Public Employee Press

PEP and DC 37 TV show win honors in labor media contest

The Public Employee Press virtually swept the major award categories in the 2008 Metro New York labor journalism competition, and DC 37’s “State of the Union” television show took first place in the Matt Doherty and Gwen Wells Award contest for broadcast media.

In Class C (the highest circulation publications and the toughest competition), PEP came in first in reporting, first in writing, first in photography and first and second in graphic design. In overall excellence, the DC 37 newspaper ranked second to the glossy magazine published by Local 1199 SEIU. The awards were announced at Metro’s convention on June 13.

With “Organize!” a powerful, dramatic front-page design by Art Director Alyce Archer that the judges said “conveys a sense of urgency,” PEP won first prize in the graphics category. Associate Art Director E.J. Dobson’s “cohesive, dynamic and expressive” 3-page layout on Black History Month at DC 37 took second.

“Torture,” Senior Associate Editor Greg Heires’s four-page section, took top honors for reporting. The judges wrote, “In-depth, well written pieces that connect a major political and moral issue with the work of members [Psychologists in a world-renowned unit at Bellevue Hospital].”

The first prize for writing went to Associate Editor Jane LaTour’s series about city workers on the front lines as “Poverty Fighters.” “Excellently researched and written, incorporating members’ stories in powerful ways,” said the judges.

The first prize in photography went to PEP’s Clarence Elie-Rivera for a shot of Local 420 member DeNorval Parks and his son that the judges called “very strong in both composition and feeling.” The photo’s light “imbues the family’s home with a feeling of warmth.”

The television show — hosted by Lillian Roberts and produced by Assistant Communications Director Rudy Orozco — won for a segment on Women’s History Month that the judges called “direct, genuine and touching.”

“I am especially proud that the contest judges cited the wide variety of our articles, which keeps PEP interesting to our members, and commented that our stories (even those that may not scream ‘bread and butter’ on the surface) are closely tied to the needs and accomplishments of DC 37 members,” said PEP Editor Bill Schleicher. “The entire staff of PEP, including those whose names may not appear on awards, contribute to our success at meeting high professional standards and consistently ranking among the top few union newspapers, locally and nationwide.”

In addition, a number of awards went to SSEU Local 371’s “Unionist” and to DC 37 Ed Fund Librarian Ken Nash’s “Building Bridges” WBAI radio program.