Michigan Capitol Confidential Wins Statewide Awards

Michigan Capitol Confidential won two awards from the Michigan Press Association, which announced the winners of its annual contest Monday.

Anne Schieber won second place for "best multimedia presentation" for her series of stories and videos on Nathan Duszynski, the 13-year-old from Holland who tried to open a hot dog cart to help his struggling family, only to be shut down by city officials. Schieber's stories and videos told the story over the course of the year, which took a number of turns for the worse before Duszynski was able to reopen his cart last year.

"This video tells the story, from many angles!" the judges wrote. "Great job incorporating interviews with city officials, with the boy, with his parents, with other organizations. Quite informative about the whole issue. Thoughtful and thorough."

Michigan Capitol Confidential Managing Editor Manny Lopez won third place for headline writing. The headline, "Money Motivates, But a Dollar Is Simply Insulting," accompanied a column he wrote about teachers' unions and school districts agreeing to reward teachers who excel in the classroom with $1 as bonus pay. 

"You can hear the irritation in the headline," the judges wrote.

Lopez said he was pleased to be recognized by the Michigan Press Association.

"The entire staff at Capitol Confidential does outstanding work," he said. "It is an honor to be recognized by the Michigan Press Association and it proves that readers appreciate news sources that deliver stories they can't get elsewhere."