Magazine
2021
SPJ DC PRO: Finalist Dateline Awards for feature writing
The December 2021 cover story I authored was a finalist in the prestigious SPJ DC Pro Dateline Awards. The story focused on U.S. military officers who raced to rescued their Afghan translator from the country as the Taliban takeover loomed. Read it under my Favorite Bylines tab.
Folio Awards: Winner of the Ozzie award for best feature magazine design for an association
The May 2021 issue of Military Officer magazine received top honors for the design of The Long Road Home, a feature I wrote about a dedicated group of people who search for and return home remains of troops killed in overseas battles. Read it under my Favorite Bylines tab.
SPJ DC PRO: Finalist Dateline Awards for feature writing
The December 2021 cover story I authored was a finalist in the prestigious SPJ DC Pro Dateline Awards. The story focused on U.S. military officers who raced to rescued their Afghan translator from the country as the Taliban takeover loomed. Read it under my Favorite Bylines tab.
Folio Awards: Winner of the Ozzie award for best feature magazine design for an association
The May 2021 issue of Military Officer magazine received top honors for the design of The Long Road Home, a feature I wrote about a dedicated group of people who search for and return home remains of troops killed in overseas battles. Read it under my Favorite Bylines tab.
2020
Folio Awards: Co-winner of the Ozzie award for best single-issue magazine design for an association
The February 2020 issue of Military Officer magazine was recognized. The issue included the cover story about military officers in space that I authored.
Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals: Videographer Awards
Two videos I reported on and produced were recognized with Honorable Mention awards by the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals.
Purple Heart Day (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjBV9etQ99s&feature=youtu.be)
National Museum of the U.S. Army (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh0_N_IsJPM&feature=youtu.be)
2019
Folio Awards: Range of Work by a single author
https://www.foliomag.com/go/2019-eddie-and-ozzie-awards/
Folio magazine's Range of Work by a Single Author recognizes a collection of top-tier content creation. A winning profile includes four to six articles that show the author's range and ability to tell a great story.
AM&P Excel Awards: Feature writing, 'Anatomy of a Cave Rescue'
https://www.siia.net/excels/Past-Winners/2019-Winners/Detail/cID/387184
The EXCEL Awards recognize excellence and leadership in association media, publishing, marketing and communications. The competition is open to nonprofit and for-profit associations, as well as industry service partners submitting on behalf of association clients, regardless of whether they are members of AM&P.
Folio Awards: Co-winner of the Ozzie award for best single-issue magazine design for an association
The February 2020 issue of Military Officer magazine was recognized. The issue included the cover story about military officers in space that I authored.
Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals: Videographer Awards
Two videos I reported on and produced were recognized with Honorable Mention awards by the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals.
Purple Heart Day (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjBV9etQ99s&feature=youtu.be)
National Museum of the U.S. Army (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh0_N_IsJPM&feature=youtu.be)
2019
Folio Awards: Range of Work by a single author
https://www.foliomag.com/go/2019-eddie-and-ozzie-awards/
Folio magazine's Range of Work by a Single Author recognizes a collection of top-tier content creation. A winning profile includes four to six articles that show the author's range and ability to tell a great story.
AM&P Excel Awards: Feature writing, 'Anatomy of a Cave Rescue'
https://www.siia.net/excels/Past-Winners/2019-Winners/Detail/cID/387184
The EXCEL Awards recognize excellence and leadership in association media, publishing, marketing and communications. The competition is open to nonprofit and for-profit associations, as well as industry service partners submitting on behalf of association clients, regardless of whether they are members of AM&P.
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Enterprise reporting
In 2016, a series I wrote on immigrants who joined the Army before they were sworn in as American citizens, placed second in the state's Feature Writing contest.
The idea of immigrants joining our Army piqued my interested in the backdrop of the political climate, which Donald Trump rallied supporters by promising a wall and a travel ban targeting immigrants.
I profiled five immigrants. Each told their story of how they made it to America, and then decided to enlist in the U.S. Army. The immigrants I wrote about were from Haiti, Jamaica, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Ecuador.
In addition to the stories, I worked with photographer Andrew Craft to produce a multimedia project for our website. I edited an audio clip from my interview with each of the immigrants and would play when a viewer clicked on the profile of the immigrant. That project placed third in the state contest.
Becoming American Multimedia Project: http://marketplace.fayobserver.com/shared_images/kroi/citizenship/
Becoming American profiles:
Pvt. Mookerdjee Cetoute (Haiti): http://www.fayobserver.com/article/20160218/news/302189779
Pvt. Dwight McLaughlin (Jamaica): http://www.fayobserver.com/article/20160218/NEWS/302189746
Pvt. Manouchaher Ariaie (Afghanistan): http://www.fayobserver.com/article/20160218/NEWS/302189849
Spc. Eddie Ndife (Nigeria): http://www.fayobserver.com/article/20160218/news/302189927
Sgt. Jose Jimenez (Ecuador): http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:mYdZXZWzRK8J:www.fayobserver.com/ecuadorian/article_bb999f24-d67e-11e5-9bd6-274d5917bfb0.html+&cd=7&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
http://www.fayobserver.com/news/20170309/fayetteville-observer-staffers-win-22-awards-for-reporting-and-photography
In 2015, I won second place in beat feature reporting for a series I did about the death of a Pope Field airman in a training exercise that went wrong.
The judges said, "Excellent investigative journalism in this piece."
Airman Timothy Wright, who was posthumously promoted, had his hands and mouth bound while playing the part of hostage during the training exercise when he was accidentally run over by a Humvee driven by Rosa on July 17, 2014. An Air Force investigative report obtained by The Fayetteville Observer found the training was outside the scope of the squadron.
Wright, 30, of Pensacola, Florida, died when the vehicle driven by Rosa ran over his back and neck during the hostage exercise. Investigators found officials did not have spotters to direct traffic or a safety monitor.
The report on the Air Force's investigation into the incident, completed in October, was nearly 1,000 pages and included statements from about 20 witnesses, hand-drawn sketches of the scene and photographs of the vehicle.
The Air Force investigative report found the training exercise was the result of combining two other training events despite a warning from officials with the 43rd Airlift Group Wing inspection team. That team set several standards for training, including one to follow the schedule specifically.
The training scenario the unit ended up using, which was supposed to prepare airmen for a kidnapping, hostage negotiation and execution, was something these airmen were unlikely to encounter given their duties. The squadron is a flying ambulance for evacuating sick or wounded troops.
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This is also the year that the Fayetteville Observer won the top award in the N.C. Press Association's annual journalism contest.
The General Excellence Award was one of 16 won by the Observer, which competes against the state's largest newspapers. It is the fourth time in the past six years the paper has earned the distinction.
The award recognizes general and departmental news coverage, literary excellence, promotion of community interests, appearance and design, use of photographs and advertising enterprise.
The judges said, "Excellent investigative journalism in this piece."
Airman Timothy Wright, who was posthumously promoted, had his hands and mouth bound while playing the part of hostage during the training exercise when he was accidentally run over by a Humvee driven by Rosa on July 17, 2014. An Air Force investigative report obtained by The Fayetteville Observer found the training was outside the scope of the squadron.
Wright, 30, of Pensacola, Florida, died when the vehicle driven by Rosa ran over his back and neck during the hostage exercise. Investigators found officials did not have spotters to direct traffic or a safety monitor.
The report on the Air Force's investigation into the incident, completed in October, was nearly 1,000 pages and included statements from about 20 witnesses, hand-drawn sketches of the scene and photographs of the vehicle.
The Air Force investigative report found the training exercise was the result of combining two other training events despite a warning from officials with the 43rd Airlift Group Wing inspection team. That team set several standards for training, including one to follow the schedule specifically.
The training scenario the unit ended up using, which was supposed to prepare airmen for a kidnapping, hostage negotiation and execution, was something these airmen were unlikely to encounter given their duties. The squadron is a flying ambulance for evacuating sick or wounded troops.
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This is also the year that the Fayetteville Observer won the top award in the N.C. Press Association's annual journalism contest.
The General Excellence Award was one of 16 won by the Observer, which competes against the state's largest newspapers. It is the fourth time in the past six years the paper has earned the distinction.
The award recognizes general and departmental news coverage, literary excellence, promotion of community interests, appearance and design, use of photographs and advertising enterprise.
In 2014, I earned 3rd place for a series of stories I wrote about housing issues for members of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.
The Observer is in the largest circulation category for The North Carolina Press Association contest.
My series started with a story about a finding from the U. S. Housing and Urban Development that determined the tribe misused federal funding earmarked to help poor families with housing. My second story detailed how the tribe planned to repay that money - by foregoing future grants from HUD, which still leaves poor families in a predicament for needing housing. My third story focused on the hardships of two families that were living with rats and mold because the tribe would not give them federal money to assist with their housing.
Judge's comments: "What would have been a solid story if it had stopped at the analysis of audits is turned into an even stronger package by going beyond the numbers and showing how it effects the everyday people who were supposed to be helped by the money at the heart of the scandal."
The Observer is in the largest circulation category for The North Carolina Press Association contest.
My series started with a story about a finding from the U. S. Housing and Urban Development that determined the tribe misused federal funding earmarked to help poor families with housing. My second story detailed how the tribe planned to repay that money - by foregoing future grants from HUD, which still leaves poor families in a predicament for needing housing. My third story focused on the hardships of two families that were living with rats and mold because the tribe would not give them federal money to assist with their housing.
Judge's comments: "What would have been a solid story if it had stopped at the analysis of audits is turned into an even stronger package by going beyond the numbers and showing how it effects the everyday people who were supposed to be helped by the money at the heart of the scandal."
In 2012, I earned three awards for education, business and outdoor reporting while working for the tribune-review. The education enterprise story was a finalist for the state's Golden Quill awards. The story looked at how often school districts rely on substitutes to cover classrooms. I worked with a team to build a database for 73 school districts in the region to look at costs associated with substitutes and number of paid days off teachers took. the story was featured in the summer 2013 edition of the investigative reporters & editors journal.
In 2011, I earned honorable mention for a feature story I wrote showing the challenges and lack of resources grandparents who are raising their grandchildren face. I used Census statistics to build a database and analyze a five-year trend for York. I tracked down a grandmother who was raising her three young grandsons after their mother abandoned them. A video that ran with the story took first place for video story telling in the Keystone awards as well.
In 2010, I investigated York City's gunfire detection system to find that it missed seven out of the city's nine homicides in 2009. After my story ran, city leaders called for the system's evaluation and Shot Spotter representatives visited York to tweak the system. That story won 3rd place in the Keystone Pro SPJ investigative reporting competition. Unlike my Ohio honors, the Keystone Pro competition is open circulation, so I competed with and beat out metro papers, including the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Philadelphia Inquirer.
In 2009, I discovered Lorain city officials were paying for employees to use cell phones that some never used, yet tax payers continued to foot monthly bills. My story sparked an immediate review of the cell phone policy. It won honorable mention in the Ohio AP awards, 2nd place in the Suburban Newspapers of America competition and was one of my six clips submitted to earn 1st place in the Ohio SPJ government beat reporting competition.
College reporting:
In 2008, I found three registered sex offenders teaching at Ohio State. My story led to permanent changes on Ohio State graduate application process. It won 1st place in the Ohio SPJ College News writing competition.
