SLO Tribune wins first place for general excellence at California Journalism Awards
The Tribune won first place for general excellence Saturday night at the California News Publishers Association’s annual California Journalism Awards Gala in Long Beach — one of 24 awards the newspaper received overall.
The Tribune competed in Division C, for newspapers with a print circulation of 15,000 and under.
The total included eight first-place awards, five second place, six third, two fourth and three fifth.
The awards were for work produced in 2018 and touched every corner of the newsroom across a wide range of stories — personal stories that can compel change, like Monica Vaughan’s account of how dust from the Oceano Dunes was slowly killing Nipomo resident Stanley Fisher and Lindsey Holden’s series on Christine Whaley’s fight to end her battle with cancer, to powerful visual journalism and editorials on issues like Andrew Holland’s death at the SLO County Jail.
“These awards are well-deserved recognition for journalists who work tirelessly every day to tell the important stories of San Luis Obispo County,” Tribune Editor Joe Tarica said. “They are the eyes and ears for Central Coast readers, and they pursue truth with passion and dedication. I am thrilled and proud that the judges so universally agreed.”
Here’s a look at the awards:
First place
▪ General excellence: staff
▪ Local government: Monica Vaughan, for a story about the impact of Oceano Dunes dust on Nipomo resident Stanley Fisher
▪ Feature: Lucas Clark for the story of how the death of Cal Poly student Jordan Grant united strangers
▪ Editorial: Stephanie Finucane for an editorial on the death of Andrew Holland
▪ Artistic photo: David Middlecamp for a photo of the Ranger Challenge at Camp San Luis Obispo
▪ Feature photo: David Middlecamp for a photo of a pee wee showman at the Mid-State Fair
▪ Sports feature photo: Joe Johnston for a photo of a Paso Robles cheerleader peeking out of a tunnel
▪ Video journalism, news: Matt Fountain, Joe Johnston and David Middlecamp for the jail death video of Andrew Holland
Second place
▪ Public service: Matt Fountain for coverage of the video showing the death of SLO County Jail inmate Andrew Holland
▪ Writing: Lindsey Holden for “A fight for her death,” about a San Luis Obispo cancer victim’s battle for end-of-life medication
▪ Land-use reporting: Monica Vaughan for coverage of the Measure G vote to ban new oil wells and fracking
▪ Front page layout and design
▪ Sports action photo: David Middlecamp for a photo of a soccer collision
Third place
▪ In-depth reporting: Matt Fountain for a story about Justin Fareed’s campaign finances
▪ Enterprise: Lindsey Holden for “A fight for her death”
▪ Youth and education: Kaytlyn Leslie, Andrew Sheeler, Lindsey Holden and Travis Gibson for coverage of the Cal Poly blackface scandal
▪ Feature: Gabby Ferreira for a story about Serra Chapel in Shandon
▪ Editorial: Stephanie Finucane for the editorial, “Are Cal Poly’s fraternities worth saving?”
▪ Sports feature: Travis Gibson for “Space travel and bug nutrition: The intriguing life of SLO County’s Wrestler of the Year”
Fourth place
▪ Investigative reporting: Matt Fountain and Travis Gibson for coverage of the Nipomo High School girls wrestling coach accused of sexual misconduct.
▪ Video journalism, other: Joe Johnston for video of the renovated Pismo Beach Pier
Fifth place
▪ Local government: Matt Fountain, for a story about a former Paso Robles police officer accused of rape
▪ Breaking news: Gabby Ferreira for story about how two hikers saved a woman who’s car went over a cliff in Big Sur.
▪ Artistic photo: Joe Johnston for a photo of a SpaceX launch
In 2018, the Tribune won 15 state journalism awards at the California Journalism Awards, including five first-place prizes.
This story was originally published May 5, 2019 at 12:54 AM.