Peninsula Daily News senior staff writer earns third-place Society of Professional Journalists award

Published 12:01 am Thursday, May 26, 2011

SEATTLE — Peninsula Daily News senior staff writer and Commentary page editor Paul Gottlieb won a third-place award for investigative journalism for daily newspapers with a circulation of 25,000 or less Saturday in the Society of Professional Journalists’ Northwest Excellence in Journalism contest.

Gottlieb was recognized for his Oct. 31 story “Security breach at Coast Guard base examined.”

The article details the final days of Lee Daniel Renfro, a 32-year-old Navy veteran from Forest Grove, Ore., who was found dead at the former Rayonier mill site in Port Angeles in March 2010.

“Three days earlier, Renfro had lied about his identity to gain entrance to the Coast Guard base in Port Angeles,” Gottlieb said.

“Coast Guard personnel discovered him smoking marijuana on the Coast Guard cutter Active and escorted him off the base.

“It was important for the public to understand how Renfro was able to breach security at a military installation, seemingly so easily. Security was beefed up at the base after the incident.”

An autopsy showed that Renfro died of hypothermia. Port Angeles police said there was no evidence of foul play.

Gottlieb, who joined the Peninsula Daily News in 1998, said the story was inspired by a desire to “walk back the tragedy” of Renfro.

The annual SPJ contest honors exceptional journalism in Region 10, which encompasses Washington state, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska.

Sequim Gazette Editor Michael Dashiell won second place in sports reporting and third place in feature photography for nondaily newspapers.