The Land takes home honors at Ohio Excellence in Journalism awards

This past week, The Land writers Grant Segall and Michael Indriolo took home honors with the Press Club of Cleveland’s All Ohio Excellence in Journalism awards.

The Land won a second place for Open Criminal Justice Writing by Michael Indriolo, a third place for Online Feature story by Grant Segall, and a second place for Best in Ohio: Freelance Writer, Grant Segall (this award was to The Land and Freshwater Cleveland).

Congratulations to all the winners in the Press Club of Cleveland’s All Ohio Excellence in Journalism awards, including Ideastream, FreshWater Cleveland, Crain’s Cleveland Business, and many others. Additionally, congrats to fellow nonprofit news organization Eye on Ohio, which took home significant awards for its in-depth reporting.

Here are the details on the awards:

• Grant Segall won third place for best online feature story with his piece, “Outspoken interim councilwoman fights for the ‘cracked community’ of Ward 4.” The judges wrote, “Lively, upbeat feature. The audience will read every last word. The author has a good ear for details and amusing anecdotes.”
• Michael Indriolo won second place for open criminal justice writing for his piece, “Muddy waters: Issue 24 raises heated debate about police accountability.” The judges wrote, “This piece goes beyond an election explainer and delves into what citizen oversight of the police actually means and what it could look like in Cleveland. An important story that amplifies community voices.”
• Finally, Grant Segall took home second place for best freelancer in Ohio for his work with both The Land and FreshWater Cleveland. Congrats, Grant! The judges wrote, “From a famous former mayor running again for office to a councilwoman serving those on the streets, these stories help portray life in a city. In between are stories about the city’s 225th birthday and a centennial for a theater district. Well done.”

Congrats again to all the winners!

A special note: Michael Indriolo recently started a new position as a visual journalist with Flint Beat in Flint, Michigan as a Report for America corps member. Congrats, Mikey — we can’t wait to see what you do next!

Of his time with The Land, Michael recalled, “Working at The Land taught me so much that I didn’t know I needed to learn about being a journalist. I’m so grateful to The Land’s leadership for giving me a chance, but even more so, I’m grateful to all the Clevelanders who allowed me into their spaces and shared their stories with me.”