By John Bednarowski, APSE Fourth Vice President
Dan Kane and Jane Stancill, from the News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., and Dirk Chatelain of the Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald tied for first place in the Associated Press Sports Editors 2014 contest for Breaking News in the 75,001-175,000 circulation category.
Kane and Stancill, and Chatelain, will be presented a first-place plaque at the 2015 APSE banquet. The banquet and awards dinner concludes the APSE Conference June 24-27 at The Westgate Hotel in San Diego, Calif.
Kane and Stancil, and Chatelain each received three of six first-place votes from APSE judges, who ranked them ahead of third place Joey Johnston of The Tampa Tribune. The top 10 is listed below with links to each writer’s Twitter page and available entries.
Sports editors in the 75,001 to 175,000 circulation category submitted a total of 55 Breaking News entries from APSE member sports departments in 2013. Contest catchers numbered each entry, assuring they had been stripped of headlines, graphics, bylines and any other element that would identify the writer or news organization.
The contest is open to APSE members. Go to this link to join.
In early February, preliminary judges at the APSE Winter Conference in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., selected a top 10, with each judge ranking the entries in order from 1 to 10 separately on a secret ballot. Entries were given 10 points for a first-place vote, nine points for second and so on down to 1 point for a 10th-place vote. The final 10 were given to a second judging group, which ranked the entries 1-10 in the same fashion. The winner and final rankings are determined by tallying the ballots.
The breaking news category recognizes the best story off a sports news development (trades, hirings, firings, franchise shifts, etc.) that occurred in the most recent news cycle.
Online or print stories are eligible. Judges weighed the various elements of a breaking news story, including timeliness, thoroughness, exclusivity and significance. Cover letters explaining these elements are permitted in this category.
Here are the top 10, listed in order of finish:
T-1. Dan Kane and Jane Stancill, The News and Observer (Raleigh N.C.), 56 points, 3 first-place votes
Folt: Nine being terminated or under disciplinary review as result of report on UNC academic fraud
T-1. Dirk Chatelain, Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald, 56 points, 3 first-place votes
Pelini slams Eichorst in vulgar talk during final meeting with players, says A.D. ‘has no integrity’
3. Joey Johnston, The Tampa Tribune, 45 points
No link
4. Tim May, The Columbus Dispatch, 34 points
Ohio State football: Braxton Miller could be out for season
5. Bill Rabinowitz and Laura Arenschield, The Columbus Dispatch, 29 points
Body of missing Ohio State football player found in University District
6. Scott Wright and Jacob Unruh, The Oklahoman, 27 points
Class 3A football playoffs: Late flag costs Douglass in loss to Locust Grove
7. Tim Graham, Jerry Zremski and Tom Precious, The Buffalo News, 25 points
Pegulas submit aggressive $1.4 billion bid to acquire Bills franchise
8. Andrew Miller and Gene Sapakoff, The Post and Courier, 20 points
T-9. Jim Wyatt, The Tennessean, 19 points
Titans, friends grieve loss of Rob Bironas
T-9. Jason Kersey, The Oklahoman, 19 points
OU football: Sooners linebacker Frank Shannon accused of sexual assault
(John Bednarowski is sports editor of the Marietta (Ga.) Daily Journal. Contact him at johnbednarowski@gmail.com)
