The State’s John Monk named SC Journalist of the Year; newsroom wins 30+ awards
John Monk, one of the most venerable journalists in South Carolina and a crime and courts reporter with The State Media Co., was named the 2021 South Carolina Daily Journalist of the Year by the South Carolina Press Association.
“John Monk is a legend among S.C. journalists with his eye-popping scoops and sources like no other,” said the press association’s co-Executive Director Jen Madden when she announced Monk as the winner Friday at an awards banquet. “He goes toe-to-toe with public officials and lawyers and is known far and wide for reporting gripping narratives and for taking calls from sources who, in many cases, won’t speak to any other reporter.”
Monk, an Army veteran who was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in that area, has worked in journalism for nearly 50 years, starting at The Sun News of Myrtle Beach in 1973. He went to work for The Charlotte Observer in its South Carolina bureau in 1979 before becoming the newspaper’s Washington, D.C., correspondent. Monk came to The State in 1996.
Monk was honored because of several series of stories. They include coverage of the saga of Alex Murdaugh, a high-powered Lowcountry attorney charged with multiple crimes; South Carolinians charged in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the nation’s Capitol; and the trial and sentencing of Nathaniel Rowland, convicted of kidnapping and murdering a University of South Carolina student in 2019.
The S.C. Press Association’s Daily Journalist of the Year award is one of South Carolina’s highest press industry honors. The State’s journalists have been named the Daily Journalist of the Year in four of the last five years.
The State’s David Travis Bland and Sammy Fretwell were named Daily Journalist of the Year for 2020 and 2017. For 2018, Avery Wilks, then a reporter at The State, got the nod. Wilks now reports for the Post and Courier of Charleston.
The State’s Chiara Eisner also received another top press association honor, the Jay Bender Award for Assertive Journalism, which recognizes a journalist for tenacious and compelling reporting.
Gina Smith, The State’s projects editor, described Eisner’s work as “bold and fearless.”
“She has a steadfast commitment to facing down bullies,” Smith said.
Eisner’s series Secrets of the Death Chamber told the stories of people who carried out executions for South Carolina and exposed the secrecy with which the state enacts the death penalty.
Eisner also uncovered the practices and lobbying of a company based on South Carolina’s coast that uses horseshoe crabs blood for medical testing even though synthetic alternatives exist.
In all, The State’s reporters, visual journalists, designers and digital staff took home 30 first-, second- and third-place awards in the annual S.C. Press Association newspaper contest, encompassing work published from December 2020 to November 2021.
“I am very proud of the work John, Chiara and the entire team at The State produce every day,” said Brian Tolley, president and editor of The State Media Co. “The awards are confirmation that The State’s journalists succeed in providing readers useful, in-depth information that also holds officials accountable.”
First place
Top honors were given to the entire staff for breaking news coverage and series of articles.
Other first-place awards were given to:
▪ Michael Lananna, sports beat reporting.
▪ David Travis Bland, reporting in depth
▪ Lucas Daprile, education beat reporting.
▪ Ben Portnoy, sports column writing.
▪ Sarah Ellis, short story
▪ Caroline Watkins, Nikki Naik and staff, use of social media.
Second Place
▪ For the Judson Chapman Award, Eisner placed for her story about former South Carolina executioners.
▪ Bristow Marchant, obituary.
▪ Lucas Daprile and Cal Lunmark, digital project.
▪ Andrew Caplan, enterprise reporting.
▪ Lou Bezjak, spot sports story.
▪ Chris Trainor, individual use of social media.
▪ Sarah Ellis, profile feature writing and short story
Third place
The State staff for COVID-19 coverage; Trudi Gilfillian for E.A. Ramsaur Award for Editorial Writing; Sammy Fretwell for enterprise reporting; Eisner for investigative reporting; Rebecca Liebson for beat reporting; Joseph Bustos for government beat reporting; Marchant for education beat reporting; Bland for lifestyle feature writing; Lananna for sports feature story; Josh Boucher for feature photo; Tracy Glantz for pictorial.
This story was originally published March 12, 2022 at 1:49 PM.