Herald wins journalism, advertising honors

SEATTLE — The Daily Herald’s coverage of the shootings at Marysville Pilchuck High School and a profile celebrating a blind Snohomish boy’s self reliance have earned 2015 C.B. Blethen Memorial Awards for distinguished journalism.

The honors were presented Sept. 17 in Seattle during an annual meeting of Pacific Northwest editors and publishers.

The Daily Herald staff won first place in the deadline reporting category for its coverage of the Oct. 24 school shootings in Marysville.

It also was awarded second place for investigative reporting for stories by Scott North, Chuck Taylor and Rikki King that documented how UW Medicine misled the public when it claimed just days after the school shootings that Airlift Northwest helicopters were turned away from providing medical assistance to the victims.

Reporter Amy Nile won first place in feature writing for “Humoody’s Way.” The story described how Humoody Jauda Smith, blinded at age 2 when insurgents shot him in the face in Iraq, is now building a life with his adoptive family in Snohomish.

The awards were established in 1977 in honor of Blethen, publisher of The Seattle Times from 1915 to 1941.

The awards were presented during the annual meeting of the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Association in Seattle.

The Daily Herald also was honored in the PNNA’s annual advertising contest.

It was awarded first place in the best creative ad category for a campaign for the Tulalip Boys and Girls Club, designed by creative services lead Lynn Jefferson.

The newspaper also won second place for best special section for Snohomish County Gives, an insert focused on community philanthropy and volunteers.

The Blethen and advertising awards were for newspapers with circulations of 50,000 or less.

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