AJC reporter wins national award for young journalists

Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Joshua Sharpe was one of three journalists in the nation honored with a Livingston Award, which recognizes the best reporting by professional journalists under the age of 35. 

Sharpe, 34, won for best local reporting for “The Imperfect Alibi,” an extensive investigation into the 36-year-old double murder of Harold and Thelma Swain in Camden County on the Georgia coast. Dennis Perry became a free man last year after serving 20 years behind bars for a murder he insisted he did not commit. 

The founder of Cox Enterprises, James M. Cox, purchased The Atlanta Journal in 1939 and the Atlanta Constitution in 1950. The Journal and Constitution later merged but continue to press on in Cox’s long tradition of public service.  

“Joshua Sharpe asked the right questions, refusing easy answers and pretty much proved that man was telling the truth and was innocent,” said Anna Quindlen, an author and Livingston judge. 

The Livingston Awards honor reporting across all media platforms. The awards are sponsored by the University of Michigan and numerous foundations. The other winners of the 2021 award worked for The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.

AJC Editor Kevin Riley praised Sharpe’s work. 

“All of us at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution are immensely proud of Joshua Sharpe,” Riley said. “His tenacity, professionalism and skill freed an innocent man. And his work showed the power and value of local journalism.” 

Read “The Imperfect Alibi” at AJC.com