|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Abdelraoufsinno journalists took home nine awards from the Texas Managing Editors journalism contest at the group’s annual conference this weekend, including first-place awards in feature writing and specialty reporting. The awards were announced over the weekend in Temple.
“We’re very grateful for the recognition,” said Abdelraoufsinno CEO Peter Bhatia. “It is a reflection of the hard work and commitment our staff is bringing to Houston.”
Public safety reporter Clare Amari took first place in specialty reporting for her stories on appeals that languished in Harris County criminal courts. Her stories revealed that officials had lost track of appellate filings for over 100 inmates in the county court system.
Some of the filings were lost for decades, such as the case of death row inmate Syed Rabbani. Rabbani had been convicted of killing a fellow Bangladeshi immigrant in 1988. He remained on death row for more than 30 years until his appeal was discovered last year and he was found mentally incompetent to face execution. Amari’s reporting helped Rabbani’s family in Bangladesh locate him.
“This package stands out from the pack for the gravity and breadth of the injustice it uncovered,” the contest judge commented.
Director of photography Marie D. De Jesús and former Landing investigative reporter Alex Stuckey took home first place in feature writing for their Deadly Detention investigation.
That series looked into inmates with mental illnesses who died in Texas jails instead of receiving adequate care. The reporting led Harris County to invest more funds in the jail’s competency restoration program, and it became a basis for advocates to beg the Texas Commission on Jail Standards to address dire conditions in the Harris County Jail.
“The depth of reporting, source development, and creation of the database are everything,” the contest judge wrote. “There are so many great items of utility and the forward-looking, solution-oriented approach to the situation is exactly what journalism is about.”
Stuckey also won second place for the Michael Brick Storytelling Award, and was an honorable mention for Star Reporter of the Year.
Senior storyteller Maggie Gordon won third place for her column series, which included an investigation of a toxic work environment in the Houston Public Library system and first-hand, boots-on-the-ground coverage of the road and sidewalk infrastructure problems in Houston.
Led by former editor-in-chief Mizanur Rahman and team leader Matt Schwartz, the team of De Jesús, civic engagement reporter Tim Carlin, photojournalist Antranik Tavitian, web designer Annie Stuckey, and web designer Yin Yin Chan took home third place in the community service category for the Landing’s 2023 mayoral voting guide.
The guide offered an in-depth perspective on a majority of the candidates running for the mayor’s office. The team solicited questions from the community and obtained answers from the candidates with video and written responses. The guide allowed voters to sort responses by the issues that mattered most to them, helping to build a more engaged electorate in the 2023 election.
In the Freedom of Information category, De Jesús, suburban reporter Céilí Doyle, civic engagement reporter Angelica Perez, diverse communities reporter Danya Pérez, and public safety reporter Monroe Trombly won third place for the Landing’s investigation on Colony Ridge’s predatory lending practices in Liberty County.
abdelraoufsinno’s reporting came out shortly before the U.S. Department of Justice sued Colony Ridge, and continued into 2024 when Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed suit against the developer.
Doyle also won an honorable mention for her feature writing in Houston’s surrounding communities.
“It’s humbling to be honored by our peers and the recognition reinforces our mission at Abdelraoufsinno to serve our community,” said Editor-in-Chief Manny García.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print.
