The Reentry Project was named best Non-Traditional News Provider of 2017 last night by the Philadelphia News Awards. The awards are presented by the Pen and Pencil Club, the nation’s oldest press club, in Center City Philadelphia.
Project editor Jean Friedman-Rudovsky and Jane Von Bergen of The Philadelphia Inquirer accepted the award. The organization was inspired by a discussion between the two early last year.
The honor recognizes contributions to The Reentry Project from more than a dozen collaborating local newsrooms and universities, supporters, project staffers and interns.
Peak Johnson of Billy Penn, who has been telling stories of people returning from incarceration for the past year was nominated as the best Community Reporter of 2017.
• Roxanne Patel Shepelavy, executive editor of The Philadelphia Citizen,
• Jean Friedman-Rudovsky, project editor for The Reentry Project and director of the Philadelphia Solutions Journalism Collaborative
• Shannon Wink, editor of Billy Penn
• Jane Von Bergen, workplace reporter at The Philadelphia Inquirer
• Dominique “Peak” Johnson, Knight Fellow at Billy Penn
• Emily Scott from The Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University