New York’s Staten Island — Staten Island Advance/SILive.com employees were recognized for their outstanding work in three distinguished journalism contests, which recognized local journalism that covered some of the most important topics on Staten Island in 2023 and 2024.
The newsroom received ten awards from the New York Press Club, New York Newswomen’s Club, and the New York News Publishers Association. Among other categories, the prizes covered investigative reporting, crime reporting, news and feature photography, feature writing, and community service.
I have always believed that a community news agency should do more than just cover the news; it should also change the community and draw attention to issues that need to be fixed. Brian Laline, executive editor of Advance/SILive.com, stated what has to be addressed.
The accolades these gifted reporters and photographers have won confirm that our team is doing just that.
3 projects win multiple awards
Rebuilding Sandy Ground, a series of stories about the oldest free Black town in the United States that is still inhabited by descendants of its founders, was one of the projects that received numerous honors. It is situated on the South Shore of the borough.
The journalistic team that collaborated with Sandy Ground advocates to create the initiative was directed by Tracey Porpora, manager of public interest and advocacy. She won the New York Newswomen’s Club’s Local Feature Writing prize alongside the project’s two principal authors, business reporter Jessica Jones-Gorman and former public interest reporter Giavanni Alves.
(From left to right) Jessica Jones-Gorman, Tracey Porpora, and Giavanni Alves stand at the New York Newswomen’s Club with their awards. Advance of Staten IslandAdvance of Staten Island
Along with photography by Jan Somma-Hammel and Jason Paderon, the Sandy Ground series was also honored with the New York Press Club Metro Feature Reporting award, which acknowledged the breadth of reporting.
Porpora said, “I grew up in Huguenot, close to this historic free Black community, so Sandy Ground has always held a special place in my heart.” As a young reporter, I also reported on Rossville’s construction boom in the 1990s, which resulted in the shrinkage of the area that was once Sandy Ground.
Leading this media campaign to mobilize support for the reconstruction of Sandy Ground, a significant part of not only Staten Island and New York history, but also the history of the country, was an honor for me. I also want to express my gratitude to all of the photographers and reporters that helped make this advocacy initiative a success.
A New York Press Club event honors journalists from Advance/SILive.com. Jason Paderon, Shaina McLawrence, and Eddie D’Anna are standing from left to right. Kyle Lawson, Tracey Porpora, Jan Somma-Hammel, and Jessica Jones-Gorman are seated from left to right.Staten Island Advance/Steve Zaffarano
The newsroom staff was also honored by the New York Press Club for their coverage of the youth violence issue on Staten Island through Metro Crime Reporting.
The effort was also recognized with the Community Service award from the New York News Publishers Association. Court reporter Kyle Lawson, breaking news reporter Shaina McLawrence, and breaking news manager Eddie D’Anna were the main journalists who spearheaded the coverage.
Eddie D’Anna, Shaina McLawrence, and Kyle Lawson are pictured from left to right.The Staten Island Advance/Tracey Porpora
“All in all, I am just proud of my team for telling powerful and hard-hitting stories about the Staten Island community’s youth violence crisis,” McLawrence said. By serving as a catalyst for change within the borough, these stories have improved the community.
What I am most thankful about is that there haven’t been any child homicides in the borough in 2024. We will always remember the lives and contributions of 17-year-old Destiny (NaNa) Vega, 13-year-olds Jamoure Harrell and Syles Ular, and 15-year-old Steven Estevez.
A Complicated Failure, the Advance/SILive.com coverage of ongoing challenges related to the Staten Island Ferry, also won numerous awards.
For his coverage of the Staten Island Ferry, journalist Erik Bascome was honored with two honors.Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel
For his years of chronicling the problems at the ferry, veteran transportation writer Erik Bascome—now the newsroom’s data journalism specialist—won the New York News Publisher’s Association Distinguished Beat Reporting award.
For the project, Bascome, together with designer Sean McKeown-Young and community news manager Cassondra Sommer, also took home the Multi-Media Presentation prize.
It is a privilege to receive recognition for my previous coverage of Staten Island’s transportation concerns. According to Bascome, “there are few things that impact our day-to-day lives more than the ways we move around our borough and city.” As a longtime resident of Staten Island, I take great delight in addressing some of the most critical quality of life concerns impacting borough residents.
The little part I played in ending a ten-year labor dispute and negotiating a new contract for the Staten Island Ferry employees, who toil hard every day to safely run one of the most important and recognizable mass transit systems in the world, is what I am most proud of.
Investigative and photo honors
For her series, which featured over three dozen reports on the growth of lithium ion battery energy storage installations on Staten Island, reporter Jessica Jones-Gorman was awarded the New York News Publisher’s Association Investigative Reporting award.
Jessica Jones-Gorman, a Staten Island Advance reporter, accepts the New York News Publishers Association’s Distinguished Investigative Reporting Award of Excellence.Mike Matteo
Receiving recognition for the work we perform at the Staten Island Advance is an honor. As someone who has lived in the borough all my life, Jones-Gorman said, “I’m proud to write about so many different aspects of life in this place we all call home and to bring important community issues to life.”
Multimedia reporter Priya Shahi won the New York News Publishers Association Best Photo Gallery award. For the 50th anniversary hip-hop event on Staten Island in 2023 in Stapleton Waterfront Park, Shahi created a gallery of images and captions.
In 2023, journalist Priya Shahi received a photographic prize for her efforts.Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel
No matter how ordinary, I love to capture unscripted moments. I get to see the world in a new way and unearth a story that I might ve missed otherwise, revealed Shahi.
Activist John Matland leads protesters to point their cell phone lights towards vacant school building as they protest its use as a migrant shelter. Jason PaderonJason Paderon
Multimedia specialist Jason Paderon won two photography awards from the New York News Publisher s Association for News and Feature Photography for his photos of a migrant protest and college graduation.
Receiving acknowledgment is pleasant, particularly considering that I didn’t work particularly hard to take the pictures. I just really do what I always do and try and let the pictures do the talking for me, said Paderon.
Curtis Institute of Music graduate reacts to his family cheering in the stands. Jason PaderonJason Paderon
Reacting to the local nature of the awards, Laline emphasized the newsroom s community commitment.
In this environment where community newspapers across the country are struggling and even disappearing, I am so proud to be part of a company that remains dedicated to serving Staten Island and I am just as proud of our staff. They are so passionate in their quest every day to keep our community informed, said Laline.
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