Alfredo Corchado

Recipient of the STAR REPORTER OF THE YEAR award in The Charles E. Green Awards (2019)

Alfredo Corchado
The Dallas Morning News

Judge’s Comments:

Alfredo “Freddy” Corchado’s portfolio should be required reading in any advanced reporting classroom.  He seamlessly captivates readers with rich narratives punctuated with meaningful quotes, poignant details and broad context.  His deep understanding of the issues comes through as he deals with complex disputes and emotions.

Corchado avoids the obvious stereotypes when telling the story of Carlos Juaquin Salinas and his 10-year-old son, Ferdinand, fleeing violence in Guatemala to uncertainty and disappointment in Texas.  We read of the discomfort of border agents caught in the political crossfire as they stand guard over asylum seekers.

We are both informed and moved by Corchado’s account of Antonio Bosco, who feared he would grieve alone for his wife, who was killed at the El Paso Walmart.  His non-traditional lede grabs the reader: El Paso _ “For 22 years, they were together She was all he had.  Then she became one of the 22 slain in the race-driven massacre at the Walmart, the worst in the city’s history.”

Numerous interviews capture the outpouring of love Bosco received.  The subtle details continue until the last words, “Bosco, his pocket stuffed with rosaries.”

We get a glimpse of Corchado’s versatility with his piece on the growing violence in Mexico and the challenges faced by its new president.  Again, Corchado makes the point with the everyday detail of drivers parking their buses at sunset for fear of violent attacks.  Also, he provides us with facts of record-setting Mexican homicides that are sending people to the U.S. border.

This is the kind of writing that makes this old reporter jealous.

C. David Kotok
Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal Star reporter, retired

Judge’s Bio:
C. David Kotok retired in late 2012 after more than 35 years as one of Nebraska’s leading journalists. He is best known as a political reporter for The World-Herald and the Lincoln Journal. He interviewed every president from Gerald Ford to Obama and covered 10 national conventions. He was named one of the top political reporters “beyond the Washington Beltway.” Kotok concluded his career as an urban affairs reporter in Omaha, a war reporter in Iraq and, and finally as managing editor, running the day to day news operation of The World-Herald. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Iowa. He has been married for  51 years. David and his wife, Shane, have three grown children and four grandchildren.

To see writing from award-winning journalist Alfredo Corchado, click on these story links below:

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