We don't play favorites here at GetReligion.
OK, sometimes we do — such as where Pittsburgh Post-Gazette religion writer Peter Smith is concerned.
When it comes to quality journalism on the religion beat, a Peter Smith byline generally is a slam dunk.
So we weren't surprised over the weekend when Smith won the Religion Newswriters Association's first-place award for religion reporting at metropolitan newspapers.
The Pittsburgh writer was just one of a number of Godbeat all-stars who received recognition at the RNA's annual awards banquet in Philadelphia (see the full list of winners):
You can find links to all the winning stories on RNA's website.
Smith's first-place entry included his in-depth project on immigrant religion — the subject of a 5Q+1 interview last November:
So on Sunday morning, Smith woke up with another plaque to hang on his wall — and with an above-the-fold Page 1 story in the Post-Gazette:
"Church-planting" is, of course, a buzzword in Christian circles these days.
Not too many journalists, though, could turn that esoteric subject into the lead story in the Sunday edition of a major metropolitan daily.
Smith is, obviously, one of them. Again, no surprise here, but his story and sidebar are both worth your time. Check them out.
Finally, congrats to him and all the RNA winners!