On Thursday, June 6, 2024, The B-Town Blog was awarded First Place in Government & Politics Reporting by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) in its Region 10 2023 Excellence in Journalism Contest.
The top honor was given to Scott Schaefer for the article “Kennedy Catholic High ‘tremendously disappointed’ it was not actively consulted by City of Burien despite numerous outreach efforts over proposed nearby Pallet Village encampment,” which was published on Dec. 1, 2023.
Region 10 of SPJ encompasses a competitive field that includes five states – Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho. This award was given for local news articles published between Jan. 1, 2023 and Dec. 31, 2023.
The winning article – which won first in the “Small” newsroom category (1-5 journalists) – highlighted the concerns of Kennedy Catholic High School regarding the lack of consultation from the City of Burien over a proposed Pallet Village encampment near the school. Despite the school’s numerous outreach efforts, they felt their input was overlooked.
This accolade underscores The B-Town Blog’s commitment to excellence in local journalism and its dedication to covering significant community issues with depth and accuracy since 2007.
“It’s an honor to win first place in this highly-competitive landscape,” Schaefer said. “In an era where anyone can start an online news website claiming to be a journalist, all the while prioritizing sensationalism, clickbait and injecting opinion masquerading as news, this recognition highlights the critical role of real, local journalism. Professional local news outlets which adhere to recognized standards of professional journalism like ours provide essential coverage that fosters an informed citizenry and accountability.”
In 2022, Nicholas Johnson was awarded for Investigative Reporting in the Writing/Small newsrooms category in its 2021 Excellence in Journalism Contest for an article that included fact-checking and correcting of misinformation that was shared by an anonymous group called “Burien United” and others during the 2021 primary elections for Burien City Council.
Read more about our multiple previous SPJ Awards here.
SPJ Oregon and SPJ Western Washington are proud to announce the winners of the 2023 SPJ NW Excellence in Journalism Contest! Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to all who submitted. To view the full list, https://t.co/PNIcJBuvwa
— spjwash (@SPJWash) June 6, 2024
One of the jewels of Burien is this terrific B-town Blog. Congratulations Scott Schaefer for this first place recognition in our five state region and many thanks for this continued work.