Virg Hill Journalist of the Year
(14 entries)

Judges: Robert L. Kaiser, 38, is a senior-level general assignment reporter for the Chicago Tribune. A Tribune reporter for four years, Rob has covered major national stories such as the crash of an Alaskan Airlines jet off the coast of California, the fatal wreck of an Amtrak train on its way from Chicago to New Orleans and school shootings in Kentucky and Oregon. His four-part series on the shooting death of a Chicago police officer was anthologized in "Best Newspaper Writing 2000." Rob, a Kentucky native, has worked at The (Elizabethtown, Ky.) News-Enterprise, the Lexington Herald-Leader and The Cincinnati Enquirer, where he was a columnist and editorial writer. The Kentucky Press Association named him best columnist in the state in 1996. He received the Chicago Tribune Writing Award for 1999.

Pam Maples, assistant managing editor/projects editor of Dallas Morning News, was formerly the paper's national editor. She was on the team that won the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for international reporting for its series that examined the epidemic of violence against women around the world.

Richard Read, is senior writer for international affairs and special projects at The Oregonian, in Portland. Rich won the Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting in 1999 for a series that explained the Asian financial crisis by following a container of french fries from a Northwest farm to a McDonald's in Singapore. He was one of four reporters on the team that won The Oregonian the public service Pulitzer in 2001 for stories on problems within the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. Rich spent seven years as a foreign correspondent based in Bangkok and Tokyo, returning to Portland in 1994.

Winner
Laura Laughlin
New Times

Laura Laughlin, 44, a staff writer with New Times since July 1999, is the Virg Hill Journalist of the Year.
"Tireless reporting, deft writing and an eye for the story that matters make this versatile journalist a credit to her craft," wrote judge Robert Kaiser of the Chicago Tribune. "What a wonderfully diverse array of stories; all of them are original, fresh, surprising and thought-provoking. 'Pot of Gold' is a great and valuable piece of work. 'Staying Power' is a gem, wonderfully conceptualized and well written."
A journalist for more than 20 years, Laughlin has worked for the Phoenix Gazette, Tucson Citizen and newspapers in central and northern California. She was a freelance writer for 10 years before joining New Times, writing regularly for publications including the Dallas Morning News, Time magazine, the Los Angeles Times and the Arizona Capitol Times.
"This reporter opens up worlds, whether they be the inner workings of an unscrupulous insurance company, the feuding members of a church congregation or the closed society of a Native American community," wrote judge Richard Read of The Oregonian. "Her stories are local and examples specific, but her conclusions are nationally significant. She uses compelling characters to tell powerful stories."
A native of northern California, Laughlin holds an undergraduate degree from the University of the Pacific and a master's in journalism from the University of Arizona. She has lived in the Phoenix area since 1983. Laughlin is married and has three teenaged children.

First runner up
David Parrish
Arizona Republic

David Parrish has been a reporter for more than 20 years in California and Arizona.
For the past two years he has worked at the Arizona Republic as a projects/investigative reporter. He also has been a reporter at the Los Angeles Wave, the Oceanside Blade-Tribune, the Los Angeles Daily News and the Orange County Register. While at the Register he was a member of the investigative team that won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting.
Parrish graduated in 1980 from California State University Long Beach with a bachelor
Judge Pam Maples of the Dallas Morning News particularly took note of Parrish's work on a package identifying lax discipline of doctors in Arizona.
" 'Bad Medicine' is potent stuff, offering almost overwhelming detail and documentation," she wrote. "The package is especially strengthened by the reporter's efforts to putting a human face Ð on both sides of this equation Ð on the issue. The alternative fuels coverage shows an ability to scramble and move on a quickly developing story to take it beyond the "news of the day" and provide readers some insight into why the program was doomed from the start."

Second runner up
Paul Rubin
New Times

Paul Rubin has been a staff writer at New Times since 1985. He twice has been selected as the Virg Hill Journalist of the Year (1986 and 1997), and has been a finalist six other times, including this year. Rubin's work has been recognized in numerous national contests, most notably the ABA Silver Gavel (twice), Scripps-Howard and Sigma Delta Chi awards. Rubin is the co-author of "Jazz Spoken Here," now in its third edition (DeCapo Press). A native of New Haven, Connecticut, Rubin graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in U.S. history.
"The strongest offering was 'Danger to Children,' a terrific example of bringing stunning focus to the long-running problem of neglect of the mentally ill, wrote judge Pam Maples of the Dallas Morning News. "Then there is 'Lore of the Luhrs,' a totally different kind of story Ð and lots of offerings in between. Nice range and voice."
Adds Richard Read of The Oregonian, "Relentless reporting, compelling writing with vivid scenes."