Four Columbian staffers are being honored as winners in this year’s C.B. Blethen Memorial Awards contest honoring the best in Pacific Northwest journalism.
Education reporter Katie Gillespie won first place for feature writing for her package “The ones they left behind: County grapples with teen suicides.” The judges said, “the story is moving, certainly. The writer puts you with the family, the friends and the subject. But it also provides insight and information. You come away with a greater, fuller sense of the issue.”
Former staff writer Dameon Pesanti won second place in that category for “Cave explorers of Mount St. Helens,” a first-person account of the exploration and mapping of an unknown cave near the volcano.
Reporters Patty Hastings and Scott Hewitt won second place in the Distinguished Coverage of Diversity category for stories on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ issues. The judges said of Hastings’ story: “Solid reporting. Three couples. Three marvelous stories. What makes these stories work is that the trials and tribulations of these gay couples are similar to that of society: Being good parents, getting acknowledged by hospital staff in an emergency, memories of a first meeting, etc. The accompanying info graphics provided the necessary information without being jammed into the story.” Hewitt won for his story about a teenage drag queen.
