Spokesman-Review reporters and editors take home 10 SPJ Northwest awards
The staff of The Spokesman-Review has garnered 10 accolades in the “large” division for the 2025 Society of Professional Journalists’ Northwest Excellence in Journalism Awards.
Copy desk chief Caitlin Miller won best print page design, closely followed by Front Page designer Chris Soprych. Of Miller’s work, an SPJ judge wrote, “Excellent use of images that work in concert with type, especially the two features covers. Stunning work.”
For breaking news reporting, night editor Alayna Shulman and reporters Alexandra Duggan, Garrett Cabeza and Mitchell Roland won first place for their live coverage of the two firefighters killed in the “ambush-style” shooting on Canfield Mountain. A judge wrote: “This story succeeds by balancing the clinical precision of a tragedy with the human wreckage it left behind. The team of reporters avoided the trap of a hold police reporting by including the emotional effect on the community as a whole.”
Rural reporter Monica Carrillo-Casas nabbed second in the Feature (Hard News) division for “ICE arrest of Othello woman rattles community as teen son is left to run family’s food truck.”
In the Federal Impact Reporting division, Washington, D.C., reporter Orion Donovan Smith is taking home second for “Chief VA watchdog who helped expose flawed computer system in Spokane speaks out after being fired by Trump.”
For best in a series, Nick Gibson earned first place for his “Return to Space series” on Anne McClain. A judge wrote, “Great coverage on a local legend.” Orion Donovan Smith took third in the same division for his coverage on U.S. Rep. Michael Baumgartner’s first year in office.
Writer Dave Boling’s sports column garnered first place. “The reporter’s longevity is a rare asset in modern journalism, but it wouldn’t mean as much without the humanity richly expressed in these exquisitely written columns full of small details that add up,” a judge wrote. “A breeze and a pleasure to read.”
Outdoors editor Michael Wright’s “Along the 46th parallel” article about how the Washington state constitution swung a hunting case near the Washington-Oregon border, won best Sports Feature. “Not a traditional sports feature topic,” a judge wrote. “Compliments to the reporter for finding and covering this fascinating and tricky situation. Even someone like this reviewer who is not conversant with hunting found it to be riveting reading with just enough detail for clarity.”
Lastly, Gonzaga basketball reporter Theo Lawson’s work overall won best sports reporting. “Diligent old school reporting and the determination to see this story through to its conclusion,” a judge said. “Plenty of details without weighing the story down for the reader.”