Alumnus commended on web reporting
Heidi Wigdahl
Issue date: 5/15/09 Section: News
On April 24, Ben Welsh, DePaul Class of 2004, received a National Journalism Award for Web Reporting along with a team of people from the Los Angeles Times for their coverage on Mexico's drug war entitled "Mexico Under Siege: the Drug War at Our Doorstep."
Welsh, database producer for www.latimes.com, helped put together a web package on the coverage happening in Mexico beginning in 2008. "The idea was to repackage the coverage to increase its frequency," Welsh said. "And to really emphasize the trouble down there with the drug war."
This package stood out with the Scripps Howard Foundation, a corporate foundation of The E.W. Scripps Company that awarded over $195,000 worth of awards at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. "We were happy with this one because it emphasized the web package and it was maybe the first time," Welsh said. While the Los Angeles Times received $10,000, Welsh believed it is all being donated to charity.
After graduating from DePaul in 2004, Welsh went on to graduate school at the University of Missouri. His first job was as an interactive technologies editor and assistant database editor at the Center for Public Integrity in Washington D.C. He went on to land the job at the Los Angeles Times in December 2007.
"Everyone who has ever met Ben is thrilled," said Don Moseley, co-founder of DePaul Documentary Project (DDP) where Welsh interned during his senior year. DDP offers students a chance to intern with Emmy award-winning journalists Carol Marin and Moseley while assisting in the production of documentaries. The CNN documentary, "Fight Over Faith," landed Welsh a production assistant credit while interning at DDP.
Marin and Moseley received a package from Welsh after the National Journalism Awards containing Welsh's distinct award.
"It's almost better than winning an award yourself," Moseley said.
Welsh admitted to not knowing what to do with the award. "My joke was, I couldn't drink out of it so I might as well find something useful out of it," he said. "At the risk of getting kind of sappy, Carol and Don were in many ways my journalistic parents and I suppose I feel I owe a lot to them."
Moseley remembered Welsh as being intellectually gifted but struggling with the communication aspect of journalism. He has seen Welsh grow throughout his time at DDP up until now.
"All the students who come here can look at this award and have something to shoot for," Mosely said. "They can light the world on fire."
Welsh, database producer for www.latimes.com, helped put together a web package on the coverage happening in Mexico beginning in 2008. "The idea was to repackage the coverage to increase its frequency," Welsh said. "And to really emphasize the trouble down there with the drug war."
This package stood out with the Scripps Howard Foundation, a corporate foundation of The E.W. Scripps Company that awarded over $195,000 worth of awards at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. "We were happy with this one because it emphasized the web package and it was maybe the first time," Welsh said. While the Los Angeles Times received $10,000, Welsh believed it is all being donated to charity.
After graduating from DePaul in 2004, Welsh went on to graduate school at the University of Missouri. His first job was as an interactive technologies editor and assistant database editor at the Center for Public Integrity in Washington D.C. He went on to land the job at the Los Angeles Times in December 2007.
"Everyone who has ever met Ben is thrilled," said Don Moseley, co-founder of DePaul Documentary Project (DDP) where Welsh interned during his senior year. DDP offers students a chance to intern with Emmy award-winning journalists Carol Marin and Moseley while assisting in the production of documentaries. The CNN documentary, "Fight Over Faith," landed Welsh a production assistant credit while interning at DDP.
Marin and Moseley received a package from Welsh after the National Journalism Awards containing Welsh's distinct award.
"It's almost better than winning an award yourself," Moseley said.
Welsh admitted to not knowing what to do with the award. "My joke was, I couldn't drink out of it so I might as well find something useful out of it," he said. "At the risk of getting kind of sappy, Carol and Don were in many ways my journalistic parents and I suppose I feel I owe a lot to them."
Moseley remembered Welsh as being intellectually gifted but struggling with the communication aspect of journalism. He has seen Welsh grow throughout his time at DDP up until now.
"All the students who come here can look at this award and have something to shoot for," Mosely said. "They can light the world on fire."
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