State Bar Recognizes Newspaper And TV News Coverage

Madison – Newspaper and television coverage of Wisconsin’s juvenile justice system, the use of plea agreements to manage criminal caseloads in circuit court and the abuse of “John Doe” proceedings by some prison inmates are among the exceptional journalistic efforts recognized this month by the State Bar of Wisconsin.

Reporters, editors, photographers and other professionals from nine news organizations will receive 2008 Golden Gavel Awards and Certificates of Commendation that recognize the important contributions they made last year to the publics’ understanding of our justice system. Links to the winning entries are available on the State Bar’s website at http://www.wisbar.org/gavel. Award recipients will be recognized by Atty. James Friedman, Chair of the Bar’s Media-Law Relations Committee, at meetings of the Wisconsin Broadcaster’s Association on January 28 in Madison and the Wisconsin Newspaper Association on January 30 in Green Bay.

• Mark Hertzberg, Director of Photography, for The Journal Times (Racine) will be recognized for his photograph entitled “Husband’s killer convicted by jury.” The March 8, 2008 image shows the emotional reaction of a woman following the conviction of her husband’s killer.

• Jacqueline Sutton, a Freelance Writer for Isthmus, the weekly Madison newspaper, will receive her award for “Juvenile Injustice?” This March 9, 2008 article examines Wisconsin’s punitive treatment of juvenile offenders and outlines recent research raising troubling questions about the ultimate impact of this approach.

• Green Bay Press-Gazette Reporters Andy Nelesen and Paul Srubas will be recognized for their October 1 – November 29, 2007 articles that explained the legal proceedings and other aspects of the racially-tinged Cha Vang homicide trial in Marinette.

• Anne Jungen and Dan Springer, Reporters for the La Crosse Tribune, examined court records and interviewed key actors in the court system for their November 18 – 20, 2007 three-part series “Pleading for Justice.” The series documents the extensive use of plea agreements in circuit court and explores how they impact the justice system and justice itself.

• WLUK-TV (Green Bay) Reporter Robert Hornacek and Photo Journalists Todd Elder, Tim Flanigan and Nate Garot will be recognized for their November 6 – 8, 2007 three-part examination of labor disputes in the Green Bay Police Department. “A Department Divided” offered viewers rare insights into how labor laws can impact the operations of a law enforcement agency.

• WisconsinEye President Chris Long and Program Manager Claudia Looze will be recognized for their overall coverage of Wisconsin court activities, including their “Newsmakers Interview” series, which features in-depth (up to one hour) sessions with public sector leaders, including an April 22, 2008 interview with state Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson.

• Teri Barr, Anchor/Reporter, Brian Mesmer, Photo Journalist and Jessica Laszewski, Field Producer with WISC-TV (Madison) gave viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the policies and procedures developed by the Madison Police Department to quell disturbances at an annual downtown Halloween event. “Behind the Lines – Freakfest” aired on October 31, 2007.

• Associated Press Reporter Todd Richmond reached a national audience with an April 30 – May 1, 2008 two-part series highlighting the struggles of prosecutors nationwide (with an emphasis on Milwaukee) to keep witnesses in criminal cases safe. The articles illustrate another way that tight budgets are impacting the justice system and summarize an innovative witness protection initiative underway in Milwaukee.

• The Reporter (Fond du Lac) Staff Writer Colleen Kottke will be recognized for her December 2007 – June 2008 “Flaw in the Law?” series, which focused on the abuse of “John Doe” proceedings by some Wisconsin inmates to sidestep the standard Department of Corrections appeals process.

Golden Gavel Awards and Certificates of Commendation provide statewide recognition of photography, published articles, radio and television broadcasts, and websites that relate to the work of the bench, bar, law enforcement agencies, corrections institutions, or to the law itself. Only materials first published, broadcast, posted or otherwise publicly disseminated between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008 were eligible for the 2008 awards.

The State Bar of Wisconsin is the mandatory professional association, created by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, for attorneys who hold a Wisconsin law license. With more than 23,000 members, the State Bar aids the courts in improving the administration of justice, provides continuing legal education for its members to help them maintain their expertise, and assists Wisconsin lawyers in carrying out community service initiatives to educate the public about the legal system and the value of lawyers.

Posted January 23, 2008 at 12:55 p.m.