A brief timeout for a shameless plug…
Chad Selweski took first place in column writing on
Wednesday night at the Society of Professional Journalists Detroit chapter
awards dinner.
The award came in the Class B category, which is for
publications with a circulation of under 100,000.
Selweski won based on his submission of three 2012
columns: one on the lack of sophistication and cosmopolitan culture in Macomb
County (now known as the infamous “Big Boy column”); another that criticized
Oakland County for spewing billions of gallons of partially treated sewage into
Macomb County waterways; and a third that questioned the weak field of
candidates put forward by the local Republican Party for the county’s “Big Five”
countywide offices.
The SPJ contest was judged a group of journalists in the
Western U.S.
One judge said of Selweski’s entries: “Entries are compelling and capture the reader’s
attention. The body of the column is charged and the conclusion is clear. I
like that you acknowledge the other side’s viewpoint (before you pick it apart
point by point.) Well played.”