Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Prince William Times Entry Title: Cases of fatal domestic abuse Entry Credit: Cher Muzyk Judge Comment: An outstanding example of crime writing using multiple sources beyond just the courtroom dialogue. Each of these stories has context, and an emotional flow for readers to digest. Reader engagement is an essential element in any story. It was clearly reflected here!
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Loudoun Times-Mirror Entry Title: Times-Mirror Pubic Safety Writing Entry Credit: Evan Goodenow Judge Comment: Excellent writing and sourcing. The details are woven into a near narrative writing style and the human sources contributions are clearly attributed. Would like to read the rest of the stories. These three, however, represent the reporter’s style and commitment to attributed sourcing!
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Fairfax County North Connection Entry Title: Officer Sentenced in Death; Police Civilian Review Panel; Police Charge Juvenile in Herndon Student Homicide; Entry Credit: Mercia Hobson Judge Comment: An unresolved killing, crime review agency and a pokice shooting of an unarmed man are featured inthis series. The writing is basic, the sourcing is good. The unesolved killing is a story without end,but with deep human emotion!
Competition Comment: Most entries here focused on what readeers need most from these types of stories. Good detail, and engaging writing help readers abosrb the details and the outcomes. The cited winners certainly exemplified those tenets. Several entries relied on statistics and direct quotes without context and in need of encapsulation. Some entries needed copy editing/proofing to catch spelling and language errors. Overall, the entries in these judgments were true gifts to readers! They engaged!
