Selweski takes 1st place for column writing

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.”