For immediate release
Chicago, IL - May 10, 2025
The Chicago Headline Club has announced that WTTW has won 11 Peter Lisagor Awards for Exemplary Journalism for 2024, selected by an independent chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists from across more than 100 categories including newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and digital media.
WTTW was recognized for, in order of awards:
Best Digital Design
Firsthand: Homeless
Justin Henderson
Best Feature Reporting: Single Story/Episode
Chicago Mysteries
Sean Keenehan, Geoffrey Baer, Matthew Shimmel, Joe Winston, Tim Boyd, Oral User, Shelley Spencer
Best Reporting on Crime and Justice
Video: "Illinois Doesn’t Have Parole. A Group of Incarcerated Men is Working to Change That"
Brandis Friedman for WTTW News
Best Business Reporting
Chicago Stories: The Making of Playboy
Peter Marks, Anna Gardner, Bianca Lozano, Brian Clark, Tim Boyd, Anthony Fleming III, Shelley Spencer
Best Reporting on Race and Diversity
Chicago Stories: When the West Side Burned
Daniel Andries, John Owens, Anna Gardner, Tylen Elliott, Patty Kaniff, Eric Seals, Mary Pat Cross, Anthony Fleming III
Best Science and Technology Reporting
Chicago's Archaeopteryx
Nicole Cardos, Patty Wetli; WTTW News
Best Arts and Entertainment Reporting
Chicago Stories: House Music – A Cultural Revolution
Barbara Allen, Gail Baker, Anna Gardner, Keisha Chavers, Alicia Soller, David Fortney, Joe Williams, Anthony Fleming III
Best Sports Reporting
Chicago Stories: The Black Sox Scandal
Eddie Griffin, Michael Harvey, Anna Gardner, Lauren Drell, Patty Kaniff, Brendan Walsh, Anthony Fleming III, Shelley Spencer
Best Community Reporting
Chicago Stories: The Young Lords of Lincoln Park
Tania Lindsay, Anna Gardner, Alicia Soller, David Fortney, Felix Mendez, Scott Holoubek, Anthony Fleming III, Shelley Spencer
Best Feature or Human Interest Single Story
A Celebration of Hanukkah
Rachel Pikelny, Geoffrey Baer, Kateryna Sazonova, Joe Winston, Tim Ferrin, Shelley Spencer
Best Feature or Human Interest Series
Firsthand: Homeless
Mario Tharpe, Dan Protess, Anne Gleason, Teresa Crawford, Ines Sommer, Edgar Vargas, Teresa White
The Chicago Headline Club established the Lisagor Awards in 1977 to inspire Chicago-area journalists to follow his outstanding example and to recognize truly superior contributions to journalism.
WTTW is the PBS member station in Chicago, committed to creating and presenting unique media content across distinct television and digital channels – WTTW, WTTW Prime, WTTW Create, WTTW World, WTTW/PBS Kids 24/7, wttw.com, and the PBS app. Recognized for award-winning journalism and local productions – such as Chicago Stories, Chicago Tonight, Chicago by ‘L’, digital series Firsthand and Urban Nature; and national productions Prehistoric Road Trip and Nature Cat – WTTW presents the very best in public affairs, arts and culture, nature and science, history and documentary, and children’s public media content. Connect with WTTW on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.
