Dallas Morning News senior staff writers were among the winners announced Wednesday afternoon at the Dallas Bar Association's annual Philbin Awards luncheon recognizing excellence in legal reporting.
The association named staff writer Diane Jennings winner of this year's best metropolitan/statewide news feature story.
The story featured Christopher Ochoa, a former inmate turned defense attorney who was exonerated through DNA. Mr. Ochoa implicated an innocent friend in the same crime, also exonerated through DNA, but who suffered brain damage after another inmate repeatedly kicked him in the head with steel-toed boots.
Also recognized for best metropolitan/statewide series were News staff writers Brooks Egerton and Reese Dunklin, staff photographer Kye Lee and projects editor Maud Beelman for the series "Unequal Justice: Murderers on Probation."
The multimedia package showed how Dallas County regularly allowed people to avoid prison after they pleaded guilty to or were convicted of murder.
Other winners included:
Best radio news report: host and managing editor Krys Boyd, along with producer Jeff Whittington, and assistant producer Brandolon Barnett at KERA-FM (90.1)
Best suburban newspaper article: reporter Kathy Swindle of the Hood County News
Best television news report: reporter Byron Harris, producer Mark Smith and editor/photographer Kraig Kirchem of WFAA-TV (Channel 8)
Best magazine feature: Michael Hall of Texas Monthly
Best metropolitan/statewide newspaper spot news: John Council of Texas Lawyer
Grand Prize Winner: Reporter Becky Oliver, with producers Joe Ellis, Donna Ressl, photographer Phil Fleming and editor Michael Tew of KDFW-TV (Channel 4).
Established in 1983, the Philbin Awards honor Stephen Philbin, an active member of the Dallas Bar Association and a leading authority on media law who died in 1982. This year's keynote speaker was CBS News foreign correspondent Kimberly Dozier.
