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Minnesota Reformer recognized at Page One journalism awards • Minnesota Reformer [1]

['Izzy Wagener', 'Nicole Neri', 'Jessica Lussenhop', 'Michelle Griffith', 'More From Author', '- June', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline']

Date: 2025-06 

The staff of the Minnesota Reformer was awarded the Peter S. Popovich Award, the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists’ most prestigious honor, at an annual awards ceremony Thursday. Several Reformer reporters also received individual awards for their coverage.

The Peter S. Popovich Award honors a newsroom that has upheld a commitment to First Amendment rights. The Reformer was recognized for its accountability journalism and use of public records.

This year’s awards ceremony also included the inaugural winners of the A-Mark Prize for Investigative Journalism.

First place went to A.J. Lagoe, Steve Eckert, Gary Knox and Kelly Dietz of KARE-TV for “KARE 11 Investigates: Recovery Inc.”

Deena Winter and Patrick Coolican of the Minnesota Reformer won third place for their investigation into corruption in “How fraudsters have gamed Minnesota government for millions.”

Mara Klecker of the Minnesota Star Tribune was named Young Journalist of the Year, recognized in part for her investigations into Minnesota charter schools.

Print and online newspapers with a circulation of at least 50,000 or a statewide focus competed in categories ranging from state politics coverage to sports reporting.

Sheila Eldred and Cynthia Tu of Sahan Journal placed first in the enterprise/in-depth reporting category for “Overlooked: Who suffers the most from the opioid epidemic in Minnesota?”

First place in state politics/government reporting was given to Reid Forgrave of the Minnesota Star Tribune for his coverage of the presidential election and the shifting politics of Upper Midwest.

Laura Yuen of the Minnesota Star Tribune won first in the columns category for three column submissions.

In editorials, Aurora Weirens of the Minnesota Star Tribune took first for “From a recent high school grad: Cellphones in the classroom are disastrous.”

Reporters from the Reformer won several individual awards.

Deputy Editor Max Nesterak won third place in business news reporting for “Minnesota dairy farm faces $3 million wage theft lawsuit involving hundreds of workers” and related coverage.

The Reformer took home second and third place in the state politics category. Michelle Griffith, Patrick Coolican, and Madison McVan were recognized for their coverage of Gov. Tim Walz, along with Jessica Lussenhop of ProPublica. Deena Winter won third for “Fraud, fraud, everywhere a fraud.”

Editor-in-Chief Patrick Coolican won second place in the columns category for three column submissions.

Kayseh Magan, Patrick Coolican and Chuck Johnson received second place in the editorial category for three editorial submissions.

The Reformer took first place for its headlines. Here are the three headline submissions.

Ernesto Londoño, a New York Times journalist based in Minnesota, gave the keynote address at the awards. Londoño spoke about the potential benefits of meditation practices in today’s high-stress media environment, which is prone to both direct and second-hand trauma.

The night rounded out with the Journalist of the Year award, given to Editor-in-Chief Patrick Coolican for his leadership of the Reformer.

“In a crowded media landscape, the Reformer is not only punching above its weight, but has become a true powerhouse,” the judge’s comments said.

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[1] Url: https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/minnesota-reformer-recognized-at-page-one-journalism-awards/

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