Temple: Rocky newsroom honors its own

Published December 8, 2006 at midnight

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It's been quite a year for journalists at the Rocky Mountain News.

We've seen our Tracy Ringolsby inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Photo Editor Janet Reeves named picture editor of the year by the National Press Photographers Association. Reporter Jim Erickson given the top honor for newspaper science writing by the National Association of Science Writers. Columnist Tina Griego pronounced print journalist of the year by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. The list goes on and, of course, wouldn't be complete without mention of Jim Sheeler and Todd Heisler, who each won a Pulitzer Prize and many other major awards for their exceptional story "Final Salute."

But there's nothing quite like the night when we gather together as a newsroom to celebrate another year, as we did Monday, and recognize the best among us by our own measure. So here, without further ado, are the Rocky's in-house award winners for 2006, as selected by secret ballot. And, no, despite our proximity to the offices of the Denver Election Commission, we didn't ask them to count the results. That was done by my trusty assistant, Michelle Quintana, who should win her own award for patience, good humor and dedication.

Reporter: Fernando Quintero was a key member of the team that produced "The Border Within," a probing five-part series on immigration enforcement. His easy manner and open approach makes people comfortable talking with him. His skill was matched on our staff perhaps only by his partner on the series, John Accola, who died of a heart attack shortly after it was published and whose loss we still mourn today.

Writer: Jim Sheeler's words touch hearts. What more needs to be said?

Copy editor: John Moore and Tim Burroughs tied. Maybe that's only fitting for these two highly respected staffers. They set an example every night with their commitment to getting it right and making headlines sing.

Designer: Christine Birch is the person most responsible for the new look and feel of our Flavor section of Spotlight. Christine has found a way to elevate the efforts of a team working under the direction of Managing Editor Deb Goeken to make food the spice of our newspaper on Wednesdays.

Artist: John Sopinski is a newcomer at the Rocky, one who has jumped in with energy and passion. He's a journalist who's an artist, a high compliment because it means he tells stories visually as well as any reporter.

Photographer: Barry Gutierrez is someone I call "The Mayor of Rockyville." His love of life is palpable. And that makes working with him fun. But even more important is his determination to get the picture, the way he did on the very difficult "Border Within" series.

Web producer: Tim Skillern is always learning, always soaking up new ideas, always trying new approaches. Tim was responsible for many of the videos that accompanied our "Border Within" series. But he also steps up day in and day out to make the Rocky's Web site shine.

Unsung hero: Ivo Majetic is the brains behind many of the exclusive interactive features on our Web site, from the CSAP database to Ballot Builder. You never see Ivo's name on our efforts, but without him I can truly say we wouldn't be able to do many of the things we do today. He's changing how we practice journalism online and in print.

YourHub.com journalist: John Eisel is a go-to guy on the Hub staff. When other journalists need a graphic, he builds it. Whatever needs doing, he gets it done, quickly and well. Hub journalists have to be versatile, and John is that in spades.

YourHub.com assistant: Tabitha Dial is a delight to work with, for her fellow staff members and for contributors in Douglas County. Tabitha helps set the tone for the whole operation with her willingness and the evident pleasure she takes from her work.

Finally, there are two awards that are not decided by the staff. Ultimately, they are my picks.

The first goes to somebody from another part of our operation, from production to circulation, who makes an extraordinary contribution to the newsroom. This year that award went to Hortencio Oregon, the building engineer for our new headquarters at 101 W. Colfax. Hortencio is the kind of guy you'd like to clone. Not only is he always cheerful and willing to help, but he gets the job done. We couldn't have successfully pioneered this new building without his help.

Editor's Award: Mark Wolf is this year's deserving recipient. Mark is another kind of pioneer. He's a veteran print journalist who, when asked to become the anchor/host of our Web site every day on RockyTalk Live, stepped into the new world and embraced the challenge. My hat goes off to him. He's an example to all of us that opportunity lies in our path if we're only willing to seize it.

Congratulations to the winners and to the slew of others on my staff also deserving of recognition.

John Temple can be reached at editor@RockyMountainNews.com or by mail at 101 W. Colfax, Denver, CO 80202.

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