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By Miriam Raftery
October
22, 2008 (San Diego) -
Q: Who are those grinning people posing with San Diego State University icon
Monty Montezuma at the Hall of Champions in Balboa Park?
A: East County Magazine editor Miriam Raftery and consulting
editor Jamie Reno, who collectively received 14 awards in San Diego Press Club’s
2008 Excellence in Journalism competition. ECM reporter E.A. Barrera
also picked up a trio of awards to add to his growing collection.
ECM could not enter articles in this year’s contest because
our publication launched in September, after the deadline date for article
entries. But Raftery pledged, “Next year we aim to bring home honors
on behalf of East County Magazine. “The high caliber of
journalists who have joined our publication is exemplified by the many prominent
awards received by our writers. Our thanks to San Diego Press Club for
sponsoring this important event to honor in-depth reporting—an increasing
rarity in today’s era of media consolidation and reduced budgets for
investigative journalism.”
Raftery received first place awards in the non-daily newspaper category for
investigative and political reporting. The awards honored articles in The
Alpine Sun on the 2007 firestorms and on high absentee rates by some members
of San Diego’s Congressional delegation. She also received a second
place award in the general news category for non-daily newspapers for an interview
with a whistleblower on fire protection issues published in The Alpine
Sun. In addition, she was awarded third place in the daily newspapers
and websites investigative reporting category for an article titled “San
Diego GOP Chairman Co-founded International Piracy Ring” published by RawStory.com.
Reno raked in 10 awards, leading to quips that he should bring a wheelbarrow
to haul home plaques and certificates. Reno’s Newsweek writing
garnered four awards, including second and third place honors in the profiles
category for “I’m at the Top of My Game” and “I Want
to Live for My Guys – An Iraq Vet Adjusts to Life Without Legs.” He
also received a health/medicine writing award as well as a criminal justice
reporting award for his Newsweek coverage of drug raids at San
Diego State University.
He received first place for an essay on comedian George Carlin and second
place for political/government reporting on the Iowa Caucus in the daily newspapers
and websites category, both for works published at Turbula.net. His
writing for San Diego Magazine earned first place in sports reporting
for an article titled “Bring in the Bottled Lightning” plus a third
place honor in the arts and entertainment categoryfor “The Real Van Halen
Returns.”
E.A. Barrera won three awards in non-daily newspaper categories. He
co-authored “Ramona firestorm 2007 special edition” in the Ramona
Journal, which won first place for public service/consumer advocacy. He
received second place in the non-daily newspaper history category for “King
is a hero, but he still needed Johnson” published in La Prensa. In
addition, his La Prensa piece titled “Suburban Angst in Brazil:
Alice’s House” won third place in the non-daily newspapers arts
and entertainment reporting category.
For a complete list of the 2008 San Diego Press Club award winners, visit www.sdpressclub.org/uploads/2008_Awards_Winners_Final.pdf.
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