The Center for Public Integrity was honored for its exemplary use of technology as digital storytellers with the award for “General Excellence in Journalism” in the “small” category from the Online News Association (ONA).
Launched in 2000, the Online Journalism Awards recognize excellence in digital journalism, with a focus on independent, community, nonprofit, academic and major media.
Over the past year, the four-person digital team at the Center has worked feverously to bridge the gap between data-rich reporting and audience engagement, through a variety of multimedia and visual tools. Members of the digital team during the award submission period were Chief Digital Officer Kimberley Porteous, Web Developer Erik Lincoln, Engagement Editor Sarah Whitmire and News Developer Chris Zubak-Skees. The team has since grown to include Multimedia Editor Eleanor Bell, Digital Editor Jared Bennett and Engagement Analyst Emily Dufton.
“We’re thrilled by this recognition from ONA, considering the increasingly outstanding competition. It’s a tribute to a small digital team big on talent and passion who work hard to deliver our long-form, data-rich investigations to new audiences,” said Porteous.
“We’re excited to bring out more fantastic projects to reveal abuses of power and engage readers in their world in this, our 25th year.”
Other winners in this category were LA Times for large website operations and ProPublica for medium-sized website operations. The “General Excellence” award came with a $3,000 prize, courtesy of the Gannett Foundation. The Center, along with ICIJ, was a finalist for five other ONA Awards.
It’s been a banner year for awards at the Center; for a look at other projects that have been recognized, visit our Awards page.