Herald wins national award for coverage of Marysville Pilchuck shooting

EVERETT — The Daily Herald has won a national Sigma Delta Chi award from the Society of Professional Journalists for its coverage of the Marysville Pilchuck High School shootings.

The Oct. 24 shootings claimed the lives of five students at the school, including the shooter.

“I am very proud of how our team pulled together day after day, to provide our community accurate, detailed and compassionate accounts of the Marysville Pilchuck High School shooting,” said Josh O’Connor, publisher of The Herald.

“Their work brought context and insights to the tragedy, which gave our community what it needed at a time of crisis. It’s an honor to work with such a dedicated team of professional journalists that are very deserving of this recognition,” O’Connor said.

The Sigma Delta Chi award is given to newspapers, magazines, broadcast and internet news services. Only one award is given per category.

The Herald’s coverage won for deadline reporting by daily papers with circulations of up to 50,000.

In recognizing the Herald, judges wrote: “The Daily Herald provided a shocked community with the only reliable breaking news about a school shooting, covering the story in print and online from a variety of angles, thoroughly and with compassion. By reporting only confirmed information amidst a burst of social media rumors, the Herald reflected the high standards of professional journalism.”

The Herald is one of three Washington newspapers to receive one of the awards this year.

The SPJ also honored Ann McCreary and Marcy Stamper, writers for the Methow Valley News in Twisp, for their July 23 story, “Firestorm rips through valley.”

The News won in the deadline reporting category for nondaily newspapers. During the wildfires, the paper’s staff labored to produce news when communication in the valley was sporadic at best and the entire town was threatened.

“They were both proactive and especially innovative in their reporting because we didn’t have any communication in the valley at the time,” said News publisher Don Nelson. “Also, the community was counting on us.”

The staff of the Pacific Northwest Inlander, based in Spokane, won the award for Public Service Journalism for nondaily publications for its “State of Mind” series of stories on mental illness.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

In this Jan. 4, 2019 photo, workers and other officials gather outside the Sky Valley Education Center school in Monroe, Wash., before going inside to collect samples for testing. The samples were tested for PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, as well as dioxins and furans. A lawsuit filed on behalf of several families and teachers claims that officials failed to adequately respond to PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, in the school. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Judge halves $784M for women exposed to Monsanto chemicals at Monroe school

Monsanto lawyers argued “arbitrary and excessive” damages in the Sky Valley Education Center case “cannot withstand constitutional scrutiny.”

Mukilteo Police Chief Andy Illyn and the graphic he created. He is currently attending the 10-week FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. (Photo provided by Andy Illyn)
Help wanted: Unicorns for ‘pure magic’ career with Mukilteo police

“There’s a whole population who would be amazing police officers” but never considered it, the police chief said.

Alan Edward Dean, convicted of the 1993 murder of Melissa Lee, professes his innocence in the courtroom during his sentencing Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bothell man gets 26 years in cold case murder of Melissa Lee, 15

“I’m innocent, not guilty. … They planted that DNA. I’ve been framed,” said Alan Edward Dean, as he was sentenced for the 1993 murder.

Everett
Police: 1 injured in south Everett shooting

Everett police had provided few details about the gunfire as of Friday morning.

Patrick Lester Clay (Photo provided by the Department of Corrections)
Police searching for Monroe prison escapee

Officials suspect Patrick Lester Clay, 59, broke into an employee’s office, stole their car keys and drove off.

People hang up hearts with messages about saving the Clark Park gazebo during a “heart bomb” event hosted by Historic Everett on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Clark Park gazebo removal complicated by Everett historical group

Over a City Hall push, the city’s historical commission wants to find ways to keep the gazebo in place, alongside a proposed dog park.

A person turns in their ballot at a ballot box located near the Edmonds Library in Edmonds, Washington on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Deadline fast approaching for Everett property tax measure

Everett leaders are working to the last minute to nail down a new levy. Next week, the City Council will have to make a final decision.

Hawthorne Elementary students Kayden Smith, left, John Handall and Jace Debolt use their golden shovels to help plant a tree at Wiggums Hollow Park  in celebration of Washington’s Arbor Day on Wednesday, April 13, 2022 in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County to hold post-Earth Day recycling event in Monroe

Locals can bring hard-to-recycle items to Evergreen State Fair Park. Accepted items include Styrofoam, electronics and tires.

A group including Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin, Compass Health CEO Tom Sebastian, Sen. Keith Wagoner and Rep. Julio Cortes take their turn breaking ground during a ceremony celebrating phase two of Compass Health’s Broadway Campus Redevelopment project Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Compass Health cuts child and family therapy services in Everett

The move means layoffs and a shift for Everett families to telehealth or other care sites.

Everett
Everett baby dies amid string of child fentanyl overdoses

Firefighters have responded to three incidents of children under 2 who were exposed to fentanyl this week. Police were investigating.

Everett
Everett police arrest different man in fatal pellet gun shooting

After new evidence came to light, manslaughter charges were dropped against Alexander Moseid. Police arrested Aaron Trevino.

A Mukilteo Speedway sign hangs at an intersection along the road on Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
What’s in a ‘speedway’? Mukilteo considers renaming main drag

“Why would anybody name their major road a speedway?” wondered Mayor Joe Marine. The city is considering a rebrand for its arterial route.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.