By John Bednarowski, APSE Fourth Vice President
Aaron Portzline team of The Columbus Dispatch took first place in the Associated Press Sports Editors 2014 contest in the breaking news category in the 75,001-175,000 circulation category for his story on the bankruptcy of the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Jack Johnson.
Portzline 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.
Balloting by six APSE judges ranked the Portzline’s entry ahead of runner-up Tim Graham and third place Bucky Gleason, both of the Buffalo News. The contest is open to APSE members. Click here to join.
Sports editors in the over 75,001 to 175,000 circulation category submitted a total of 53 explanatory entries written or directed by APSE member sports departments in 2014. Contest chair and APSE second vice president Mary Byrne numbered each entry, assuring they had been stripped of headlines, graphics, bylines and any other element that would identify the writer or news organization.
In early February in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. preliminary judges selected a top 10 ranked, with each judge listing the stories in order from 1 to 10 separately on a secret ballot. The final 10 were given to a second judging group, which also ranked the entries 1-10 in the same fashion. The winner and final rankings are determined by tallying the ballots, giving a team 10 points for a first-place vote, nine points for second and so on down to 1 point for a 10th-place vote.
The top 10 is listed below with links to writers’ Twitter pages, and winning entries.
- Aaron Portzline, The Columbus Dispatch, 58 points, 5 first-place votes
Blind-sided: Blue Jackets’ Jack Johnson is bankrupt; who led him there is biggest shocker
- Tim Graham, The Buffalo News, 53 points, 1 first-place vote
Bills won’t go Hollywood because timing is wrong for NFL team to return to L.A.
- Bucky Gleason, The Buffalo News, 49 points
Pushing drugs in the NFL locker room
- Nate Rau and Jim Wyatt, The Tennessean, 35 points
Rob Bironas’ last night: Conflicting stories emerge
- Eugene Frenette, Florida Times-Union, 33 points
What the Jaguars game in London means for the team, Jacksonville
T-6. Matthew Piper and Kyle Goon, The Salt Lake Tribune, 28 points
No Link
T-6. Dan McCarney, San Antonio Express-News, 26 points
No Link
T-8. Henry Cordes, Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald, 17 points
UNL’s Big Ten windfall around the corner
T-8. Larry Holder, NOLA.com/The Times Picayune, 17 points
No Link
- Rachel Lenzi, The Blade (Toledo, Ohio), 12 points
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