Greenspun Media Group received a handful of awards in the 2018 Best of the West journalism contest, including two first-place honors related to coverage of the Oct. 1 tragedy on the Las Vegas Strip.
The staff of The Sunday and Greenspun Newsroom won first place with “Unbreakable Vegas: Stories of Heroism and Resilience in the Face of Tragedy.”
“In words and visuals, this piece re-creates and reviews the mass shooting in Las Vegas,” the judge wrote. “It answers questions and raises more, but never strays far from the victims and heroes. Great work.”
Creative Director Elizabeth Brown won first place for page design for the same story. The judges commented, “What a package. We all watched the events of the Las Vegas shooting play out on video and newsprint, and The Sunday followed with an incredibly deep dive into the shooting, the questions, the effect on community, an analyzation of the response, the tragic stories of victims and the heroes who made a difference. Paired with a comprehensive timeline, a tremendous infographic showing the entire scene of the shooting and a very important tool for readers — how to contact their lawmakers and get involved in the conversation. It’s a powerhouse."
Las Vegas Weekly took third place for page design with “Marijuana: It’s Recreational.”
“With all the tragedy and horrible breaking news coming out of Las Vegas this year, Las Vegas Weekly gave us a surprising and fascinating look at a different kind of story — recreational marijuana made legal. And it was a very welcome contrast,” the judge wrote.
Lastly, editorial cartoonist Mike Smith garnered second place for cartoons on such topics as President Trump’s tweets, Las Vegas in mourning, Trump’s undoing of Obama policies and Trump’s calls to grieving military families.
“Classy and stylistically sharp, Mike Smith’s work never disappoints,” the judge wrote.