“They're Out”
Recipient of the STAR BREAKING NEWS REPORT OF THE YEAR award in THE CHARLES E. GREEN AWARDS (2020)
Staff Writers
Houston Chronicle
Judge’s Comments:
All too often, breaking news really does come out of nowhere. At other times, we know something’s coming but just don’t know when or, exactly, what. In those circumstances, newsrooms must lean on both solid preparation and their journalists’ ability to quickly adapt and shift gears to cover the story and do it well.
The Houston Chronicle did just that when the MLB issued its nine-page report confirming that the Astros used a centerfield camera to steal signs from opponents.
The breadth of the Chronicle’s coverage is simply stunning. But more than that, it’s well-written – offering sharp analyses, easy-to-read breakouts and, of course, the hard-hitting news of the day. Equally impressive was the team’s ability to shift so quickly as the news of the report itself was overtaken by the ouster of the Astros’ GM and manager.
For comprehensive coverage that should serve as a model for the handling of any major breaking news event, the Chronicle wins the Texas Headliners Foundation’s Breaking News Report of the Year.
Pauline Arrillaga
Professor of Practice, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Former U.S. Enterprise Editor, The Associated Press
Judge’s Bio:
Arrillaga is a professor of practice and director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Southwest Health Reporting Initiative at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Arrillaga leads a team of students who focus on providing in-depth health care coverage on underserved communities across the Southwest. Prior to joining Cronkite in 2019, Arrillaga served as the U.S. enterprise editor for The Associated Press. Her work helped shape coverage examining the effects of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies on children and families. That coverage was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in national reporting and was a winner of an RFK Journalism Award and also the John Seigenthaler Prize for Courage in Reporting. She oversaw the AP’s series last year on missing and murdered Native American women, winner of the Dori J. Maynard Award for Justice in Journalism, the Les Payne Award for Coverage on Communities of Color, and other honors.
Arrillaga began her career in Dallas as an intern for the AP. She later covered state politics in Austin, the space program and prison system in Houston, served as a desk supervisor in Dallas, and was the company’s correspondent on the Texas-Mexico border, writing about immigration and the growing influence of Hispanics in America. She later was named Southwest regional writer based in Phoenix, and she was promoted to the coveted role of national writer in 2002, specializing in long-form narratives and covering major news events from presidential elections to the attack on Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Her stories have captured numerous accolades, Including a 2005 Livingston Award for “Doors to Death,” an investigative series examining human smuggling across the border. As both a writer and editor, Arrillaga has long focused on issues affecting Latinos and Native Americans and has reported from Native American communities across the West.
To see the prize-winning coverage from the Houston Chronicle for its coverage of the Astros stealing scandal, click below: