PennLive staff wins multiple first-place, specialty awards for its journalism work last year

PennLive’s journalism was widely recognized in the 2025 Keystone Media Awards announced by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, including four first place and three specialty awards.

“Every day I’m impressed by the talented reporters, photographers and videographers at PennLive who work hard to give readers not just the headlines of the day, but the context and explanations behind those headlines,” said Teresa Bonner, PennLive’s senior director of content. ”They don’t do it for the awards, but it’s nice boost when their work is recognized.”

PennLive competes in the association’s Division I — for multi-day publications with over 25,000-circulation category — along with the Philadelphia Inquirer and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Public safety reporter Jenna Wise won the top spot for News Beat reporting with stories on a

man fatally struck by an ambulance

, the

death of a former child refugee turned college director

and other stories.

Reporter John Luciew took first-place for features with his story on

retired Pennsylvania state troopers living in Florida

, and photographer Sean Simmers won in the news event photo category for “Survivor’s grief.”

The PennLive staff received a first-place award for excellence in reporting on diversity, equity and inclusion for several stories, including its

Trailblazers & Trendsetters

series highlighting successful Black residents, coverage of the

transgender community

and the impact of

anti-immigrant rhetoric in central Pennsylvania

.

PennLive journalists also won three specialty awards:

• 
  Videographer T.J. Smith took the Calkins Family Distinguished Video Award for projects on Harrisburg-area football players in the NFL and wrestling in Pennsylvania, particularly the successful Penn State program. It was the second time in three years Smith received the award.
  
• 
  Reporters Juliette Rihl and Joshua Vaughn won the John V. R. Bull First Amendment Award for their reporting on

  former Dauphin County Commissioner Jeff Haste’s

  involvement in various county contracts and potential conflicts of interest.
  

• 
  Reporter Ivey DeJesus captured the Lenfest Institute Diversity Champion Award for her work exploring central Pennsylvania sundown towns and their legacy of racism, the

  transgender community

  and how an

  area “fruit belt” community responded to anti-immigrant rhetoric

  .
  

There were also several second-place winners, including:

• 
  PennLive was awarded for editorials, overseen by Outreach and Opinion Editor Joyce Davis, urging lawmakers to act on affordable medicine,

  racism in fire departments

  and helping the imprisoned.
  

• 
  John Baer was honored for columns on

  Gov. Josh Shapiro’s mansion spending

  , political amusement and

  the “bromance”

  between U.S. Sens. John Fetterman, a Democrat, and Dave McCormick, a Republican.
  

• 
  Sports reporter Dave Jones for his story on

  former Penn State basketball player Gyasi Cline-Heard’s

  journey from State College to prison to rebuilding his life.
  

• 
  Wise for her personality profile on

  Collin Weller

  , a promising college student who died homeless after struggling with mental health and medical issues.
  

Honorable mentions for PennLive staff included Luciew for enterprise reporting on the mysterious

death of Ellen Greenberg

; former staffer Jan Murphy for a personality profile of Shapiro; Simmers for his “Balloon release” news event photo; Smith for his

“Battle of the Burg” sports video

and Claudia Dimuro for her

“Today in Pa.” podcast

.

Vaughn was separately recognized by the Pennsylvania Prison Society last week as their “human rights champion of the year” for his series of articles on the

Dauphin County Prison

.

He will be honored in the fall at a banquet in Philadelphia. Vaughn’s work is the subject of the Wondery podcast

“Death County, PA.”

Stories by

J.D. Prose

• Sen. Fetterman more popular with Pa. Republicans than Democrats: poll

• Pa. man sentenced to 20 years for sexually exploiting a Calif. minor

• Sens. Fetterman, McCormick partner on resolution condemning antisemitic attacks across U.S.

• Former Pa. congressman says Sen. Fetterman’s comments on bombing Iran ‘far worse’ than embarrassing