story "When police respond to people in mental health crises, the outcomes can be fatal. Some departments are taking a different approach."

"The author’s heart was in this article," the judge wrote. "I commend the author."

The scene where Kevin Ruffin died July 2, 2020, as seen, Friday, Sept. 25, 2020, in Sheboygan.
The scene where Kevin Ruffin died July 2, 2020, as seen, Friday, Sept. 25, 2020, in Sheboygan.

Sheboygan Press has rich history dating to 1907

Dating to its first issue published Dec. 17, 1907, The Sheboygan Press has a rich history in the community.

Today, the newspaper is part of USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, which also includes daily newsrooms in Appleton, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Manitowoc, Marshfield, Oshkosh, Stevens Point, Wausau and Wisconsin Rapids. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is also part of the news group.

Sheboygan Press employees pose in front of the building in 1955.
Sheboygan Press employees pose in front of the building in 1955.

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin wins six statewide awards

In addition to the local awards collected by The Sheboygan Press, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin won six statewide awards, including three firsts. Here's more about those awards:

• Network staff, as a group, claimed first place in the Community Engagement Award Daily Division category for its school COVID-19 crowdsourcing. The judge wrote of the project: “This is a clear example of the good newspapers are capable of fighting for on behalf of their communities. The easy-to-navigate database, accompanied by an explanatory, detailed story on the situation, certainly gave parents and community members tools they were missing to make the best decisions for their health and safety. I have no doubt this project was successful in building community trust.”

• Reporters Natalie Brophy and Nusaiba Mizan won first place in the Ongoing/Extended Coverage category for their article series “Businesses say finding employees is their top headache. This series explores the trends behind Wisconsin’s workforce woes.” The judge wrote: “Such a timely series. Many have hear about the worker shortage, but this gives an easy-to-understand look into the intricacies of what is actually happening and what some of the proposed solutions might entail. Wonderful work.”

• Reporter Madeline Heim won first place in the Coronavirus Coverage category for her articles “As Wisconsin hospitals fill up with COVID patients, front-line workers sound the alarm” and “Contact tracers were supposed to be key players in fighting COVID-19. But as Wisconsin’s cases surge, they’re overwhelmed.” The judge wrote: “Madeline Heim takes a deep dive into pandemic coverage, providing readers of USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin with in-depth coverage and personal stories of the public health emergency. The quality of her work, and obvious time and energy invested into her articles, shows. Congrats.”

• Reporter AnnMarie Hilton took third place in the Feature Story (Non-profile) category for her story “Everything you need to know about Wisconsin’s water towers: The good, the ‘evil,’ and the people who swim in your drinking water.” The judge wrote: “Through superb story-telling and fun anecdotes, this piece made waters towers — water towers! — one of the most interesting things in your town.”

• Reporters Jeff Bollier, Brophy and Mizan won third place in the Enterprise/Interpretive Reporting category for their series “Unaffordable: No place to call home.” The judge wrote of the series: “Ambitious project that used situations of a cast of characters as the vehicle to tell a story about the cost of housing. Those voices and their individual set of circumstances made the entire series of stories approachable and relatable. Nice concept, excellent execution.”

• Reporter Frank Vaisvilas, a Report For America corps member who covers Indigenous affairs for the network, was awarded honorable mention in the Investigative Reporting category for his story “American Indians incarcerated at among highest rates in Wisconsin, as many as half the inmates in some jails.” The judge wrote: “Excellent piece which illustrates the difficulties experienced by an often under-represented group of people. Author demonstrates strong research and storytelling skills. Solid piece.”

Contact Brandon Reid at 920-686-2984 or breid@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @breidHTRNews.

This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan Press wins 8 Wisconsin journalism awards in WNA contest