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July 2021 www.thefloridacatholic.org
YOUR MIAMI COMMUNITY
Rodriguez-Soto won two third places, one for the Florida Catholic and the other for La Voz, in the cat- egory of Best Reporting on Catholic Education for her story, "Class of 2020: A year for the history books," a round-up of how the school year ended for seniors. The judges called it "a powerful piece on the class of 2020 that captures both the heart- break and the hope that has sprung from the pandemic. Excellent, com- pelling writing that encourages readers to shift their thinking and celebrate the moments of joy and creativity that Catholic schools pro- vided in these tough times." La Voz's Granados won a second place for Best Reporting on Social Justice Issues - Life and Dignity of the Human Person for her story, Nuevos Mtodos Para Llegar A La Poblacin Carcelaria." The article focused on the archdiocese's on- going ministry to the imprisoned during the pandemic and ran in the September edition. The judges described the story as "very well written... interesting and affirming of those involved in the ministry- (It) would help others who aren't in- volved in the ministry to see it in a different light." She won another second place for Best Reporting on Social Justice Issues - Option for the Poor and Vulnerable, for her story, Tocar A Dios En Lnea" (Touching God online) which ran in La Voz's No- vember edition. It describes how young people from St. Hugh Parish in Coconut Grove and the Pastoral Juvenil Hispana (Hispanic Youth Ministry) teamed up with the U.S. bishops' regional office and SEPI, the SouthEast Pastoral Institute, to lead a virtual summer camp for teens in Mississippi. The judges wrote: "This was a really interesting column that re- ally demonstrated the state of the world today. Throughout recent years and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, utilizing the internet has become an increas- ingly important part of political engagement, education, social- izing, and other key aspects of life. As the article states, however, many people are living in rural areas without reliable internet ac- cess which is a major barrier. The article was also inspiring as youth engagement was front and center." Orlando-based freelancer Lynn Ramsey won a third place in Best Sports Journalism - Sports News for his story, "Don Shula, 90: Winner in football and faith," which ran in the May edition. The judges called it a "well-written look-back on a legendary football coach and how his faith carried him on and off the field. Good reporting does a service to the readers. We learn more about Don Shula." Freelancer Priscilla Greear won a third place for Best Reporting of Social Justice Issues - Option for the Poor and Vulnerable, for her story on St. John Neumann's Hope, Heart & Home group, "Foster Care Min- istry 'Zooms' Ahead Despite Pan- demic," which ran in the November print edition. The strength of this feature about how the foster-care ministry has adapted to the COVID-19 pan- demic is in the interviews with a foster parent and a volunteer who explain why their mission is so im- portant to them," the judges wrote. The story emphasizes the needs of the children and how they are helped by individual relationships, which makes the piece feel direct and personal." La Voz also won a third place for Best Cover - Newspaper for its April, May and June front pages, which featured artwork by Noris Capn and photographs by Cabrera Jarro and were designed by Emmanuel Publisher's Manolo Villaverde. The judges praised the "clean construc- tion - with clearly defined creative elements." Palm Beach-based freelancer Linda Reeves won an honorable mention for the Florida Catholic for Best Reporting on Vocations to Priesthood, Religious Life or Dia- conate - One Shot for her profile of a St. Thomas Aquinas High School teacher, Piarist Father Ricardo Ri- vera, "Dancing Priest Steps Out In Faith, Wins Hearts," in the January edition. Granados shared an honorable mention with another freelancer, Angelique Ruh-Lpez, for Best Coverage - Pandemic, featuring stories on how parishes and schools were coping with COVID-19's "new normal": " El Reto De Ofrecer Misas Por Internet En Tiempo De Coro- navirus"; "Msica, Tareas, Oracin: Consejos Para Cuando La Escuela Se Refugia En El Hogar," all of which ran in the April edition; and Pru- dencia Para Vencer El Coronavirus," which ran in May. Rodriguez-Soto and freelancer Jim Davis also won an honorable mention for Best Coverage - Im- migration for a package of stories: Pandemic puts new citizens in limbo," which ran in the June edi- tion; and "Lawyer sees her work as calling from God" and "From Rome to America," both of which ran in the October edition. Even Archbishop Thomas Wen- ski got a nod. He shared an honor- able mention for La Voz for Best Coverage - Racial Inequities with fellow columnist Jesuit Father Edu- ardo Barrios and Rodriguez-Soto for their stories on Black Catholics and the summer's race riots: "Los Rubios' Jess Y Mara"; "Estados Unidos Llora. Y Ahora, Qu?"; and "Quiero que seas mi hermano." All the stories can be viewed by putting the keywords of the titles in the archdiocesan website, miam- iarch.org; the print versions can be found at miami.thefloridacatholic. org.
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Archdiocesan newspapers honored by peers
Miami's Florida Catholic, La Voz Catlica win 19 awards in national competition
FLORIDA CATHOLIC STAFF
MIAMI The archdiocesan newspapers, the Florida Catholic and La Voz Catlica , won a total of 19 awards at the Catholic Media Association's annual conference, held virtually again this year. The awards recognize work done dur- ing the 2020 calendar year and were announced at the conclusion of the June 8-10, 2021 event. The awards went not just to the newspapers' staff - editor Ana Ro- driguez-Soto and La Voz reporter Roco Granados - but to most of the freelancers who report and pho- tograph the news for South Florida's Catholics. I maintain that I have the most talented, dedicated group of free- lancers anywhere," said Rodriguez- Soto, adding that "without them my work would be impossible." Given that the work was pub- lished in 2020, a lot of the stories dealt with the pandemic, includ- ing freelance photographer Tom Tracy's series of shots of Archbishop Thomas Wenski getting the coro- navirus vaccine in mid-December. The pictures won an honorable mention in the category of Best On- line Photo Content Not Published in Print, since they ran on the website in December and in print in Janu- ary of this year. Rodriguez-Soto won first place in the category of Best Reporting of Social Justice Issues - Solidarity, for a story she wrote for Black Catho- lic History Month in November: "I want you to be my brother." The judges wrote: "Fine writing and good photos - but especially a message that the Church must live as well as preach: to see Black Cath- olics as full members of their spiri- tual community. Black Catholics still see their religious experiences as those of 'lights and shadows' - joy and disappointment." The newspaper won second place in Multimedia Package - Seasonal Issue for its coverage of the palm burning at St. Matthew Church in Hallandale, "From palms to ashes." This was a joint effort - photos, video and story - by Ro- driguez-Soto, Granados and Maria Alejandra Rivas, digital media coor- dinator for the archdiocese's Office of Communications. "Interesting new multimedia story investigating historical and religious important events," wrote the judges. A print-only, Spanish version of the same story, that ran in the March edition of La Voz , also won second place for Rodriguez-Soto in Best Essay Reflecting on Faith For- mation. "Very well written," wrote the judges. "It is helpful in the way that she takes these two key events in our liturgical year and connects them to the life of the faithful. Which is what liturgy is all about." Another second place, for Best Online Content Not Published in Print - News, went to stories writ- ten by freelancers Tracy and Mar- lene Quaroni on a variety of topics: school starting in the midst of the pandemic; a PACT (People Acting for Community Together) effort to give civil citations rather than arrest first-time teen offenders; the diffi- culty of staying home when people need a job to pay the rent; a visit by HUD's Ben Carson to a Catholic Charities senior center; the bur- den the pandemic imposed on the blind; and the weirdness of going back to school amid facemasks and plexiglass partitions. A range of interesting and im- portant feature stories makes for a lively online publication that should bring Catholic readers back week after week," wrote the judges. Important stories for the entire community as well, such as what it means for a teen to have an arrest on his or her record and what is be- ing done in the community to avoid that. Good photos, good quotes and all the other elements of good writ- ing." Freelancer Cristina Cabrera Jarro won second place in Spanish for Best Reporting on a Special Age Group for her La Voz feature, Una Adolescente, Un Robot, Una Misin: Mantener Conectados A Los An- cianos Aislados" (A teen, a robot, a mission: Keep isolated elderly con- nected), which ran in November. The story focuses on St. Brendan High School student Julianne Ro- driguez, who built a robot to keep the elderly in nursing homes con- nected with their loved ones during the pandemic. The story also won an honorable mention in English for Best Reporting on a Special Age- Group - Children and Teens Young- er than 18. The judges wrote: "Cabrera Jarro has written an excellent piece mak- ing the faith (come) alive of this young person. It is well written and easy to read. I look forward to read- ing more from Cristina." Cabrera Jarro also won a third place for another La Voz feature, this one published in August: De Puerta En Puerta Para Ayudar A Los Nios (Going door-to-door to help children)," focused on the ef- forts of the La Salle Educational Center in Homestead to keep the community, and especially its chil- dren, safe from COVID during the summer surge. The judges called it a very moving story about help that is being offered in the community. She tells the story of the people in a way that is respectful and honest. Her writing is concise including important details but not bogging us down with things that aren't es- sential."
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