The Society of Professional Journalists awards Columbia Insight series on corporate influence in its annual reporting contest
Good news: Columbia Insight covered a lot of ground in 2021. People noticed. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
June 16, 2022. There are many outstanding publications and journalists in the Pacific Northwest. That’s what makes Columbia Insight’s recent mention among the best news organizations in our region such a proud moment for everyone associated with the organization.
On May 19, the Society of Professional Journalists announced its 2021 Northwest Excellence in Journalism contest winners. Columbia Insight received a second place award for its environmental reporting.
The award honored a series of articles we produced last year focusing on accelerating corporate influence over our shared natural resources.
The three stories recognized by the SPJ are:
“Cheese in the Desert: Why mega-dairies are piping water onto Oregon’s shrub-steppe,” by Washington journalist Dawn Stover.
“As West withers corporations consolidate land and water rights,” by Washington journalist Eli Francovich.
“What’s wrong with solar power? More than you know,” by Columbia Insight editor Chuck Thompson in Oregon.
Congratulations to all three writers! Collectively, their work illuminates a trend toward broad, investor-based ownership groups replacing local interests over land, water and other resources.
The award is a milestone for Columbia Insight. And it validates the trust and support that you, as a reader, subscriber or donor, have invested in our reporting.
“The competition is one of the largest of its kind in the nation,” said the SPJ in its award announcement. “It honors journalists across SPJ Region 10, which covers Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Oregon.”
This is the second year in a row Columbia Insight’s work has been recognized by a respected professional organization. Last year, our story “Wolverines break through … finally!” by wildlife biologist Jocelyn Akins, earned an Honorable Mention in the Society of Environmental Journalists annual Awards for Reporting on the Environment.
When my husband, Jurgen, and I founded Columbia Insight (then called EnviroGorge) in 2016, we did so as a response to the closure of many newspapers in our region and the loss of focused environmental reporting.
Our goal then, as now, was to fill a news gap, help keep the public informed about crucial environmental developments, highlight the positive conservation works of many of our neighbors and make a difference.
We’re proud to publish original stories each week that do just that.
The recognition of peers lets us know we’re on the right path. And motivates us to work even harder.
None of this would be possible without our many wonderful writers, photographers, videographers, artists, board members and, especially, our loyal readers. We’re proud to share this honor with you.
Thank you,
Susan Hess, Publisher
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Congratulations!