IJN captures seven journalism awards

The Intermountain Jewish News won seven Simon Rockower Awards, more than any other Jewish newspaper, at the American Jewish Press Association’’s 31st annual conference, June 12-14, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

This is believed to be the first time that one writer —— Andrea Jacobs, IJN Senior Writer —— earned four first-place awards in the competition’s history.

IJN winners were:

• Andrea Jacobs, IJN senior writer, first place, personality profiles, “Polio: Its Devastating Effects on a Jewish Woman and Her Family” (Generations magazine, July 1, 2011), an interview with author Anne Gross, who chronicles the familial shame that attached itself to her mother’s crippling illness;
• Andrea Jacobs, IJN senior writer, first place, personal essay, “9/11: I Remember, and I Wasn’’t There” (Sept. 9, 2011), a personal and professional reminiscence of this unforgettable day on the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001;
• Andrea Jacobs, IJN senior writer, first place, news reporting, “Eternal Friends? Afterlife on Facebook” (July 15, 2011), an examination of a new dimension in grieving and dialoguing with deceased love ones on Facebook pages;
• Andrea Jacobs, IJN senior writer, first place, writing for women, “Polio: Its Devastating Effects on a Jewish Woman and Her Family” (Generations, July 1, 2011). This category included all newspapers, magazines, special supplements and websites.
• Chris Leppek, IJN assistant editor, second place, excellence in feature writing, “Warrior Stories” (Generations, July 1, 2011), a roundtable with local WW II Jewish war veterans;
• Chris Leppek, IJN assistant editor, second place, personality profiles, “Son of Hamas” (Feb. 18, 2011), a conversation with Mosab Yousef, son of a founder of Hamas, who turned from radical terrorist Islam to Christianity and Zionism.
• Rabbi Hillel Goldberg and Seiji Nagata, second place, overall graphic design, Passover, Rosh Hashanah and Chanukah issues.

This year’’s judges were:

Rob Brill, editor; The Times Union;

Chris Carroll, science writer, National Geographic;

Ron Csillag, Toronto correspondent, JTA;

Seth Gitner, professor, newspapers and online journalism, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University;

Mark Glaser, executive editor, PBS MediaShift and Idea Lab;

Roy Gutterman, director, Tully Center for Free Speech at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse;

Damien Jacques, theater critic and columnist, OnMilwaukee.com;

Deborah Kalb, freelance writer and editor; former Washington bureau chief for JTA;

Joanne Kenen, health policy writer for The Washington Post, Boston Globe and Slate, based in DC;

Daniel Kohan, founder, Sensical Design & Communication;

Arthur Kurzweil, author and Judaica consultant, Jossey-Bass/Wiley;

Leon Lawrence III, design director, USA Weekend magazine;

Todd Leopold, entertainment section producer, CNN.com;

Jimmy Margulies, nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist, The Record;

Polina Pinchevsky, principal, Nana Design;

Cathy Richman, former director of design and production, New Jersey Jewish News;

Diana Schemo, co-founder and executive editor, 100Reporters;

Amy Schwartz, former editorial writer/op-ed columnist, The Washington Post;

Stan Schwartz, senior editor and communications direction, National Newspaper Assn.;

Casey Shaw, creative director, USA Weekend Today/USA Weekend Magazine;

Mark Silk, director, Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in American Life, Trinity College;

Ed Stein, award-winning, syndicated editorial cartoonist;

Barb Tabak, Pulitzer prize-winning reporter and section editor, now retired;

Jeffery Weiss, former Dallas Morning News reporter, now education reporter for the Richardson Independent School District.

Copyright © 2012 by the Intermountain Jewish News