Three Tennessean staffers win national SPJ awards

Three Tennessean staffers won top national honors from the Society of Professional Journalists on Wednesday.

Staff writers Nate Rau and Jessica Bliss won the award for non-deadline reporting for “txt + drving = risk”, a special section focused on texting while driving that published in September 2013.

Longtime photographer John Partipilo also won the organization’s feature photography award for his Rural Tennessee project published in November 2013.

The SPJ’s Sigma Delta Chi awards are given annually to news organizations throughout the country.

The Tennessean joined The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and The Washington Times as the only newspapers that won multiple Sigma Delta Chi awards on Wednesday.

“It is a great honor for John to be recognized for his stunning photography, and for Nate and Jessica to be recognized for their compelling project,” said Maria De Varenne, editor and news director of The Tennessean.

Partipilo spent six months documenting the changing landscapes of rural Middle Tennessee while still completing other daily assignments.

His Rural Tennessee project also has been recognized by Gannett Co., the Tennessee Associated Press Media Editors and the National Press Photographers Association.

Rau and Bliss led the reporting for the “txt + drvng = risk” special section and multimedia project, which evaluated the laws, campaigns and risks tied to texting while driving in Tennessee.

The special section also was a finalist for a Gannett Award of Excellence last year, while the multimedia elements of the project also received national recognition.

Reach Brian Wilson at 615-726-5970 and on Twitter @brianwilson17.