from Staff
Entries for the annual Florida Bar Media Awards are due Feb. 15, and entry forms and detailed instructions are available at www.floridabar.org in the Media Resources section.
The Florida Bar Media Awards are presented annually in recognition of outstanding journalism. Qualified entries consist of a story or stories that highlight the system of law and justice as it affects the people of Florida.
Awards will be given in four categories: newspapers and other periodicals with circulation over 50,000; newspapers and other periodicals with circulation up to 50,000; television; and radio.
News media that have made a significant effort to inform the public about the delivery or quality of justice are invited to enter. Work submitted for consideration may include news stories, series, features, editorials, documentaries, columns, special sections or anything produced by an organization that deals with law and lawyers, courts, law enforcement, the delivery of legal services, the effectiveness of the justice system, the work of the organized Bar or related matters.
Content of entries may be current or historical, objective or analytical in nature. Special consideration may be given to entries that demonstrate courage or tenacity on the part of the news outlet or the journalists who produced the entry.
An entry is defined as: a single piece; a series; or continuous coverage of one particular ongoing issue. For a series or continuous coverage entry, only three stories should be submitted in their entirety and others should be listed on a separate sheet in the binder with the headline, date published and a brief summary.
Each news media organization, inclusive of all bureaus or regional sections, that submits an entry is considered an entrant. Each entrant may submit up to three entries.
All media organizations, large or small, are encouraged to enter. Judging criteria are not based on the greatest amount of resources used, but whether those resources available are used well and to the fullest in the tradition of outstanding journalism.
Any newspaper, radio station, television station or wire service located in Florida is eligible to enter materials published or produced between Jan. 1, 2007 and Dec. 31, 2007. Final determination of eligibility is reserved for The Florida Bar.
The awards jury consists of an out-of-state broadcast journalist, an out-of-state print journalist, two Florida lawyers with substantial experience in journalism and/or media law and one Florida educator of journalism or law. Judges do not discuss the entries with any other persons until the winners have been publicly announced.
In analyzing the entries, the judges will consider such factors as the informational value, the degree of difficulty of the subject matter and the execution of the entry, including depth of reporting and clarity of writing, editing and production and other technical characteristics. Where applicable, the impact of the story and any unusual courage in pursuing the story are considered.
Because of the diversity of subject matter of entries, the relative weight assigned to the judging criteria will vary from year to year. No single factor is necessarily paramount. In the past, winning entries have increased public understanding of the inherent values of our legal system, exposed wrongdoing or flaws in the system, or informed and educated the public on the roles of the courts, law enforcement agencies or the legal profession.
The determination of the awards jury is final and is not reviewed by The Florida Bar. The Florida Bar does not endorse the contents of the winning entries. Applicants, by their submission, grant reproduction rights of their entries to The Florida Bar.
The winning media organization will receive a Florida Bar media award plaque bearing its name. Certificates will be presented to all individuals who contributed to the winning efforts. For this reason, please identify these persons on the entry form. Certificates will be prepared according to the entry form information.
Entries — no more than three per organization — should be accompanied by a nominating letter providing pertinent information which is not evident from the entry itself. This may include information relevant to the judges’ evaluation of difficulties encountered in the reporting or publication of the work, audience impact, effect upon the community or legal system, the organization’s commitment to coverage of the issue, or any other information deemed pertinent by the news organization.
For print media, the summary narrative and entry form should be accompanied by samples of the work described and inserted into an 8.5 x 11 inch binder (folding samples to fit is acceptable). Print entrants are required to include one original plus five similarly assembled and bound photocopies of their entire entry for the judges. Loose samples are unacceptable. All examples of work which are part of the original entry should be included. If these copies are not included, the entry will be disqualified.
For broadcast entries, the summary narrative should be accompanied by six copies of a CD or DVD recording of the entry.
The Bar encourages the submission of diverse examples including features, hard news, profiles, trial reports, etc. that will demonstrate the organization’s overall effort to report on our legal and judicial system.
Entries must be accompanied by the entry form contained within this brochure and a $30 fee per entry. You may photocopy the entry form. An entry form should be included in all copies of entry. Entries will not be returned.
Entries should be mailed to Media Awards, Public Information & Bar Services, The Florida Bar, 651 East Jefferson St., Tallahassee, FL 32399-2300, and postmarked on or before February 15, 2008.
For more information, contact Francine Walker at (850) 561-5762 or [email protected].
Winners from last year’s Media Awards:
• Grand Prize: WLTV Channel 23, Miami, for “Alerta al Inmigrante.” The station’s campaign included daily news updates by local reporters, anchors and the station’s Washington, D.C. correspondent; feature reports; and Univision Online, an interactive media component. The station also partnered with a local immigration law firm to offer free legal advice to viewers through a volunteer telephone bank.
Newspapers/periodicals greater than 50,000 circulation:
• First Place: The Miami Herald for “Predators Among Us” by Jason Grotto and “Hidden Docket” by reporters Dan Christensen and Patrick Danner. The stories tied for the top honor.
• Second Place: Daytona Beach News-Journal for “Freedom Nearly Lost in Translation” by Patricio Balona and Jim Saunders.
Newspapers/periodicals less than 50,000 circulation:
• First Place: The Daily Business Review for “Legal Boomerang” by Julie Kay.
• Honorable Mention: Tallahassee attorney Charles E. “Chuck” Hobbs for commentary in the Capital Outlook.
• Radio Category: WUSF-FM of Tampa won for “Behind Bars: Unable to Stand Trial, Mentally Ill Defendants Remain in Jail” by reporter Bobby O’Brien.
• TV Category: WFTX-TV 4, Cape Coral, second Place for “Lien Law” by reporter Marisa Mendelson.