Reporter wins award for story that resulted in subpoena

The Kansas reporter who lost her job in early March, following a battle over a subpoena for her newsgathering materials, has won four awards from the Kansas Press Association, the Dodge City Daily Globe reported.

Former Daily Globe reporter Claire O’Brien was subpoenaed over a jailhouse interview she had conducted with a criminal defendant. The subpoena also sought the identity of a confidential source she had used in the same article. She appealed the subpoena up to the Kansas Supreme Court and lost. She later testified about the jailhouse interview; she did not have to testify about the source after he disclosed his identity to prosecutors.

The article that included the jailhouse interview and the statements by the confidential source won O’Brien first prize in the press association’s news story category.

O’Brien was also awarded third place in the feature, investigative and local business categories.