Best of Photojournalism 2008: Video News Photography: Winners

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Clips from the Video News Photography and Editing winners in the Best of Photojournalism 2008 are viewable at Poynter Online.

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NPPA Special Award for Reporting Finalists

Tim Blotz: KMSP/Minneapolis, MN
Mike Bush: KSDK/St. Louis, MO
Joe Fryer: KARE/Minneapolis, MN
Boyd Huppert: KARE/Minneapolis, MN
Tom Merriman: WJW/Cleveland, OH
Jason Moore: KTUU/Anchorage, AK
Peter Rosen: KUTV/Salt Lake City, UT
Chris Vanderveen: KUSA/Denver, CO

Runner Up

Tom Merriman: WJW/Cleveland, OH

Winners

Peter Rosen: KUTV/Salt Lake City, UT

Judges’ Comments

Tim Griffis

This was a very refreshing category for the judges. We saw a lot really good entries. Nearly half of the 22 reporters, who entered, made it past the first pre-screening round into the big room for the whole panel to see…and that is very encouraging. That there is so much good reporting going on around the country. After much debate and concession, it came down to a feature reporter from Salt Lake City and an investigative reporter from Cleveland. The I-team pieces were very visual and well represented. But in the end, Peter Rosen from KUTV in SLC came out the winner. His stories showed us more diversity, great writing and excellence story producing.

Bob Gould

We had some excellent entries in this category and great to see such wonderful work. It was a tough call between the top 2 entries.

Peter Rosen is a great feature reporter that did a great job writing to the video and crafting his stories to really create some great moments. “Football Vocabulary” was excellent and extremely well-crafted. The foresight to produce this story out in the field really showed his brilliance as a writer. His other two stories were strong and unique. Lots of great writing, but he also utilized the visuals and the natural sound extremely well.

Merriman had some really impressive investigative stories. The piece he did about frivolous ambulance calls was top notch. I loved the elements he got with people who got a free ambulance ride to the hospital for non emergencies. I especially liked the 3rd story on his tape that investigated a city official and a department for over-spending on business trips. The piece just got better and better as this official started squirming the more the reporter continued to drill him during the interview.

I would say that the 2nd piece was his weakest and that, for some, may have tilted the scales in favor of Peter Rosen.

If this was a “reporter of the year” contest, Merriman probably would’ve won, but the rules state that this is “to honor those reporters and field producers who, in collaboration with a television photojournalist, produce outstanding visual stories…” and then “…the judges will be looking at the overall visual storytelling and how the reporter/field producer contributed to the quality.” I think we felt that the eventual winner fit the category’s criteria better.

Kudos to all those who entered…it was a delight to judge this category.

Jeff Roberts

Investigative reporter Tom Merriman of WJW -TV in Cleveland, whose reporting skills are exceptional, showed us what journalism is all about. "Port of Perks" is a story exposing the excessive spending of public dollars at the port authority. Extraordinary reporting and not photography and sound told this story so it placed second.

Peter Rosen of KUTV in Salt Lake won with a solid entry highlighting photojournalism which I felt was an important part of an award from the NPPA. "Football Vocabulary" was a slice of life piece along with whimsical writing and good storytelling.

Preston Rudie

The final decision in this category was difficult because the top two reporters represented different types of stories… hard news investigations and features. Both are deserving winners of the award and fantastic reporters that any news director would love to have working in their shop.

My top choice in this category was Tom Merriman. I felt he made the complex look easy, and that is difficult to do. Merriman spun a yarn in “Port of Perks” and “Healthcare Dysfunction on Wheels” that kept the viewer memorized. Both stories had layers that he kept peeling away, yet the stories were so easy to follow and understand. Plus, he let you hear from both sides and not with just one simple sound bite either. Bravo! I can only imagine the work that went into gathering all the background records, the details, even some of the video for these stories… amazing and I’m glad to celebrate this kind of journalism. And don’t be fooled, Merriman’s work is GREAT storytelling, not just GREAT journalism.

While I may have voted for Merriman as my top choice, I’m not disappointed to see Tom Rosen win this award. He’s creative, funny, and like Merriman, he spins a wonderfully crafted yarn. I liked his stand up in “The Big Bounce,” loved his humorous stand-up in “Dog Swim” and immediately asked for a dub of “Football Vocabulary.” I can only imagine what a lesser reporter would have done with “Football Vocabulary.” Rosen thought outside the box to make this story funny and entertaining. He clearly thought about how he wanted to approach this story before heading out and that deserves to be commended.

Overall, it was a pleasure judging this category and all the finalists should be proud. But let’s also celebrate the photojournalists and editors that worked on these stories too… it’s always a team effort!

Nellie Stinson

What a great variety of incredible reporting. This again was a very hard decision because how do you judge between a solid general news compilation and an in-depth, feature compilation?? I feel that every reporter and photographer can learn from both Peter Rosen and Tom Merriman. Merriman isn't afraid to ask the tough questions and puts people on the spot. Rosen communicates with the photographer, thinks on the spot, and gets the sound needed to weave his sots together. Both entrants are incredible reporters; again, this was a tough decision.

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