Newsday wins four New York Press Club awards for its multiplatform journalism

Newsday on Wednesday received four awards from the New York Press Club, for coverage of alleged misconduct by Long Island police officers, the Gilgo murders, the post-basketball career of WNBA pioneer Sue Wicks and heartbreaking images from a New York City firefighter’s funeral.

“These awards show the breadth and depth of Newsday’s journalism across multiple platforms and our commitment to telling stories that matter to our communities,” said Don Hudson, Newsday’s editor and chief content officer. “We have a great team here and couldn’t be more proud of the winners.”

A team of Newsday reporters, multimedia journalists, photographers and editors received the Press Club’s award for Crime Reporting in the NYC Metro region for its re-examination, 12 years later, of the unsolved Gilgo serial-killer investigation. The team looked at what some call flaws in the investigation, including a decision by the Suffolk County Police Department to keep the FBI out of the case for years.

In the Documentary category for the NYC Metro region, Newsday's team of investigative reporters, editors, producers, photographers and videographers won for its exhaustive coverage of how the actions, or inactions, by members of Long Island’s two major police forces led to the deaths of four individuals and serious injuries to four others. The documentary was part of the "Inside Internal Affairs" project, which brought to light the disciplinary results of the eight internal affairs investigations — as well as the hidden actions behind them.

In the Features Sports Reporting category for the NYC Metro region, Newsday reporter Barbara Barker was honored for her story detailing how WNBA star Sue Wicks had discovered a second passion after her career ended — opening an oyster farm on Suffolk's East End.

In the Spot News Photo category, Newsday photographer Alejandra Villa Loarca won for her images of FDNY firefighter Jesse Gerhard's funeral in Bay Shore. The Islip native died in February 2022 after suffering a medical episode one day after he helped battle a two-alarm fire in Far Rockaway.

The awards will be presented at the Club's annual dinner on June 5 at the Water Club in Manhattan.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.