PBA Media Awards to Be Presented Virtually at Committee/Section Day Awards Program

HARRISBURG (Nov. 16, 2021) – Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Media Awards will be presented at a virtual awards presentation on Nov. 18 during the association’s Committee/Section Day.

Established 42 years ago, the PBA Media Awards Competition recognizes journalistic excellence in news and feature reporting in print and now broadcast and podcast media about the legal system and its operations. The award categories were revised and expanded this year to include television, radio and podcast entries.

The 2020 competition is funded by the law firm of Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti LLP and is coordinated by the PBA Bar/Press Committee. Entries are judged by lawyers, journalists and college professors.

Here is a list of the winners:

Newspapers: 30,000 or More Circulation

  • 1st Place: David Mekeel, Reading Eagle, “Wolf Administration’s COVID Orders Have the Power of Law, Legal Experts Say”
  • 2nd Place: Steve Volk, Broke in Philly/Next City, “In the Child Welfare System, Black Families Should Matter”

Newspapers: Under 30,000 Circulation

  • 1st Place: Jo Ciavaglia, Bucks County Courier Times, “The Crime of Mental Illness” 
  • 2nd Place: Jo Ciavaglia, Bucks County Courier Times, “Use of Force” 

Editorial/Commentary

  • 1st Place: Abraham Gutman, The Philadelphia Inquirer, “Evicted Without Warning”
  • 2nd Place: Jeffery Gerritt, The Herald, “A Dream That Died Too Soon”

TV: Philadelphia and Pittsburgh Markets

  • 1st Place: Bob Mayo, WTAE, “Attorney Alleges Systemic Racism in Allegheny County Legal System”

TV: All Pa. Markets, Excluding Philadelphia and Pittsburgh

  • 1st Place: Talia Kirkland, CBS21/WHP-TV, “No Warrant Entry: Woman Says Police Entered Apartment While Sleeping”
  • 2nd Place: Francine Shertzer, PCN, “2021 Primary Election Night Coverage” 

Radio and Podcasts: All Pa. Markets

  • 1st Place: Ariel Worthy, WESA/WESA-FM, “Referendum on Ballot Could Give Police Review Board More Power, But Police Could Challenge”
  • 2nd Place: Cherri Gregg, KYW Newsradio, “Flashpoint”

First-place winners receive $400 and a plaque and second-place winners receive $100 and a certificate.

Founded in 1895, the Pennsylvania Bar Association strives to promote justice, professional excellence and respect for the law; improve public understanding of the legal system; facilitate access of legal services; and serve the lawyer members of the state’s largest organized bar association.