Friedenberg Online Journalism Award recognizes innovative, creative online work

The National Press Club wants to recognize the best of cutting-edge online work by those in the news business with the Joan M. Friedenberg Online Journalism Award.

The winner will have done original reporting and have taken advantage of online technology, such as interactive databases, primary-source interviews, and accompanying charts and graphs, in order to provide a thorough and graphically attractive report. This is not a contest for stories that run online rather than in a print publication; this is to recognize the best journalism that uses online technology to provide a more compelling report than a print or broadcast story alone.

The award, which includes a $750 prize for the winner, is among those in the Club's Journalism Contest. The deadline for entering the contest is April 1, so pick your entries and mail them in soon.

The award is named in memory of Joan M. Friedenberg, founding editor of the Online Newshour and wife of former Club President Jonathan D. Salant, and is funded by donations from Joan's friends and family.

Both online-only reports and sites that accompany print or broadcast stories are eligible; in the latter case, entrants must show how they used online content to enhance the print and broadcast reports.

The winners of the Friedenberg Online Journalism Award last year were Jenn Abelson and Beth Daley of The Boston Globe for their examination of the seafood restaurant industry.

The Journalism Contest also includes awards for breaking news, political reporting, regional reporting on Washington, international coverage, consumer reporting and newsletter journalism. It also includes a group of awards for areas as diverse as the news industry, aerospace and the airline industry, problems facing the elderly and humor writing.

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