Printer-friendly version
By Miriam Raftery
October 26, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) –East County Magazine writers and photographers took home 13 awards in the San Diego Press Club’s ”Excellence in Journalism” competition—including seven first-place awards. ECM has won a total of 46 journalism awards since opening our doors in 2008.
"I'm proud of our winning team, which includes professional journalists, interns, and community volunteers we've helped train as citizen journalists," said editor Miriam Raftery. "It's inspiring to see their dedication and hard work recognized by San Diego Press Club." Residents interested in volunteering to receive training as a community volunteer are encouraged to e-mail editor@eastcountymagazine.org.
Scroll down for highlights, plus a full list of winners and links to view the winning stories and photos.
Raftery received seven awards, including first place for her series on African refugees in San Diego’s eastern region. Her coverage of local Iraqis mourning the loss of Iraqi Christians massacred in a Baghdad church also earned first place for multicultural coverage.
Ron Logan took home two first place awards for his interview and photography chronicling Congressman Bob Filner’s recollections as a Freedom Rider during the Civil Rights movement. Dennis Richardson’s dramatic image of the Monte wildfire took first place for breaking news photography. Ariele Johannson’s article on the Pala Indian tribe buying back their native lands at the Warner Springs Ranch received first place in the business category.
In the investigative reporting category, Raftery and photographer Jim Pelley took second place for a series on helicopter accidents involving tower crashes on the Sunrise Powerlink project. Video by Billy Ortiz documenting eagle nest violations by Powerlink helicopters earned a third place award in the public service/consumer advocacy category in a story written by Raftery.
A story contrasting local mayors’ reactions to a homeless count won a third place award for ECM intern Jeremy Los. Mary Paulet won third place in feature photography for an optical illusion captured during a fire engine parade, melding a wall mural with an actual horse-drawn fire wagon. Raftery also picked up additional honors for an education story on a controversial charter school and for a travel story on the soon-to-close Palomar Mountain State Park.
ECM winning entries (all entered in the daily newspapers and websites category) are as follows, listed in alphabetical order by category:
Business and Financial – 1st place, Ariele Johannson, Warner Springs Ranch comes full circle with Pala Purchase http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/5161
Education – 2nd place, Miriam Raftery, Will a new charter school in East County make the grade? http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/3932
General news – 3rd place, Jeremy Los, East County mayors react to homeless count findings http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/6007
History - 1st place, Ron Logan, Moving forward from the back of the bus http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/6076
Investigative reporting, series – 1st place, Miriam Raftery and Jim Pelley, Powerlink Tower Crashes:
ECM Special report: Sky cranes, useful in heavy lifting operations such as Powerlink, have history of accidents – June 17, 2011
http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/6449
CPUC report highlights safety concerns over dropped Powerlink Towers – June 16, 2011
http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/6450
Witness says SDG&E tried to hide evidence of fallen Powerlink tower and intimidate photographer – June 12, 2011
http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/6418
Oops, they did it again: SDG&E chopper drops a second tower – June 10, 2011
http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/6398
Investigative reporting, single report – 3rd place, Miriam Raftery, A walk on the wild side proves perilous for East County woman attacked by lion in Africa http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/6120
Multicultural – 1st place, Miriam Raftery, Local Iraqi Christians Mourn Loss of Those Killed in Baghdad Church Massacre http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/4724
Photography, feature - 1st place, Ron Logan, Bob Filner proudly displays his ‘Freedom Ride’ mug shots http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/6076
Photography, feature - 3rd place, Mary Paulet, Fire Engine Parade http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/4201
Photography, Live or breaking – 1st place, Dennis Richardson, “Lakeside Fire Now 100 acres: Climbers Reportedly Trapped on Mountain http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/ElCapFire-1st-airdrop-sm_4.jpg
Public service/consumer advocacy – 3rd place Miriam Raftery and Billy Ortiz, Lakeside residents claim helicopters violate no-fly zone near eagles’ nests http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/5683
Series – 1st place, Miriam Raftery, Bridging Worlds: From East Africa to East San Diego
Little Mogadishu: From East Africa to East San Diego http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/5895
Alone in a strange land: African asylees tell their stories http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/5504
Project Refuge http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/5505
Travel – 3rd place, Miriam Raftery, Picture-perfect: Presidents’ Day on Palomar Mountain http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/5539
At 13 awards, East County Magazine was among the most-honored publications. The San Diego Union-Tribune took home the most awards (24). Patch.com won 18 awards for its numerous sites countywide, led by La Mesa Patch with 12.
Several ECM freelance writers, columnists, and former contributors also picked up additional awards for stories published in other media, including E.A. Barrera, Billy Jo Jannen, and Jamie Reno. Reno won several awards, including first place in the magazine investigative reporting category for a story in San Diego Magazine. A Barrera opinion piece reflecting on Ronald Reagan, entered by the Ramona Home Journal, won first place and had also run in East County Magazine. Jannen picked up an award in the general news category for her Alpine Sun story on protesters greeting Governor Schwarzenegger at a groundbreaking for Sunrise Powerlink.
Other East County residents were also honored by San Diego Press Club. La Mesa resident Rick Griffin won four writing awards, including a first-place award. His awards were in the “Non-daily Newspaper, Community Service/Public Affairs,” “Trade Publications, Newsletters” and “Trade Publications, One-Time Publications” categories. His winning stories were written on behalf of Grossmont College, the Grossmont Healthcare District and the San Diego Better Business Bureau. Christy Scott, then-editor of the Alpine Sun, won a second place for a story profiling impacts on Alpine Boulevard merchants from Sunrise Powerlink.
Several special awards were also presented, including the Harold Keen Award for Outstanding Contribution to Journalism presented to Don Sevrens, who served 44 years at the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Recent comments