ABA Journal wins national honors for Web News Section, news features, investigative coverage at 2019 Azbee Awards
ABA Journal Managing Editor Kevin Davis accepted the Stephen Barr Award at the 2019 Azbee Awards in St. Petersburg, Florida. Photo by Molly McDonough.
Updated: The ABA Journal was nationally recognized as one of the Top 10 Magazines of the Year and Top 10 Websites of the Year by the American Society of Business Publication Editors on Thursday.
In addition, ABAJournal.com won a national gold award for Web News Section and the ABA Journal won three national gold awards for news features and investigative coverage at the 2019 Azbee Awards.
Managing Editor Kevin Davis was also honored with the American Society of Business Publication Editors’ Stephen Barr Award for excellence in writing and reporting.
“Kevin is a talented storyteller,” says Molly McDonough, editor and publisher of the ABA Journal. “His pieces are carefully reported with important details: facts, science and the law.”
She adds that it is Davis’ ability to capture details about “the people whose lives are impacted that makes him truly outstanding as a reporter and editor.”
Presented by ASBPE at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, the Azbee Awards recognize outstanding work by business-to-business, trade, association or professional publications.
Sara Wadford, senior designer with the ABA Journal, also won a Peter Lisagor Award for Best Illustration for “Supreme Icon” on Friday. The awards are presented by the Chicago Headline Club, the largest chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and recognize the best of Chicago journalism.
Here is the complete list of the ABA Journal’s national Azbee awards:
Overall Excellence
Top 4: Cross Platform Package of the Year for Legal Rebels
Top 10: Magazine of the Year
Top 10: Website of the Year
National Gold Awards
Azbee Category: Online > Web News Section
Title of Entry: ABA Journal: Law News Now
Awarded to: Sarah Mui, chief copy editor; Lee Rawles, assistant managing editor for the web; Debra Weiss, senior writer for the web; Steve Rynkiewicz, web producer; Jackson Thomas, deputy web editor; Stephanie Ward, senior writer; Lorelei Laird, legal affairs writer; Jason Tashea, legal affairs writer
Azbee Category: Print > Features Series
Title of Entry: Digital Dangers
Awarded to: Jason Tashea, legal affairs writer; Victor Li, assistant managing editor; contributors and industry experts
Azbee Category: Print > Features Article – General Interest
Title of Entry: “Opioids, Justice & Mercy: Courts on the Front Lines of Lethal Crisis”
Awarded to: Liane Jackson, assistant managing editor
Azbee Category: Print > Impact/Investigative
Title of Entry: “Under Questioning: The Chicago Police Legacy of extracting false confessions is costing the city millions”
Awarded to: Kevin Davis, managing editor
National Silver Awards
Azbee Category: All Content > Data Journalism
Title of Entry: “The Job is Killing Them: Family lawyers are experiencing a higher rate of threats and violence than other lawyers”
Awarded to: Lorelei Laird, legal affairs writer
Azbee Category: All Content > Government Coverage
Title of Entry: ABA Journal
Awarded to: Lorelei Laird, legal affairs writer; Liane Jackson, assistant managing editor; Kevin Davis, managing editor
Azbee Category: Print > News Section
Title of Entry: The Docket
Awarded to: Kevin Davis, managing editor
Azbee Category: Print > Individual Profile
Awarded to: Darlene Ricker, freelance writer; Kevin Davis, managing editor
National Bronze Awards
Azbee Category: All Content > Original Research
Title of Entry: “Little agreement between the sexes on tackling harassment, Working Mother/ABA Journal survey finds”
Awarded to: Stephanie Francis Ward, senior writer; Barbara Frankel, executive editor, Working Mother Research Institute, Working Mother Media
The ABA Journal also won several awards for the Upper Midwest Region, which consists of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Regional Gold Awards
Azbee Category: Impact/Investigative
“Under Questioning,” Kevin Davis
Azbee Category: Government Coverage
Lorelai Laird, Liane Jackson, Kevin Davis
Azbee Category: Enterprise News Story
“Supreme Icon,” Stephanie Francis Ward
Azbee Category: Podcast
The Modern Law Library, Lee Rawles
Azbee Category: Web News Section
ABA Journal: Law News Now, Sarah Mui, Lee Rawles, Debra Weiss, Steve Rynkiewicz, Jackson Thomas, Stephanie Ward, Lorelei Laird, Jason Tashea
Azbee Category: Feature Article – General Interest
“Opioids, Justice & Mercy,” Liane Jackson
Azbee Category: Feature Series
Digital Dangers, Jason Tashea, Victor Li and contributors
Regional Silver Awards
Azbee Category: Data Journalism
“This Job is Killing Them,” Lorelei Laird
Azbee Category: Feature Article Design
“Opioids Justice & Mercy,” Brenan Sharp
Azbee Category: Original Research
ABA Journal/Working Mother, Stephanie Francis Ward, Barbara Frankel
Azbee Category: Individual Profile
“Justice, Mercy & Redemption,” Darlene Ricker, Kevin Davis
Azbee Category: News Section
The Docket, Kevin Davis
Regional Bronze Awards
Azbee Category: Front Cover Illustration
“Supreme Icon,” Sara Wadford
Azbee Category: Infographics
Sara Wadford
Azbee Category: Opening Page Design/Typographic
“Web 100,” Sara Wadford
Azbee Category: Opening Page Design/Illustration
“Imbalance of Power,” Brenan Sharp
Azbee Category: Group Profile
“Side Hustle,” Jenny B. Davis, Lee Rawles
Updated May 13 at 9:23 a.m. to include additional reporting on the Peter Lisagor Awards.
