The PublicSource staff has been honored extensively for their 2022 and 2023 reporting, upholding a tradition of producing local journalism that is recognized in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and across the nation. 

While the team focuses on feedback from readers and impact of journalism as primary measures of success, we do appreciate acknowledgement in the form of awards. We thank the judges and teams who manage these contests for their time and generous feedback. 

PublicSource has received the following recognitions for our work in 2022 and 2023. This list will be updated to remain current through 2023: 

Local Media Association 2023 Digital Innovation Awards

• First place, best local website up to 250,000 unique monthly visitors
• Third place, best digital news project

A judge in the best local website contest wrote, “From deeply reported investigative pieces to charming first-person stories, spending time on PublicSource.org feels like a warm welcome to all things Pittsburgh – from the devastating to the inspiring.” 

Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute 2023 American Journalism Online Awards

• Honorable mention, best nonprofit news source

Judges noted, “PublicSource is a reliable, trusted, and authoritative source of information. The organization clearly puts the time and resources where it is most important: editing and reporting. PublicSource then presents its stories and other content clearly and directly, letting readers know what they need to know.” 

Pennsylvania Newsmedia Association 2023 Professional Keystone Media Awards

• Lenfest Institute Emerging Journalist Award for Emma Folts
• G. Richard Dew Award for Journalistic Service for The Red Zone by Emma Folts, Mila Sanina and Stephanie Strasburg
• Division 1: First Place in Feature Photo for Author Atiya Irvin-Mitchell poses for a portrait for her essay on purity culture by Stephanie Strasburg
• Division 1: Second Place in Podcast for From the Source, Season 4, episodes 1-3 by Jourdan Hicks and Liz Reid
• Division 1: Honorable Mention in Photo Story / Essay for The Red Zone by Stephanie Strasburg
• Division I: Honorable Mention in Enterprise Reporting for The Red Zone by Emma Folts, Mila Sanina and Stephanie Strasburg
• Division I: Honorable Mention in Feature Story for Validation is what one Pittsburgh Police Officer wanted from a little-used law by Rich Lord and Megan Harris (with City Cast Pittsburgh)

Pennsylvania Society for Professional Journalists 2023 Keystone Excellence in Journalism awards: 

• First place in Web Use: Daily for The Red Zone, Unbalanced and Faith, Race, Place by Natasha Vicens and the PublicSource Staff
• First Place in Graphic Photo: Daily or Non Daily The menstrual movement — a local youth perspective by Andrea Shockling
• First place in Photo Story: Daily for The Citizen Scientists of Crackerland: Armed with buckets and hunting plastic pellets, neighbors prepare for the petrol plant next door by Quinn Glabicki 
• First place in Podcasts for From the Source: Season 4, Episodes 1-3 by Jourdan Hicks and Liz Reid
• Second place in Business and Labor Reporting: Daily or Non-Daily for The Exempt Dilemma by Emma Folts, Charlie Wolfson, Punya Bhasin and Alexandra Ross
• Second place in Education Writing: Daily or Non-Daily for Draft policy would allow CMU police to use facial recognition technology by Emma Folts

Press Club of Western Pennsylvania 2023 Golden Quill Awards

• Winner in Excellence in Written Journalism, Business/Technology/Consumer Division 2 for Unbalanced by Rich Lord
• Winner in Excellence in Audio Journalism, News Feature for From the Source: Season 4, Episode 1 — Teens Changing the Rhetoric Around Youth Violence in the Pittsburgh Area by Jourdan Hicks and Liz Reid

The post PublicSource’s impactful journalism earns honors in local, state and national contests appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

When journalists are portrayed on TV and movies, you typically get taken into the juicy interviews, the big discoveries, the wall of post-its and photos connecting key characters, and the furious writing of a masterpiece.

The true-story depictions glaze over a less glamorous but critical step: checking the facts.

We’re all human, even the superstar journalists breaking national and international stories at renowned news outlets. In most cases, they have teams of people helping to ensure details within the stories are accurate.

At PublicSource, we think it’s just as important to take such care in our stories about people and happenings in the Pittsburgh region. 

Though it’s been no easy feat for a news outlet our size, we’ve been fact-checking our stories for more than a decade. 

We add time to the publication process — from hours to days — to put every story we produce and publish through a fact check.

We employ three levels of fact-checking based on details of the story, like timeliness and sensitivity. At minimum, a story is fact-checked by the reporter(s) and editors. 

In most cases, our reporters are providing source material to editors and/or an independent fact-checker to verify many or all of the facts in a story.

The basic recipe of fact-checking at PublicSource is to :

• Show sourcing that helps to answer a simple, but powerful, question: “How do I know this?”
• Have someone other than the reporter comb through all of it and interrogate it.

We check basic facts like spellings and math as well as more complex matters, like interpretations of source comments or research.

Sign up to receive critical Pittsburgh reporting from PublicSource in your inbox, for free:

It doesn’t mean we’ll always be perfect despite striving to be. That’s why we have a proactive and transparent practice on corrections and clarifications, and you can find contact information for every person on staff here.

Reporters, editors, interns and freelance fact-checkers all play a part in fact-checking. It takes diligence, time and money to produce in-depth and investigative journalism and even more to get it fact-checked.

But in a world of mis/disinformation and lagging trust in media, we take great lengths to get it right for you and the region as a whole.

If you have any questions about fact-checking at PublicSource, please reach out to Editor-in-Chief Halle Stockton at halle@publicsource.org or Managing Editor Rich Lord at rich@publicsource.org.

The post Misinformation’s antidote? Fact-checked journalism appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

The team at PublicSource takes great pride in our journalism and community impact. Our greatest rewards come from reader feedback and support. However, we appreciate when the work of our dedicated staff is recognized locally and internationally, as it has been consistently over the past several years. Here we will keep you updated with new announcements of our journalism being celebrated in 2022. We’re grateful for the honors but we owe our biggest thanks to the people who have entrusted us with their stories. You make stories for a better Pittsburgh possible. 

November 30, 2022

A PublicSource story by a student-reporter and a podcast series co-published with PublicSource have won awards in the nation’s top contest for journalism on disability issues.

The winners were announced Nov. 14 for the 2022 Katherine Schneider Journalism Award for Excellence in Reporting on Disability and the 2022 Gary Corcoran Student Prize for Excellence in Reporting on Disability. 

Chris Hippensteel received second place in the student media category for a story on how the Pennsylvania justice system often fails autistic people and the reforms being offered by activists and judges. Hippensteel was a summer 2021 PublicSource editorial intern while a student at Syracuse University. 

Jennifer Szweda Jordan and All-Abilities Media received third place in the small media category for A Valid Podcast, Season 3, which was co-published with PublicSource. 

The professional prize is supported by a gift from Katherine Schneider, a retired clinical psychologist. Schneider, who has been blind since birth, established the award to help journalists improve their coverage of disability issues, moving beyond “inspirational” stories that don’t accurately represent the lives of people with disabilities. “That kind of stuff is remarkable, but that’s not life as most of us live it,” she said.

The full list of winners are available here.

November 7, 2022

PublicSource was honored in the Local Media Association (LMA) Digital Innovation Awards as the best local digital news website under 250,000 unique readers per month. Judges commented that, “PublicSource’s commitment to being a credible source of information for — and by — the Pittsburgh community is unparalleled.” 

PublicSource’s 2021 photo essay City of Prayer was awarded second place for best digital news project awarded for entries that display captivating, innovative and intentional storytelling.

LMA’s Digital Innovation Awards recognize the best in local digital media in 16 categories such as best local website, best virtual event, best branded content strategy and more. It is a highly competitive contest designed to recognize both large and small media companies for their outstanding and innovative work.

September 27, 2022

The Insitute for Nonprofit News [INN] announced Quinn Glabicki as the winner of the 2022 Insight Award for Visual Journalism in the large division. Glabicki’s photo essay, City of Prayer, received accolades for its “truly impressive investment of time and commitment to tell an important story with depth, impact and nuance.”

The INN Nonprofit News Awards, or INNYs, honor excellence in journalism, leadership and community service across the field of nonprofit news. INN honored a total of 28 news organizations and leaders during its awards on Sept. 21.

August 12, 2022

PublicSource was honored with two national Edward R. Murrow awards for reporting by a small digital news organization, announced during the Radio Television Digital News Association’s national broadcast on Aug. 11. Read more about these prestigious awards here.

August 10, 2022

PublicSource was recognized with four awards in the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation’s 34th annual Vann Media Awards contest.

• TyLisa Johnson received first place in the Education category for written journalism in non-daily publications for The strongest lifeline’: Districts struggle to find Allegheny County’s homeless students as COVID increased distance and needs.
• Naomi Harris, Chris Hedlin and Rich Lord received first place in the Enterprise/Investigative category for written journalism in non-daily publications for Pittsburgh’s oldest Black church was demolished as ‘blight’ in the 1950s Lower Hill. Today, members seek justice.
• Jourdan Hicks and Andy Kubis received first place for Excellence in an Audio Journalism Series for From the Source Podcast (Season Two): Ep. 7, 8 & 14.
• Quinn Glabicki received second place for Excellence in Visual Journalism Photography Essays for The City of Prayer: Clairton’s residents persevere amid persistent pollution and violence.

Honorees will receive their awards at the Robert L. Vann Media Awards dinner on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022, at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center. 

June 28, 2022

The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle received an honorable mention by the American Jewish Press Association for a story it partnered on with PublicSource.

Chronicle Staff Writer David Rullo and Chris Hedlin of PublicSource co-authored the story “Pittsburgh Jewish leaders are handed frontline role in mental health.” According to the Chronicle’s write-up of the award, the judge commented: “Article shines a light on the difference between mental health counseling and pastoral counseling in a thoughtful, accessible way.”

PublicSource partners with the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle and more than a dozen others in delivering meaningful journalism to the region’s residents.

May 25, 2022

PublicSource’s reporting on education, housing, disabilities, religion and water quality was honored at the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania’s annual Golden Quill awards.

Reader support and vigorous collaboration with other outlets helped PublicSource and its media partners to win nine awards, with 10 other finalists.

Winners include:

• Dispute in Downtown’s Gateway Towers Divides Condo Residents by Bill Zlatos, in the news feature category
• From Participant to Paid Employee, Recent Woodlands Foundation Hires Show What People With Disabilities Bring to the Workforce also by Zlatos, for lifestyle journalism
• PWSA: After the Crisis by Oliver Morrison, for reporting on public affairs, politics and government
• After Finding a Home in Pittsburgh, a Paralegal Helps Others Navigate Housing Difficulties by Ryan Loew, in the video essay category
• Screen Test by TyLisa Johnson, Punya Bhasin, Juliet Martinez and community members, for education reporting
• What Difference Has a Year Made? by Naomi Harris, Natasha Vicens and Ryan Loew, for digital presentation
• Pittsburgh’s Oldest Black Church Was Demolished as ‘Blight’ in the 1950s Lower Hill. Today, Members Seek Justice by Chris Hedlin, Lord and Harris, for history and culture reporting
• A Valid Podcast: Relationships Among People With Intellectual Disabilities produced in partnership with the All-Abilities Media Team and Unabridged Press, for audio journalism
• Tenant Cities by PublicSource’s Rich Lord and Kate Giammarise of WESA, for enterprise and investigative journalism. Tenant Cities also won a Ray Sprigle Memorial Award for best in show in its category.

PublicSource finalists include:

• Dispute in Downtown’s Gateway Towers Divides Condo Residents by Zlatos, for business, technology and consumer reporting
• Therapists at UPMC, Pittsburgh Mercy Are Burned Out and Quitting. What Does It Mean For Patient Care? by Juliette Rihl
• Mixed-up Meds & Long Waits: How Understaffing Hurts Medical Treatment at Allegheny County Jail also by Rihl
• A Tragedy of Errors: A Series of Maintenance Failures Led to the 2018 Fire at the Clairton Coke Works by Morrison
• Leading With Generosity — A Conversation With a Local Jeweler About His Career and Culture of Giving by Jourdan Hicks and Andy Kubis, PublicSource
• Lives Left in Caring Hands? — A Conversation With a Palliative Care Social Worker also by Hicks and Kubis
• Pittsburgh’s Black Muslim History Uncovered by Hicks, Kubis and Hedlin
• Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi Leads Western Pennsylvania Churches Toward a More Inclusive Future by Hedlin
• Pittsburgh Jewish Leaders Are Handed Frontline Role in Mental Health by Hedlin and David Rullo of the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle
• The City of Prayer: Clairton’s Residents Persevere Amid Persistent Pollution and Violence by Quinn Glabicki

A list of all of the winners is available here.

May 4, 2022

Pennsylvania Newsmedia Association Keystone Media Awards

PublicSource received four Keystone Media Awards honoring work produced by the newsroom in 2021.  

The awards, published on April 28 by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, are presented each year to Pennsylvania journalists in recognition of journalism that “consistently provides relevance, integrity, and initiative in serving readers and audiences, and faithfully fulfills its First Amendment rights/responsibilities.”

Jourdan Hicks and Andy Kubis won first place in the podcast category for their work on From the Source, Season 2. 

Quinn Glabicki won first place in the photo story/essay category for The City of Prayer: Clairton’s residents persevere amid persistent pollution and violence.

Rich Lord and Kate Giammarise received an honorable mention in the investigative reporting category for their Tenant Cities series, produced in collaboration with 90.5 WESA.  

Juliette Rihl and Colin Deppen received an honorable mention in the news feature category for their work on the coming crisis in dementia care and why PA is woefully underprepared. This was produced in partnership with SpotlightPA.

April 28, 2022

Society of Professional Journalists Keystone Pro Chapter Spotlight Contest

PublicSource was awarded seven awards in the 2021 Keystone Awards contest, including the prestigious Spotlight Award for non-daily reporting for the second year. The Spotlight Award is given to the journalist or journalists whose published investigative story or series scooped other media and placed the public’s right to know in the spotlight. This year’s award was received for Tenant Cities reporting in collaboration with news partner 90.5 WESA. 

The Society of Professional Journalists Keystone Pro Chapter Spotlight Contest annually recognizes the best in journalism. The contest is open to all journalists from Pennsylvania and New Jersey whose work appeared in a publication in one of the two states.

A full list of PublicSource awards are as follows:

• Education Writing: 2nd place for Screen Test, compiled by TyLisa Johnson
• Podcasts: 1st place for From the Source by Jourdan Hicks and Andy Kubis
• Graphic/Photo Illustration: 1st place for Unraveling: A comic artist’s journey through alcoholism and recovery in the pandemic by Andrea Shockling, published with the Pittsburgh City Paper
• Photo Story, non-daily: 1st place for City of Prayer by Quinn Glabicki
• Environmental reporting, non-daily: 1st place for PWSA After the Crisis by Oliver Morrison
• Environmental reporting, non-daily: 2nd place for A Tragedy of Errors: A series of maintenance failures led to the 2018 fire at the Clairton Coke Works by Oliver Morrison
• Spotlight Award, non-daily: 1st place for Tenant Cities by Rich Lord, Kate Giammarise and Ryan Loew, published with 90.5 WESA

See PublicSource’s awards in 2021

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PublicSource was honored with two national Edward R. Murrow awards for reporting by a small digital news organization, announced during the Radio Television Digital News Association’s national broadcast on Aug. 11. 

PWSA: After the Crisis, by Oliver Morrison, received the Murrow award for a News Series. This 12-part series provides the fullest account of Pittsburgh’s water crisis, what it means for the future and what vulnerabilities still exist for Pittsburgh’s water supply. This series continues to be used to help inform the future.

The City of Prayer: Clairton’s Residents Persevere Amid Persistent Pollution and Violence, by Quinn Glabicki, received the Feature Reporting award. In this project, portraits of illness, trauma, advocacy and resilience, often set against the literal backdrop of the U.S. Steel coke works’ plumes, offer a well-rounded perspective on the complex nature of life in Clairton, a town grappling with its legacy and urgent problems like poor air quality and gun violence. 

Among the most prestigious awards in news, the Murrow Awards recognize local and national news stories that uphold the RTDNA Code of Ethics, demonstrate technical expertise and exemplify the importance and impact of journalism as a service to the community. 

Murrow Award-winning work demonstrates the excellence that Edward R. Murrow made a standard for the broadcast news profession. The full list of national honorees can be found here.

The post PublicSource wins two national Edward R. Murrow Awards appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

The team at PublicSource takes great pride in our journalism and community impact. Our greatest rewards come from reader feedback and support, and we don’t measure our success in awards or accolades. However, we appreciate when the work of our dedicated staff is recognized locally and internationally, as it has been consistently over the past several years. Here we will keep you updated with new announcements of our journalism being celebrated. We’re grateful for the honors but we owe our biggest thanks to the people who have entrusted us with their stories. You make stories for a better Pittsburgh possible. 

Dec. 31, 2021

Robert L. Vann Media Awards

PublicSource was recognized with two awards in the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation’s 33rd annual Vann Media Awards contest. Juliette Rihl’s “The True Cost of Court Debt” series was named the top enterprise/investigative entry for non-daily written journalism. Jourdan Hicks and Andy Kubis won for excellence in audio presentation for “How Pittsburgh shapes and cages the lives of Black women. For real.” from Season 2 of our From the Source podcast.

Oct. 18, 2021

The Online News Association Online Journalism Awards

PublicSource won the prestigious Online Journalism Award for General Excellence by a Micro Newsroom during the Online News Association awards banquet on Oct. 15. 

PublicSource was honored for charting a path for American journalism on the local level through its 2020-2021 reporting, including coverage of the 2020 election, the impact of COVID-19 in the community and the creation of Board Explorer, a tool to understand Pittsburgh’s unelected power structure. 

“Judges noted the winning newsroom demonstrated an impressive breadth of content serving the people of Pittsburgh including news analyses, first-person essays, a limited-series podcast and audience-driven public-service products,” said SmartNews Managing Editor Christopher as he announced PublicSource the winner. “The ADA series, which analyzed how the city is performing in terms of accessibility, was a smart and well executed package that brought in underrepresented voices from the community.” 

PublicSource won the same award in 2020 for its 2019-2020 work and has been nominated four times for the international honor.

Sept. 29, 2021

The Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards

PublicSource was awarded two 2021 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards during the virtual awards show on Sept. 25. 

Artist Shyheim Banks and PublicSource visual storyteller Ryan Loew won the Emmy for Arts/Entertainment – News (Single Story) for “‘Don’t Clip Our Tails,’ A Pittsburgh Poet’s Reflection on Racial Justice.” 

Freelance journalist Nick Childers and Loew won the Emmy for Societal Concerns – News (Single Story) for “In a Summer of Protest, Members of the Skateboard Community Join the Push for Racial Justice.” 

The Press Club of Western Pennsylvania Golden Quill Awards 

The Press Club of Western Pennsylvania announced the winners of the 57th Golden Quill Awards on Sept. 28 at the Rivers Casino, Pittsburgh. The Golden Quills competition honors professional and student excellence in print, broadcast, photography, videography and digital journalism in Western Pennsylvania and nearby counties in Ohio and West Virginia.

The PublicSource team was awarded a best-of-show award, the Ed Romano Memorial Award for Photography in Divisions 1-6 for 2020: The Year in Photos.

A full list of PublicSource awards are as follows: 

• Excellence in Journalistic Craft Achievement, Photo Essay — Divisions 1-6 Winner: “2020: The Year in Photos,” Staff, PublicSource
• Excellence in Audio Journalism, Traditional Feature — Divisions 1-6 Winner: “From the Source: Season 1 Episodes,” Jourdan Hicks and Andy Kubis, PublicSource
• Excellence in Written Journalism, Profile — Division 2 Winner: “My Neighbor’s Sole Business Is ‘Closed Until Further Notice,’” Francesca Dabecco, PublicSource
• Excellence in Audio Journalism, History/Culture — Divisions 1-6 Winner: “From the Source Episode 13: The Student and Her Grandma, an Intergenerational View on Civil Rights,” Jourdan Hicks and Andy Kubis, PublicSource
• Excellence in Written Journalism, Enterprise/Investigative — Division 2 Winner: “The True Cost of Court Debt,” Juliette Rihl, PublicSource
• Ed Romano Memorial Award: Photography — Divisions 1-6: “2020: The Year in Photos,” Staff, PublicSource

May 17, 2021

The Press Club of Western Pennsylvania Golden Quill Awards

The Press Club of Western Pennsylvania announced finalists for the 2021 Golden Quill Awards. PublicSource staff members, freelance contributors and community members who worked with PublicSource to share their stories were nominated for 19 awards, across categories that include excellence in written journalism, audio journalism, video/broadcast journalism and journalist craft achievement. 

The complete list of finalists is available here. Winners will be announced at the Golden Quills awards dinner in September. 

April 30, 2021

Doris O’Donnell Innovations in Investigative Journalism Fellowship

The Point Park Center for Media Innovation announced winners of the The Doris O’Donnell Innovations in Investigative Journalism Fellowship. This national fellowship is awarded to three journalists to pursue investigative projects in the coming year. PublicSource’s Rich Lord was the third-place recipient, receiving an award of $2,500 to continue his reporting on regional landlord/tenant issues.

Professional Keystone Media Awards

The Keystone Media Awards recognize journalism that consistently provides relevance, integrity, and initiative in serving readers and audiences, and faithfully fulfills its First Amendment rights/responsibilities in Pennsylvania. PublicSource received honors in four categories, including the prestigious Lenfest Institute Emerging Journalist Award that goes to Juliette Rihl for her work investigating facial recognition, court fines and fees and the Allegheny County Jail. The award, which comes with a $500 cash prize, honors a talented young journalist for overall excellence in writing, reporting and use of storytelling platforms.

In Division I, Ryan Loew received a second-place award for feature videos for Dear Coronavirus, Jourdan Hicks and Andy Kubis brought home a second-place award amongst Podcasts for From the Source and Rich Lord received an honorable mention for his policing work. 

April 13, 2021

Society for Professional Journalists Keystone Awards

PublicSource took 11 awards in the 2020 Keystone Awards contest, including the prestigious Spotlight Award for non-daily reporting. The Spotlight Award is given to the journalist or journalists whose published investigative story or series scooped other media and placed the right to know in the public spotlight.

The Society of Professional Journalists Keystone Pro Chapter Spotlight Contest annually recognizes the best in journalism. The contest is open to all journalists from Pennsylvania and New Jersey whose work appeared in a publication in one of the two states.

A full list of PublicSource awards: 

• Spotlight Award for Non-Daily Reporting: Rich Lord and Juliette Rihl for their 2020 policing coverage
• Non-Daily Enterprise Reporting: First place for The True Cost of Court Debt by Juliette Rihl; Third place for reporting that exposed previously unknown uses of facial recognition technology by Juliette Rihl
• Non-Daily Environmental Reporting: First place for Fighting for Mussels by Carrie Blackmore Smith; Second place for reporting on greenhouse gas emissions from Pittsburgh buildings by Oliver Morrison
• Feature Story, non-daily: Third Place for “A big elephant in the room: A McKeesport mother’s months-long battle to save her house has her home for the holidays with a deadline looming” by Rich Lord
• News Photography, non-daily: First place for Kahlil Darden, CEO of Black Motivated Kings and Queens, before a billboard commemorating Antwon Rose II by Jay Manning 

• Photo story, non-daily: First place for Pittsburgh in Protest by Ryan Loew
• Graphic Photo Illustration, non-daily: First place for You Are Not Alone by the PublicSource staff
• Podcasts, daily and non-daily: Second place for “From the Source: Authentic voices and stories of Pittsburgh region” by Jourdan Hicks and Andy Kubis
• Education writing, non-daily: Third place for “After years of restrictions and fear, international students seek stability from the new administration” by Naomi Harris

Society for News Design Awards of Excellence

PublicSource was awarded two Awards of Excellence in the Society for News Design’s 2020 Best of Digital Design contest. Ryan Loew, visual producer, and Natasha Vicens, creative director, received the Award of Excellence for use of video in Pittsburgh in Protest, a slow-motion time capsule of a critical moment in the fight for racial justice. 

Reporter Juliette Rihl, visuals producer Jay Manning and Vicens received the Award of Excellence for a long-form series with The True Cost of Court Debt, a four-part explanation of the issues and solutions surrounding court fines and fees.

The post PublicSource wins two awards from Pittsburgh Black Media Federation appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

We have some exciting shifts within our newsroom to announce, and it has everything to do with serving you better.

TyLisa C. Johnson, who you know as our K-12 education reporter, has been promoted to become PublicSource’s first audience engagement editor. In that role, she will work to build relationships with our current audience and help others discover our journalism, online and offline. She will focus more attention on what you want from our newsletters and social media feeds. TyLisa will also produce audience-driven stories on a variety of topics in accessible formats. Before this change becomes official-official, later this week, PublicSource will release an in-depth project by TyLisa about truancy among students in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.

Contact TyLisa by emailing tylisa@publicsource.org or on Twitter @tylisawrites.

Jourdan Hicks, host of the From the Source podcast, has been promoted to senior community correspondent. In that role, she will not only continue to host the podcast (expect season three to launch in next month!), but she will also look to attend more community gatherings, host events and offer education opportunities to our followers. 

Contact Jourdan by emailing jourdan@publicsource.org or on Instagram @hicksjourdan.

Together, TyLisa and Jourdan will drive efforts in our newsroom and out in the community to connect with you, our audience, on a deeper level. So tell us: What would you like to see in how PublicSource engages with the community? Are there unanswered questions swirling about your community? Is there an event or resource you wish existed? 

Oliver Morrison, who has been a reporter at PublicSource since 2017, will step in to cover K-12 education in Pittsburgh and elsewhere in Allegheny County. Oliver is a former middle and high school English and drama teacher and is looking forward to turning his attention back toward education. 

He just released a compelling project on the crisis and turnaround at Pittsburgh’s water authority as he transitions off of the environment beat, so be sure not to miss the series. He would love to hear from you on what kind of education coverage you’re looking for.

Contact Oliver by emailing oliver@publicsource.org or on Twitter @ormorrison.

PublicSource is not abandoning coverage of environmental issues. We still want to hear your tips and ideas to help us answer your questions and produce important in-depth articles. Send in ideas through this pitch form or email me at halle@publicsource.org, along with any comments or questions you may have about these changes.

Halle Stockton is the managing editor of PublicSource. She can be reached at halle@publicsource.org or 412-515-0065.

The post PublicSource establishes audience team, names new K-12 education reporter appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

The PublicSource Board of Directors is announcing the transition of Executive Director Mila Sanina. After five years, Mila has chosen to take time to focus on her well-being. 

The board thanks Mila for her exceptional, dedicated service to PublicSource. During her tenure, she led PublicSource’s growth from 5 to 13 employees, developed and grew its membership program and, most importantly, was responsible for an organization producing quality, public-service journalism that fostered a readership of Pittsburghers who care about their city and region. Mila has led PublicSource to numerous awards, including the national Online Journalism Award for General Excellence by a Micro Newsroom in both 2020 and 2021. 

“I am proud of how far PublicSource has come and immensely grateful to my stellar team, supportive board, our generous supporters, readers and the Pittsburgh community at large,” Mila said. “I am confident that this news organization is positioned to thrive and its essential work will live on.

“It’s an incredibly difficult decision for me to depart but it’s time for me to move on and get well and find myself again outside of PublicSource. I’ll be around and will always support PublicSource, one of the best local newsrooms in America.”

Mila’s departure will take place before the end of the year. She has laid the groundwork for the organization to continue operating during the transition. All editorial operations will continue to be led by Managing Editor Halle Stockton and business operations will continue under Director of Revenue and Operations Jennie Liska. 

The PublicSource board will lead a national leadership search for Mila’s successor. The Board of Directors welcomes questions from readers and can be reached at info@publicsource.org.

The post PublicSource announces leadership transition appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

PublicSource, a nonprofit newsroom serving the Pittsburgh region, has been named as a finalist for general excellence, cross-newsroom collaboration and explanatory reporting in the 2020 Online News Association awards. The prestigious awards honor excellence in online journalism worldwide.

PublicSource is a finalist for General Excellence in Online Journalism in the micro newsrooms category (newsrooms fewer than 15 people) along with El Paso Matters, Idaho Education News and Voice of San Diego.  

Two PublicSource projects were also named finalists in separate categories. 

The Good River project, launched in November 2019 as a regional collaboration, was named a finalist for the Excellence in Collaboration and Partnerships Award. The Good River project was led by PublicSource and produced in partnership with six other nonprofit newsrooms: 100 Days in Appalachia, The Allegheny Front, Belt Magazine, Environmental Health News, Eye on Ohio and Louisville Public Media. Journalists in seven nonprofit newsrooms – spanning five of the 15 Ohio River watershed states — worked for 10 months to produce nonpartisan, engaging and stunning journalism on the watershed.

The True Cost of Court Debt was named a finalist for the Explanatory Reporting Award. The four-part series focused on issues related to court fines and fees in Allegheny County and was led by reporter Juliette Rihl. After our series was published, a team of people from Allegheny County applied to the Cities & Counties for Fine and Fee Justice program, a solution highlighted in the reporting that provides grants to communities working on reform. Allegheny County was one of 10 jurisdictions accepted into the program. 

While PublicSource does not measure its impact in awards, we recognize the importance of celebrating the work of journalists and partners who have been working with PublicSource. It’s also an opportunity to thank people who trusted our journalists with their stories and those who have been counting on us to keep the Pittsburgh region informed. 

Winners of the Online Journalism Awards will be announced at virtual awards events in October. 

PublicSource relies on donations from our readers. For those of you who support our journalism financially, thank you. And for those who don’t yet, please consider becoming a member with a donation that helps to ensure the future of local journalism in Pittsburgh.

The post PublicSource nabs 3 nominations for 2020 international online journalism awards appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

Hundreds gathered at Allderdice High School and in Bloomfield and Fox Chapel borough on June 11, the 13th day of Black Lives Matter protests in Pittsburgh. 

Those in attendance carried signs, participated in chants and listened to impassioned speakers who called on the crowds to show solidarity with Black students and residents in the Pittsburgh area along with those who have experienced police brutality.

In Bloomfield, skateboarders convened to honor George Floyd and others taken by police violence.

At one point in their rolling march, they shut down traffic on Bloomfield Bridge and the Black Lives Matter demonstration ended in Friendship Park.

About 500 residents of Fox Chapel gathered for a “kid-friendly peaceful rally” in support of Black Lives Matter at Squaw Park in O’Hara Township on Thursday evening. A helicopter circled overhead and police in yellow vests directed traffic.

The first speaker, William Generett, the graduating president of the Black Student Union at Fox Chapel High School, said he was told by school administrators that putting up his fist was too provocative. He asked the entire crowd to put up their fists with him. 

Vanessa Lynch, a member of the Fox Chapel Area School District board, vowed that her dedication would not stop after the event.

“I will not engage in platitudes or make excuses for racism,” she said. “I will listen and I will act.”

Bishop Loran Mann, a former Channel 11 anchor whose son graduated from Fox Chapel, compared the current moment to 1967, when he met Martin Luther King Jr. in Pittsburgh. He said that he and other clergy have been talking about whether “this movement could be like so many others, a few days after the protests and rallies are over, the movement will die and again nothing will happen.”

“I am of a different opinion,” he said. “I think [George Floyd’s] death has moved the world almost as much, if not more, than the death of Dr. King because everywhere you look, nations of the Earth, you see people gathering in masses saying, ’Black lives matter” and ‘Enough is enough.’”

Below are more scenes from Thursday’s demonstration at Allderdice:

Below are more scenes from Thursday evening’s demonstration through the Bloomfield area:

Below are more scenes from Thursday evening’s demonstration in Fox Chapel:

—PublicSource reporter Oliver Morrison and freelancers Maranie Rae Staab and Nick Childers contributed to this report.

The post ‘Welcome to the movement’: Hundreds rally against police brutality, racism at Allderdice, in Bloomfield and Fox Chapel appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

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