TechPresident.com, a data-rich, nonpartisan group blog that covers real-time, online activity of the 2008 presidential candidates – and chronicles online content from voters who will elect them, is this year’s $10,000 Grand Prize winner in the Knight-Batten Awards for Innovations in Journalism, given by the Merrill College’s J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism.

The site invites every-day people to help break campaign news and it tracks voter-generated videos on YouTube, candidate “friends” on MySpace and Facebook, blog mentions on Technorati, voter demands for appearances on Eventful, and voter-generated photos on Flickr.

“The site not only reports on, but encourages, citizens to participate more directly in the political process,” the panel of judges said. “It’s an amazing source of information from a non-traditional news outlet.” The site is published by the Personal Democracy Forum.

Winning a $2,000 First Prize is another non-traditional news organization, the Council on Foreign Relations. CFR.org’s rich media “Crisis Guides” present compelling, in-depth news about the world’s most pressing crisis zones. “This is an institution stepping up and honoring the best of journalism. It’s filling an absolutely articulated need,” the judges said.

Four other innovative efforts each won $1,000 awards. And, for the first time, the judges cited four more creative ideas with Honorable Mentions.

“This year’s winners gave the judges another way to think about innovations in journalism,” said Jan Schaffer, director of J-Lab, which administers the awards.

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Sandra D. Long, (BS ‘74) a Philadelphia Inquirer deputy managing editor, was appointed to one of two managing editor positions, former Merrill College Board of Visitors member and Inquirer Editor Bill Marimow announced Aug. 13. She will jointly rank as the No. 2 editor in the newsroom and be responsible for production-related activities and become the newsroom liaison with business operations. Long is the first African-American woman in the position and has been the highest-ranking African-American woman in the newsroom for some time now.

A recipient of multiple journalism awards, Long’s well-regarded work at The Philadelphia Inquirer began in January 1984 when she worked as a reporter. Her career continually grew as she became the Neighbors editor, Deputy Pennsylvania Editor, Assistant Managing Editor for Finance and Administration, and Associate Managing Editor for Operations and Deputy Managing Editor/News Operations. Prior to joining the paper she worked for the Philadelphia Bulletin and Wilmington, De. News Journal.

In addition to her new managing editor duties she also authors her blog “In Sandra’s Shoes” on The Inquirer’s Web Site where she describes her fight with breast cancer.

She is a founding member of the National Association of Black Journalists, a member of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists and of the National Association of Minority Media Executives.