AP Gramling Awards honor NYC photographer, Illinois statehouse reporter, 7 others

AP names 9 winners of annual Gramling Awards

NEW YORK — New York photographer Julie Jacobson and Illinois statehouse reporter John O’Connor were named Tuesday among nine Associated Press staff members who won the news organization’s 2010 Oliver S. Gramling Awards.

Jacobson, who was embedded with U.S. Marines in Afghanistan for eight weeks, won one of the two $10,000 Gramling Journalism Awards, along with O’Connor, who was honored for consistently breaking news that led to lawmakers making action and for building sources.

Two $10,000 Gramling Achievement Awards were awarded: to Thair al-Jassim, the chief engineer in Baghdad, for his project management of relocating the AP bureau there when it faced a security threat in the middle of a war zone; and to Michael Dutton, global director of entertainment products, for creating and monetizing Banner News, banner ads that use embedded AP news in the form of a ticker and teasers to enhance and support messaging.

The awards, established in 1994, are given annually to staff members whose work and initiative contribute significantly to the news report and to overall AP operations.

They are named after Oliver S. Gramling, the newsman and executive credited with developing the AP’s first radio wire in 1941. Gramling bequeathed his estate to the AP when he died in 1992, directing that it be used for staff members nominated for excellence by their colleagues.

A committee of AP managers selected the winners, who were among employees nominated by the staff.

In addition to her work in Afghanistan, the committee singled out Jacobson for her global and topical versatility and for embracing new video storytelling techniques while continuing to produce award-winning images of sporting events and breaking news.

“Julie Jacobson’s ability to produce imagery that captures the immediacy of human action and of its consequences, in everything from sports to war, is emblematic of the high level of versatility AP photographers bring to each and every assignment,” said AP President and CEO Tom Curley.

O’Connor was praised for repeatedly producing stories that became campaign issues, inspired editorials and forced changes in policy.

Curley said O’Connor’s “tenacious reporting … embodies AP’s fundamental mission in every state capital of holding government officials accountable for their actions.”

Two $3,000 Gramling Spirit Awards went to Robert Furlow, a Washington, D.C.-based top stories editor, for his mentorship to newcomers and veterans and his cool under deadlines; and to Hatem Moussa, a staff photographer in the Gaza Strip, for inspiring his colleagues with his devotion to work and his enthusiasm even as he faced hardship in one of the world’s most volatile hotspots.

The three $3,000 Gramling Scholarship Awards went to:

— Feilding Cage, a New York-based interactive designer in the Interactive Design and Graphics department. He is getting a master’s degree at New York University, where he is taking classes in mobile media and strategy.

— Scott Janis, systems integration manager in the AP’s Sales Operations unit at New York headquarters, who will enroll in programming classes designed to help enhance the AP’s product mapping tool, which he developed.

— Michelle L. Johnson, a Chicago-based newswoman assigned to the AP’s Central Regional Desk, who plans to enroll in a food history course at Kendall College to augment her beat reporting expertise with AP’s national agriculture team.

Founded in 1846, the AP is the world’s largest source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world’s population sees AP news, which is distributed to all media platforms and formats.

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