Congrats to This Year’s OJA Gather Award in Community-Centered Journalism Winners
I was thrilled to announce the 2022 winners of the OJA Gather Award in Community-Centered Journalism last week at the Online News Association’s conference in Los Angeles. The Trace and Southern California Public Radio (KPCC/LAist) each received $2,500 in prize money and were awarded for overall excellence in the micro/small and medium/large newsroom category, respectively.
And in case you missed our recent Gather Lightning Chats with most of this year’s award finalists, you can replay their insightful and informative presentations on Lessons from the Finalists.
Below are my remarks at the 2022 Online Journalism Awards Banquet and Ceremony, along with additional links and resources recognizing initiatives and projects propelling our shared work of community-centered journalism forward.
Good evening. For the fourth consecutive year, The Agora Journalism Center is honored to sponsor this year’s Gather Award in Community-Centered Journalism, with the winners of two categories, each receiving $2,500 in prize money.
You might be asking: what’s Gather? Gather is a collaborative project led by the Agora Journalism Center at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism & Communication. Thanks to the initial funding from the Knight Foundation in 2016 and grants from the Democracy Fund, we’ve been able to continue supporting community-minded journalists.
And why community rather than audience? A recent newsroom guide developed by Free Press clearly articulates that “‘Audience’ refers to people who already engage with your work, while “community” includes everyone within your coverage area — even if they aren’t subscribing, following or tuning in.”
So if you’ve been intrigued by terms this week such as “building Power with Communities,” “equipping people to help fill information needs,” “collaborating with organizations to support civic infrastructure,” or “tracking impact metrics,” I’d welcome you to check out Gather. You’ll find the work of pioneering news organizations re-earning the trust of their communities.
Today, we celebrate such work by recognizing the finalists and honoring the winners. As the intention with most awards, these trailblazers set examples of what IS possible when the public and journalists engage in supporting communities to thrive. But more importantly, they also set examples of community-centered journalism’s impact and the importance of investing time and funding in them.
Congratulations to all of the finalists and winners!
Without further adieu, here are this year’s finalists, which include projects that empowered citizens to take action in their neighborhoods and shed light on issues brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the micro/small newsroom category, the finalists are:
- Grist, In the Shadow of the Refineries
- The Trace, Up the Block
The judges said the winner of this award took community-centered journalism to the next level and addressed an urgent community need with resources for the public across the spectrum.
And the winner of the Gather Award, micro/small newsroom is The Trace for Up the Block.
In the medium/large newsroom category, the finalists are:
- Southern California Public Radio, Caring for children in the pandemic
- Catchlight/ProPublica, Meeting History: A Garfield Park Citizen Archive
The judges found the winning entry timely and relevant with a high degree of community utility.
The winner of the Gather Award, medium/large newsroom is Southern California Public Radio for Caring for Children in the Pandemic.
Congratulations again to all of the finalists and winners of the 2022 Online Journalism Awards!
— Andrew DeVigal, Gather’s executive director
Andrew DeVigal is an endowed chair in journalism innovation and civic engagement at the University of Oregon School of Journalism & Communication as well as the director of the school’s Agora Journalism Center, the forum for the future of local news and civic health. DeVigal is also the executive director of Gather and can be reached at andrew.devigal-at-gmail.com.
