Miami Herald reporters take first place in Esserman-Knight journalism awards
Two Miami Herald series are sharing first place in this year’s Esserman-Knight Journalism Awards, which honor local reporting in South Florida. A total of six reporting teams will share $23,000 in prize money for their work in public service journalism, according to an announcement Wednesday.
The late South Florida auto dealer Ron Esserman, his wife, Charlene, and their children Jim, Susan, Lisa and Laura created the awards in partnership with the Knight Foundation in early 2020 to invest in local journalism. This year’s awards drew 61 nominations — almost three times as many as the first year.
Sharing first place was a series by immigration reporter Monique O. Madan documenting conditions for Immigration and Customs detainees throughout the pandemic. Over the course of the year, Madan interviewed more than 370 people behind bars to detail living conditions and expose gaps in immigration procedures. Her story of a Cuban detainee led to his release after 11 years in ICE custody.
Also sharing first place was a series by a Miami Herald team that investigated the cruise ship industry’s handling of the pandemic. Tourism reporter Taylor Dolven and colleagues created a sophisticated database revealing that outbreaks on cruise ships were far more common than companies initially claimed. Long after passengers returned home, Dolven continued to follow shipboard workers forced to stay at sea for months, sometimes without pay, presenting their despair and struggle to return home. The team included visual journalist Emily Michot, investigative reporters Sarah Blaskey and Nicholas Nehamas, climate change reporter Alex Harris, audience growth editor Forrest Milburn and business editor Jane Wooldridge.
Jacqueline Charles, the Herald’s Caribbean correspondent, received an honorable mention for documenting the pandemic’s impact on Miami’s Haitian-American community and the 10-year anniversary of the deadly earthquake in Port-au-Prince.
“Public service journalism brings value to people’s lives,” said Karen Burkett Rundlet, director of the Knight Foundation’s journalism program. “This is work that makes a difference, whether it’s creating awareness and increasing dialogue about an issue or actually changing a law.”
A team at WPLG TV — including reporter Glenna Milberg, photographer Mario Alonso and producer Natalie de Varona — were named runner-up. Additional honorable mentions went to Mario Ariza, Cindy Goodman and David Fleshler of the Sun Sentinel and Dan Christensen of the Florida Bulldog.
“As local news has shrunk there are fewer reporters in many American cities,” Burkett Rundlet said. “What’s left is national news and it’s getting more and more polarized. The thing about local news is there’s much more of a community connection.”
Top winners will talk about their stories at a virtual event May 13. Yamiche Alcindor, PBS White House correspondent and Miami native, will be honored for excellence in journalism at the event. Registration is now available at essermanknightawards.org.
This story was originally published April 28, 2021 at 6:00 AM.