Award-winning journalists

Congrats to Reporter staff! We picked up 17 Minnesota Newspaper Association Awards last month for our stories, photos, editing, advertising and design during 2007-08 (the year I was editor and part of Derek Wehrwein’s, the current). And who said all those 4 a.m. nights weren’t worth it!

We won in a variety of fields, and in some areas we totally dominated. Supershooter Ray Starin won four awards for photography, including best portfolio ("Look for Starin to make his way to a metro daily. This guy's photos rock!", the judges said), and versatile Derek got four as well, including best arts and entertainment reporting (among 42 entries!), two for illustration and column writing.

Nia Jonesz, news editor, won best feature writing (34 entries), and Rachel Heiderscheidt won best social issues story, while Brittney Hansen and Dan Myers scored wins for A&E and sports writing, respectively. Madeline Zabee and Vanessa McDougall won honors for advertisements.

I won my first award ever, first-place for best column writing (29 entries), for a story on why people should drive more slowly. Below's what the judges said, and here is the story:

"What a refreshing take on an environmental issue -- oil addiction -- that's complained about so often but seldom offering solutions. In a conversational yet authoritative voice, Pettitt offers the most common sense solution possible: drive slower. He doesn't make the reader feel guilty for driving too fast, but he gives enough facts and figures to make the environmental case for driving 55. I'm going to give it a try myself."