Projo.com honored with award of distinction by the Batten Awards for Innovations in Journalism
Dallas, TX — Belo Interactive, Belo’s Internet subsidiary, announced today that Projo.com, the Web site affiliated with The Providence Journal ‘Tribute to the Troops’ (http://www.projo.com/extra/terror/tribute/) interactive feature has been given an award of distinction as one of the five finalists for the 2004 Batten Award for Innovations in Journalism.
‘Tribute to the Troops’ is an interactive database that allows readers to create a Web page for an individual soldier or troop and post messages or photos. About 80,000 messages have been posted to approximately 6,300 Web pages. “An extremely simple exercise in small-J journalism that was very community interactive,” the Batten panel of judges said. “It’s like the Civil War letters.”
The award is funded by the Knight Foundation and spotlights the creative use of new information ideas and technologies to involve citizens in public issues. The five finalists were chosen from 70 entries. The other finalists include POV Interactive, KQED in San Francisco, CBC Television in Canada, and USAToday.com. Projo.com was awarded $1,000 and given an A ward of Distinction on Sept ember 10 , 2004 at the Batten Symposium at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
John Granatino, Belo Interactive’s Vice President/News and Operations, said, “We are proud to be recognized for Projo.com’s efforts with ‘Tribute for the Troops.’ The project turns over to our customers the ability to create their own interactive database, and allows our readers to connect with the soldiers and troops.”
About Belo Interactive
Belo Interactive is part of Belo Corp., one of the nation’s largest media companies with a diversified group of market-leading television, newspaper, cable and interactive media assets. A Fortune 1000 company with approximately 7,600 employees and $1.4 billion in annual revenues, Belo operates media franchises in some of America’s most dynamic markets and regions, including Texas, the Northwest, the Southwest, Rhode Island, and the Mid-Atlantic. Belo owns 19 television stations (six in the top 15 markets); owns or operates seven cable news channels; and manages one television station through a local marketing agreement. Belo’s daily newspapers are The Dallas Morning News, The Providence Journal, The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA) and the Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, TX). Belo operates more than 30 Web sites, several interactive alliances and a broad range of Internet-based products. Additional information, including earnings releases and corporate communications, is available online at www.belo.com. For more information, contact Michelle Strong, Director/Audience Development and Management, at 214-977-4092.