Detroit PBS was a major winner in the Excellence in Journalism Awards for television in this year’s Society of Professional Journalists Detroit Chapter contest, receiving 5 first place honors, more than any of its competitors. In addition, DPTV’s President and CEO, Rich Homberg, received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his achievements in local journalism, notably his role in making the public television station a leader in local environmental, cultural and community reporting.

Here are some of the comments the judges made in presenting Rich Homberg with the Lifetime Achievement Award:
“Under his guidance, DPTV has established an active and growing editorial team in the heart of Detroit. Last year, it premiered the weekly ‘One Detroit’ news program, featuring on-location reports based on deep immersion in the communities it covers. It has adopted an innovative model for solutions journalism, taping frequent ‘roadshows,’ live community conversations at which residents are able to hear directly from public officials and community leaders on the issues that matter most to their lives, families and neighborhoods.”

The Society for Professional Journalists is nation’s largest and most broad-based journalism association, for more than 100 years dedicated to encouraging a climate in which journalism can be practiced freely and fully, stimulating high standards and ethical behavior in the practice of journalism and perpetuating a free press.

Here are DPTV’s award winners:

First Place

Local News Reporting:
Will Glover for “Youth Mentoring” at Islandview’s Church of the Messiah”
Editor: Angie Brayman

Education Reporting:
Bill Kubota for “Moving Costs at Detroit’s Bethune-Fitzgerald School”
Editor: Jordan Wingrove

Environment Reporting:
Mary Ellen Geist and Ed Moore for “Beneath the Surface: The Line 5 Pipeline in the Great Lakes”

General News Reporting:
Bill Kubota for “Returning Citizens”

Racial Justice Reporting:
Daphne Hughes and Stephen Henderson for the “American Black Journal Roadshow – African Americans: Telling Our Story”

Second Place

Feature Reporting:
Jim Toscano, Ed Moore, Zosette Guir, Bill Kubota and Danny Gianino for “Detroit Designs the World”