Editorial: Best Citizen Journalism, October 2005

• Deal with local subjects
• Are written compellingly
• Are about something remarkable
• Are well researched and accurate pieces of journalism
• Contain original quotes that can only be gleaned from a one-on-one interview
• Cover events likely to be overlooked by other news organizations
• Are uplifting and inspirational

GuluWalk: On foot for the children of Uganda

By Chloë Schama

Our credo at HappyNews reads: "Real News, Compelling Stories, Always Positive." We believe virtue, goodwill and heroism are hot news. But in life, not everything is positive. Nonetheless, imbedded in some of these negative stories, you will find positive deeds. That is exactly what Chloë Schama did in her story, GuluWalk: On foot for the children of Uganda. She found a genuine story of virtue, goodwill and heroism. The plight of tens of thousands of children in Uganda inspired uNight, a group of New York activists, to organize a world-wide walk in hopes of bringing attention to an issue that has gone too long unnoticed. With investigative journalism, Chloë details the history behind the event and supplies readers with background information which helps to create a crisp understanding of the walk. And with narrative flow that is rich in context, she sheds light to both a very real issue in Uganda and the honorable efforts of those who try to change it.

We chose Chloë's story not only because it is an excellent piece of positive journalism but because it serves as a great example of what we look for in our Citizen Journalist articles, as well.

Chloë lives in Washington, DC and works for the The New Republic magazine.

Chloë Schama will receive an extra US $50 for her work.

Wishes from around the world

By Cathy Reilly

Maggie Bushway has a story to tell. While the 9-year-old girl from Missouri battles cancer, people she has never met all over the world—Romania, Germany, the Netherlands, Korea, South Africa and Norway, to name a few—send her virtual get-well cards … hundreds of them. We discovered this story on KSDK-TV in Missouri and were so moved by it, we wanted to follow up on it. And that is where Cathy Reilly comes in. To deliver Wishes from around the world to HappyNews, Cathy contacted the Bushway family, conducted original interviews, carried out original investigation and composed a touching article. As a mother of three, this is a story that hit home for Cathy. For this reason, she possessed the emotional formula it took to produce such a transfixing account. Cathy provides a sincere, warm report of a little girl, and with empathetic style and clarity, she illustrates just how compassionate the human race can be. Her piece brought happy tears to us at HappyNews, and there is no doubt that it did the same for our readers.

Cathy Reilly is a journalist and mother of three from Colorado Springs, CO.

Manav Sadhna: keeping Gandhi's spirit alive

By Smita Jain

Gandhi is a name that almost everyone from around the world can recognize. However, as time progresses, the legend that is associated with this humanitarian loses momentum. But as Smita Jain states in her article, Manav Sadhna: Keeping Gandhi's Spirit Alive, there is one institute that continues to demonstrate that his message is still living and continuing to transform the lives of many. Smita introduces us to Manav Sadhna, an institute that works toward helping women and children in India and which is still passionately guided by Gandhian principles of truth and non-violence. Smita takes readers on a tour examining how following Ghandi's principals the institute continues to uplift the poor and oppressed, to promote health and sanitation and to educate the poor. She gets behind the motivations of Manav Sadhna's founders and writes an emotionally elevating article that readers aren't likely to find in mainstream media. This writer delivers our readers a story full of generosity, amity and heart and combines insightful quotes with descriptive story-telling. We thank Smita for exposing all the colors of the Manav Sadhna and painting a truly authentic and unique portrait for Happynews readers.

Smita Jain is a freelance journalist based in Ahmedabad Gujarat in India

Feature - Angels among us

By Julie Jarrett

As an editor, it is our job to tidy up an article to prepare it for publication. We do this by numerous methods, some of which include probing the writer for detail, tightening up sentence structure, establishing story flow and ensuring factual accuracy. But when we received Julie Jarrett's story, there was little to tidy up. It's always phenomenal to see just how deep the imagination and talent of today's youth can reach, and when we realized that the work of this story, which needed little editing, was that of a high school student, we were amazed. Furthermore, the subject matter was professional and relevant as well. In her feature, Angels Among Us, Julie relives her summer working with inner-city children who have at least one parent in prison. With a superb editorial voice, Julie dives into the experiences of these children to narrate a story on how they changed her life. She offers an inspiring piece lush in feeling and detail. Through Julie's ability to encapsulate a milestone period in her life, she brings the audience to Frontier Camp and makes us feel as if we're right there with her, all the while indirectly revealing how open this girl's heart really is.

Julie Jarrett is a senior in high school. Once she graduates, she plans to pursue a degree in communications.