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A packed banquet hall in Carmel hosted the Indiana chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists annual awards ceremony on Friday, and Evansville Courier & Press reporters and photojournalists did not leave empty handed.
Courier & Press staff took home awards for sports photography, coverage of government and politics, and a breaking news report that provided accurate and up-to-the-minute information as an active shooter roamed an Evansville Walmart.
Indiana's chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, also known as the Indiana Pro SPJ, says first-place winning pieces represent "outstanding contributions in reporting events of public importance." As any resident of Evansville well knows, this city churns out important news events like few others of its size.
Here's a look at which Courier & Press articles and photographs caught the attention of judges during the 2023 Best in Indiana Journalism Awards.
Government & Politics: First place
The article headlined, "Gabe Whitley says he raised thousands for mayoral campaign. Donors say they don't know him" earned Courier & Press reporter Tom Langhorne first place in the "Coverage of Government or Politics, publication circulation above 10,000" category.
At the time of the article's publication on Feb. 1, 2023, Whitley's longshot bid to become Mayor of Evansville, his antics on the campaign trail and feuds with state political figures and media personalities had already captured the public's attention and that of reporters.
"I started looking at his campaign finance reports, and I saw all these contributions from places like New York, California, Florida... which obviously caught my attention," Langhorne said in an interview.
The article disclosed that several donors listed in Whitley's state financial reports said they had never given money to the political upstart.
"Campaign...