2010 Knight-Batten Award Winners

Sunlight Live

http://sunlightfoundation.com/live/archive/hcrsummit/

Sunlight Foundation, Washington, D.C.

$10,000 Grand Prize Winner

From the judges: “They showed how to add journalistic punch to a carefully orchestrated government event, adding context and insight to the proceedings. And they don’t stop at merely shedding light on the behind-the-scenes proceedings of government - they go a step beyond to make it fun and engaging, creating a social experience around the event.”

An innovative blending of data, streaming video, liveblogging and social networking, Sunlight Live attracted nearly 43,000 users in its first use at the bipartisan health care summit in February 2010.  The judges not only honored the project for its individual merits, but also because it epitomizes the Sunlight Foundation’s entire body of work.

The experiment, detailed in this blog post and this demo video, was designed to prove that live coverage can come from anywhere “with relatively minimal development, production and promotion”.  As people watched the live streaming video, the team added additional reporting and document links on the opposite side of the screen, hosted a live blog, and displayed an evolving log of Tweets about the event - all in one place.  Plans are to continue to experiment with this model.

ProPublica Distributed Reporting

http://www.propublica.org/special/reportingnetwork-signup

ProPublica, Washington, DC

$1,000 Special Distinction Award

From the judges: “This is a major step forward with how we understand crowdsourcing.”

This investigative news site is systematizing the process of crowdsourcing, conducting experiments, polishing their process, and tasking citizens with serious assignments.  Its more than 5,000 Reporting Network members have conducted spot checks on federal stimulus spending, unraveled loan modification stories, and tracked the oversight of state nursing board, among other efforts.  ProPublica was also recognized with a Notable Entry for applications the nonprofit newsroom has developed.

48 HR Magazine

http://48hrmag.com/

48 Hour Magazine, San Francisco, CA

$1,000 Special Distinction Award

From the judges: “As important as the product was the work flow that they created.”

In an era where most magazines go through a lavish multi-month production cycle, the 48 HR team made a spectacular 60-page magazine and online site in a weekend in May 2010 with little more than Twitter, coffee, grit and more than 1,500 submissions collected in just over a day.  Although the print publication is no longer available for purchase, the execution demonstrated the potential of citizen-generated news at high speed.

The Obameter

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/

PolitiFact, St. Petersburg Times, St. Petersburg, FL

$1,000 Special Distinction Award

From the judges: “They made a game out of substance in a good way.  It’s tracking a story that is unfolding into the future, which is not something we do very often.”

St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times’ PolitiFact pioneered a new form of accountability journalism by rating the progress of 500 of President Barack Obama’s campaign promises.  Citizens and journalists can easily sort and search the progress reports in a distinctive database.  Readers are invited to suggest updates and ratings.  The paper continues to innovate, having received a Knight-Batten and a Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for PolitiFact.

Ushahidi Haiti

http://haiti.ushahidi.com/

Ushahidi, Medford, Mass.

$1,000 Special Distinction Award

From the judges: “They have set the bar for future mapping mashups.”

Less than two hours after Haiti’s devastating earthquake in January 2010, Ushahidi marshaled Skype, Twitter, Facebook, radio and short codes to crowdsource real-time needs.  With 1,000 online volunteers translating text messages from Creole, and other volunteers mapping crisis spots, the effort had an unprecedented impact on disaster relief efforts.  Ushahidi was also a 2008 Knight-Batten Special Distinction award winner.

Publish2 News Exchange

http://www.publish2.com/about/news-exchange/

Publish2, Lansdowne, Va.

$1,000 Special Distinction Award

From the judges: “This is an ambitious concept that could be genuinely disruptive of existing distribution networks.”

Introduced in May 2010, this platform allows news organizations to interact directly with one another to create custom newswires and set terms for collaborating and sharing content.  It moves the newswire from a traditional “hub-and-spoke” model where everything is distributed through a central place to a genuine network of information sharing.

Sourcing Through Texting

http://www.thetakeaway.org/

The Takeaway, WNYC and Public Radio International, New York, N.Y.
Public Insight Network and WDET Detroit

$1,000 Special Distinction Award

From the judges: “The experiment opened doors for engaging non-listeners in ways they liked.”

A team from The Takeaway radio show joined journalists from WDET Detroit in a successful experiment that prompted residents to text tips about particular stories from Mexicantown in Southwest Detroit.  Residents texted information about trucks illegally barreling down their side streets, and in another experiment, they sent keywords describing their neighborhoods.  The result: non-listeners became engaged and more informed.  The experiment has continued in Miami’s Little Haiti.

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