The Hawaii Catholic Herald won three Catholic Press Association writing awards June 26 at the 2015 Catholic Media Conference in Buffalo, N.Y. The awards were for work done in 2014.
Two of the Herald awards were for the story “Old cases,” an analysis of clergy sex abuse lawsuits in Hawaii, the third for a personality profile.
“Old cases,” by Patrick Downes, won first place for the Gerard E. Sherry Award for best investigative/analysis news writing: best analysis/background/round up news writing. Of the entry the judges wrote, “Very thorough analysis of a critical issue facing the diocese. The writing takes a measured, realistic tone — fitting for a topic that can prompt emotional responses. The analysis of the cases amounts to a reality check about the state of the diocese on clergy abuse. Very well done.”
In this category, “Old cases” beat stories by the Catholic Herald Milwaukee, National Catholic Reporter, Catholic News Service and The Catholic Register of Canada.
“Old cases,” which ran May 23, 2014, also took first place in the best in-depth news/special reporting category. The judges wrote, “Superior writing and clarity of thought. Every sentence flows cleanly into the next, conveying the authority of the writer on this vital issue. A close call, but this is the winner.”
Placing second, third and honorable mention in this category were Our Sunday Visitor, The Catholic Register, National Catholic Reporter and The Tidings of Los Angeles.
Winning first place for best personality profile for diocesan newspapers with a 17,000-40,000 circulation was the Hawaii Catholic Herald’s “Good job, Gene,” a June 20, 2014, story by Downes about retiring St. Stephen Diocesan Center handyman Gene Pollock.
“Personal and environmental details bring this story to life and are really essential in this feature to show the subject’s hard work and devotion,” the judges wrote.
