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A1 Journalist of the Year (over 100K)
Kenneth R. Weiss, Los Angeles Times
Judges’ comment: “Altered Oceans” is an amazing series on how our oceans are being changed. It was an enormous undertaking and a breathtaking package of stories, photos, graphics, and online.
2nd Place: Christine Pelisek, LA Weekly
Honorable Mention: Tim Rutten, Los Angeles Times
A2 Print Journalist of the Year (under 100K)
Michael Collins, Los Angeles CityBeat
Judges’ comment: First class journalism by a dedicated and dogged journalist. Collins’ stories were winners on all counts: meticulously reported and intelligently written. He humanizes complex topics while never losing sight of the broader context.
2nd Place: Sandra Hernandez, Los Angeles Daily Journal
Honorable Mention: Laura Dobbins, The Daily Independent
A3 TV Journalist of the Year
Ana Garcia/Fred Mamoun, KNBC
Judges’ comment: Ms. Garcia demonstrates a talent for identifying and investigating important issues in the community. Her coverage of the Shanty town and its residents revealed a world few are aware of and fewer wish to deal with. She covers all perspectives with concise and determined journalistic abilities.
2nd Place: Robert Kovacik, KNBC
Judges’ comment: Mr. Kovacik proves to be sure-footed in breaking news and doesn’t miss a beat when a story takes a drastic turn live on camera, as with the murder suspect turning himself in.
A4 Radio Journalist of the Year
Adolfo Guzman Lopez, 89.3 KPCC-FM
Judges’ comment: He displays thorough reporting skills with an obvious strength covering Latino issues, including education, immigration and culture. He shows good judgment with his use of sound to help move stories forward.
2nd Place: Steven Cuevas, 89.3 KPCC-FM
Judges’ comment: Steven exhibits a nice use of descriptive elements to tell stories ranging from gang activity to forest fires.
Honorable Mention: Frank Stoltze, 89.3 KPCC-FM
Judges’ comment: Frank identifies good sources and the meat of the story well, from politics to racism.
A5 Sports Anchor or Reporter
Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times
Judges’ comment: Reveals the unexpected impact of sports in the lives of the athletes who excel for the love of sport without either fame or fortune as a goal and inspires us all by allowing us to share the experience.
2nd Place: Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times
A6 Entertainment Journalist of the Year
Nikki Finke, LA Weekly
Judges’ comment: Reading Nikki Finke’s salaciously candid coverage of Hollywood and its inhabitants almost feels like a guilty pleasure. She mixes the news with fearless finger-wagging that’s just fun to read no matter the subject. She tackles the industry monoliths without the kiddy gloves and she seems to have command of the beat.
2nd Place: Patrick Goldstein, Los Angeles Times
Hon. Mention: Ann Powers, Los Angeles Times
A7 Photojournalist of the Year
Rick Loomis, Los Angeles Times, Portfolio
Judges’ comment: “National Geographic”-quality work. Amazing range of talent displayed makes a strong visual statement, whether nature or humans. Terrific human portraits from war-ravaged areas. Shows both horror and humanity.
2nd Place: Ted Soqui, Los Angeles CityBeat/Corbis
Judges’ comments: Caught the story and humanity after Katrina.
A8 Designer of the Year
John Curry, LA Weekly
Judges’ comment: Creative and unafraid of experimentation. Bold and striking design. It doesn’t just pull readers in; it yanks them.
2nd Place: Denise Anne Duffield and Michael Collins, EnviroReporter.com
A9 Health Journalist of the Year
Kevin Sack, Los Angeles Times, “From the Heart of America’s Culture War”
Judges’ comment: A clear look at an up-and-coming ethical and medical issue: fertility in the gay culture. The package was a strong serial narrative focusing on two men who were open in their ordeal.
2nd Place: Alan Zarembo, Los Angeles Times
Judges’ comments: Thorough reporting and good story-telling.
Honorable Mention: Adam Wilkenfeld, CWK Network
Judges’ comment: Solid coverage of health issues that relate to kids.
B1 Hard News
Staff, LA Times, "Devil Winds Stoke Fatal Fire”
Judges’ comment: Impressive coverage of devastating events, well written and well organized package of facts and events. Compelling story.
2nd Place: Daniel Hernandez, LA Weekly
Honorable Mention: Josh Kun, LA Weekly
B2 News Feature
David Zucchino, Los Angeles Times, “The Lifeline”
Judges’ comment: A powerful combination of hard news and personal storytelling that started with the excellent idea to tell the story of combat medicine through the eyes of every patient brought to one battlefield hospital in one week. The story was well-told and brilliantly organized. Just when I started wondering how the main characters were faring, Zucchino steered right back to them to tell me. And whatever I needed context or numbers to really make sense of the big-picture issue at stake, there he was with that, too. In every way, a stellar piece of journalism.
2nd Place: Kenneth R. Weiss, Usha Lee McFarling and Rick Loomis, Los Angeles Times
Honorable mention: Kevin Sack, Los Angeles Times
B3 Investigative/Series
Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber, Los Angeles Times, "Kaiser Transplant Patients at Risk"
Judges’ comment: This was a very close call between first and second place. But we gave the nod to Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber's investigation for their careful reporting of statistics and facts with life-or-death consequences for patients lost in the badly managed transplant business. The combination provided readers with a gut punch that lingered. The drama and agony the mistakes caused were conveyed with careful writing and excellent research.
Second place: Michael J. Goodman and William C. Rempel, Los Angeles Times
Honorable Mention: Judy Pasternak, Los Angeles Times
B4 Business Daily/Weekly Newspapers (Over 100K)
Richard Boudreaux, Nancy Cleeland, Sam Enriquez, Carol J. Williams, Richard C. Paddock, Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, “The New Foreign Aid”
Judges’ comment: This weighty, ambitious series sustains the quality of reporting, writing and storytelling over four installments and across several continents. It strives to explain an underground economy created by remittances -- money by immigrants to their homelands -- and manages to do so through stories about people. The series provides fascinating and heart-breaking insights into how human capital is spent -- and wasted -- throughout the world. This is the kind of journalism that only large newspapers can do, and the kind endangered by financial strains in the industry. In a world where economies and the lives of the people who support them are intertwined, it’s important work that must be sustained and encouraged.
2nd Place: Staff, Los Angeles Times
Honorable Mention [tie]: Lisa Girion, Los Angeles Times
Chip Jacobs, Los Angeles Times
B5 Signed Commentary
Amy Alkon, Creators Syndicate, “Social Stigma Against Cross-Dressers”
Judges’ comment: Having accepted the task of trying to make sense of the bizarre that passes for everyday relationship problems in Southern California, Alkon entertains, informs, intrigues and gently upbraids, never forgetting that her audience—much of which surely embraces the ethos of non-judgmentalism—rarely encounters a common-sense voice telling any one of them to get a grip. Alkon accomplishes the task with delicacy and artful reasoning, though—surely leaving the subject and the audience better for the experience.
2nd Place: Bennett Ramberg, Los Angeles Times
B6 Newspaper Columnist (Over 100K)
Meghan Daum, Los Angeles Times
Judges’ comment: Daum’s readers are fortunate. Taking on topics that only nibble at the headlines, but are central to everyday life, she strips off the varnish with a voice that is at turns ironic, sarcastic, wisecracking and pointed, but is never, ever, mean. Her humor is simultaneously disarming and persuasive, and by the last line, the reader can’t help but be on her side.
2nd Place: Dan Neil, Los Angeles Times
Honorable Mention: Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times
B7 Newspaper Editorial (over 100K)
Karin Klein, Los Angeles Times, “Karin Klein on Schools”
Judges’ comment: Klein makes robust, intelligent arguments that slice like a scythe through the insincere operations of Los Angeles’ top governmental powers. She is straightforward and unsparing in her criticism, and thoughtful in pointing out the dire ramifications of high officials’ ill-considered decisions. Happily, too, her editorials are not all hammers seeking the nearest available protruding nail. When praise is merited, she can see her way clear to apply a hopeful and well-argued pat on the back, providing readers with the reassurance that they can count on her corner of the Times’ editorial page for balance.
2nd Place: Robert Greene, Los Angeles Times
B8 Entertainment Reviews/Criticism/Column
Jonathan Gold, LA Weekly
"Counter Intelligence: The Restaurant Review Column by Jonathan Gold"
Judges’ comment: Jonathan Gold's reviews balanced convincing knowledge, chewy evocations of place, and a plausible sense of what food actually tastes like. In his review of Cut, the critic exposed the heady mix of style, Beverly Hills celebrity, and the carnal pleasures of meat. His gelato descriptions wobbled on the edge of too much and just right, with a giddy passion that never made us doubt Gold's delight in his subject.
2nd Place: Kate Sullivan, LA Weekly
Honorable Mention: Christopher Hawthorne, Los Angeles Times
B9 Newspaper Entertainment, Hard News (over 100K)
Richard Rushfield and Claire Hoffman, Los Angeles Times, "Mystery Fuels Huge Popularity of Web's Lonelygirl15"
Judges’ comment: We felt that the writers really jumped on the mystery surrounding this young girl as her life unfolded on MySpace long before the truth was revealed. We liked the way the authors presented a play-by-play of the cast of characters and dissected the quirky interaction the subject had with viewers. Sharp writing. It was a well-sourced and compelling story.
2nd Place: Staff, Los Angeles Times
Honorable Mention: Nikki Finke, LA Weekly
B10 Entertainment Feature
Claire Hoffman, Los Angeles Times, “Baby Give Me a Kiss”
Judges’ comment: Claire Hoffman’s profile on Joe Francis, the ‘Girls Gone Wild’ King, is the clear winner. Claire adroitly succeeds at including her own unnerving experiences with Francis in the story without overwhelming the story. Doing thorough research on Francis enabled her to show the reader that Francis treats numerous women with violent, contemptible behavior. Claire’s interview with the 18-year-old shows that Francis is a dirt bag.
2nd Place: Paul Cullum, LA Weekly
Honorable Mention: Steven Kotler, LA Weekly
B11 Sports
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, "Presumed Guilty"
Judges’ comment: Michael Hiltzik sheds important light on the secret and deeply flawed international drug-testing program that presumes athletes are guilty. This is an excellent, eye-opening account of a draconian system in which the drug testers act as prosecutors, judges, and juries, while athletes are denied basic legal rights. Hiltzik doesn't gloss over the fact that some athletes cheat to win, but he does expose an arrogant testing program that also ensnares the innocent and the unwitting. Even when substances found in an athlete's body could in no way have helped her performance, the system still punishes her mercilessly.
2nd Place: Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times
Honorable Mention: Devra Maza, LA Daily News
B12 Special Section
Staff, LA Weekly, “Who We Are: LA People 2006”
Judges’ comment: Everybody who worked on this section had to have fun! Just selecting the 110 people who were featured must have generated spirited discussion. The photos are appealing, the headlines (examples: Save the Gefilte Fish, Flock of Segals, Peace Pied Piper) are clever, and the writing is both crisp and interesting. End result: A fascinating potpourri of people from on and off the beaten LA paths. The readers must have had fun, too.
2nd Place: Staff, Los Angeles Times
Honorable Mention: Staff, Los Angeles Times
B13 Headline
Libby Molyneaux, LA Weekly, “What Would Jesus Do this Week?”
Judges’ comment: What a laugh out loud winner. Nice edgy off-beat sense of humor runs through this headline. It works precisely because – for all of its outrageousness – the headline fits the calendar item like a glove. We like headlines that take chances by taking a common place expression and giving it a comic twist.
2nd Place: Steven Mikulan, LA Weekly
Honorable Mention: Steven Mikulan, LA Weekly
B14 Design
Joseph Hutchinson, Kelli Sullivan, Michael Whitley, Los Angeles Times, “Altered Oceans - A Primeval Tide of Toxins”
Judges’ comment: Along with great use of stunning pictures the designers incorporated graphics, graphs and facts to tell the whole story. The reader is rewarded with a well rounded and complete report.
2nd Place: Chris Hart, LA Daily News
Honorable Mention: Ryan Colditz and Shelly Leopold, LA Weekly
C1 Hard News
Tracy Manzer, Long Beach Press-Telegram "10 Youths Charged in Halloween Beating”
Judges’ comment: Good coverage of a breaking news story and showing both sides. Good Quotes.
2nd Place: Tie:
Claude Walbert, LA Daily Journal
Greg Mellen and Tracy Manzer, Long Beach Press-Telegram
Honorable Mention: Ruby Gonzales, San Gabriel Valley Tribune
C2 News Features
Greg Mellen, Long Beach Press-Telegram, "A Daily Scavenger Hunt"
Judges’ comment: This story about how one woman copes daily with poverty just couldn’t be any better. Written in a compelling style of narrative journalism-–the heart of a news feature-- “A Daily Scavenger Hunt” illuminates the woman, her life, her compassion for others and the shadow of poverty in America. Excellent work.
2nd place [tie]: Chip Jacobs, Pasadena Weekly
Kevin Uhrich, Pasadena Weekly
Honorable mention: Dean Kuipers, Los Angeles CityBeat
C3 Investigative/Series
Scott Moxley, OC Weekly, “The New Crips”
Judges’ comment:This was an especially difficult category to judge because of the sheer number of high quality entries. We particularly liked the willingness of the papers in this competition to delve back into the past on stories, such as Michael Collins’ fine piece on the history of a radioactive dump that is now a dog park or Chip Jacobs’ excellent re-examination of a 15-year old homicide. We could have just as easily awarded first prize to Wendy Thomas Russell for her excellent expose on the cozy financial relationship between a police union leader and a city councilman. But in the end we settled on Scott Moxley’s outrageous expose on a shady character who is raking in money by exploiting a loophole in a well-intended law that is wreaking unintended consequences. We liked how Moxley laid out the case against this disabled “activist” while treating him fairly and pointing out that the law is actually on his side. The story serves as much as an expose of the law as it does of the ex-drug dealer in the center of the story. This was great work in a tough competitive field. The fact that five different news organizations fielded finalists is impressive. Each of the winners should be proud of their work.
2nd Place: Wendy Thomas Russell, Long Beach Press-Telegram
Honorable Mention: Michael Collins, Los Angeles CityBeat
C4 Newspaper Business (under 100K):
Daniel Miller and Howard Fine, Los Angeles Business Journal, “Re-creating Crenshaw”
Judges’ comment: This special report started with good trend-spotting and was fleshed out with deep reporting and real-life examples. Making it even stronger was creative storytelling like the visual tour of a neighborhood makeover in progress and a Q-and-A with a developer eyeing the once-ignored area.
2nd Place: Wendy Thomas-Russell, Long Beach Press-Telegram
Honorable Mention: Don J. DeBenedictis, Los Angeles Daily Journal
C5 Signed Commentary
Thomas Elias, California Focus
Judges’ comment: Elias hammers away at the high and mighty and the politically connected without regard to party affiliation. He does it with an engaging writing style. He focuses on the pertinent facts, makes connections between them and uses poignant phrases to present his conclusions to the reader.
2nd Place: John Boston, The Signal
Honorable Mention: Andrew Gumbel, Los Angeles CityBeat
C6 Newspapers Columnist (Under 100K)
Gene Maddaus, Pasadena Star-News
Judges’ comment: Maddaus makes an important point about the ethics of journalism and honest reporting, reminding both the subjects of his ire and consumers of media what it means to be on the up-and-up, and why adhering to high standards should be the aim of all news operations. He accomplishes all this with solid reporting and proper scolding supported by a careful architecture of facts.
2nd Place: Amy Alkon, syndicated
Honorable Mention: Natalie Nichols, Los Angeles CityBeat
C7 Editorials
Larry Allison, Long Beach Press-Telegram, “A Councilman’s Business”
Judges’ comment: This is a brisk and smartly written editorial that pulls no punches and wastes no time in telling the reader where the paper stands. The argument behind the editorial is laid out clearly with more evidence than emotion. Bravo.
2nd Place: Greg Baumann, et al., Television Week
Honorable Mention: Rob Eshman, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
C8 Newspaper Entertainment Reviews/Criticism/Column (under 100K)
Tom Teicholz, Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, "Susanna Hoffs Walks Like"
Judges’ comment: Funny, witty and a good read. Gives readers an insight into the life of a former rock star. It was well written and easy to follow.
2nd Place: Sasha Stone, Santa Monica Mirror
Honorable Mention: Luke Y. Thompson, OC Weekly
C9 Newspaper Entertainment Hard news (under 100K)
Andrew Harmon, LA Daily Journal, "Game Maker Fights Switcheroo ..."
Judges’ comment: An interesting and comprehensive look at the cruel "kidnapping" of a Web site for children by a porn site and the fight to stop the intruder, regain credibility and seek justice in the courts. The intricacies of the takeover are well laid out with good sourcing. This was a view of an unusual event we don't often hear about. Strong, concise storytelling.
2nd Place: Greg Baumann, Melissa Grego, Tom Gilbert, Jennifer Ciminillo, Television Week
C10 Entertainment Feature
Anthony Miller, Los Angeles CityBeat, “Revolutionary Roads”
Judges’ comment: Very well-written interview with author Mark Z. Danielewski and review of his second book "Only Revolutions." I've reviewed several of this type of precious book, and appreciate the difficulty of divining what the author is trying to say, of why he chose the method of writing and of trying to encourage the author without totally dissuading him. Miller has done a masterful job of dissecting "Revolutions." Having read Danielewski's first novel as well, Miller does a great job of comparing and contrasting the two. Picking up on a connection here and there, then commenting on music written by the author's sister gives Miller another opening for dialogue with the author. Through this impressive review/author interview, Miller encourages readers to follow these roads.
2nd Place: Andrew Harmon, Los Angeles Daily Journal
Honorable Mention: Steve Appleford, Los Angeles CityBeat
C11 Sports
John Klima, Torrance Daily Breeze, "Baseball's Blackout"
Judges’ comment: John Klima does a smart job explaining why the numbers of black athletes in Major League Baseball has declined rapidly in the past three decades. He astutely notes that the recent trend by pro scouts to select college players over those in high school is snuffing out the opportunities of countless African-American kids.
2nd Place: David Nusbaum, Los Angeles Business Journal
Honorable Mention: Robert Morales, Long Beach Press-Telegram
C12 Special Section Category
Kevin Smith, San Gabriel Valley Newspaper Group, “The Summit”
Judges’ comment: Excellent overview of business in the San Gabriel Valley. Coverage is informative and balanced. Writing is crisp and photos are excellent. It makes me want to move there and find a job.
2nd Place: Staff, Los Angeles Business Journal
Honorable Mention: Staff, Long Beach Press-Telegram
C13 Headlines
Amy Alkon, The Advice Goddess, “With This Ka-ching I Thee Wed”
Judges’ comment: This is a very clever headline. It creates a very funny juxtaposition between two concepts that don’t always go very well together: love and money. The sense of humor behind the headline is a natural extension of the column itself, which is generally quite good.
2nd Place: Todd Cunningham, Los Angeles Business Journal
Honorable Mention: Amy Alkon, The Advice Goddess
C14 - Design
Dan Kacvinski and Carvin Knowles, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, “Jews in Space”
Judges’ comment: How could anyone resist a title like this? The layout is inviting and quickly tells the reader what is in store. Dan and Carvin did justice to the subject matter with their appealing design.
2nd Place: Carvin Knowles, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
Honorable Mention: Deborah Daly, Santa Monica Mirror
D1 News Photo
Carolyn Cole, Los Angeles Times, “Lebanon Bombing”
Judges’ comment: The ultimate illustration of the horror of war. Made tears come to our eye. Congratulations on a gripping photo.
2nd Place: Diandra Jay, Long Beach Press-Telegram
Honorable Mention: Rebecca Martinez, San Fernando Valley Sun/El Sol
D2 Feature Photo
1st Place Rick Loomis, Los Angeles Times, “Back Home”
Judges’ comment: Stunning, poignant. Will he ever have a chance at the normalcy depicted by the other two people in the photo?
2nd Place: Greg Andersen, San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Honorable Mention: Ringo H. W. Chiu, Los Angeles Business Journal
D3 Sports Photo
Robert Gauthier, Los Angeles Times, “Lakers”
Judges’ comment: Great Picture without a face! Capture the emotion of the moment.
2nd Place: Steven Georges, Long Beach Press-Telegram
Honorable Mention: Hans Gutknecht, LA Daily News
D4 Editorial Cartoon
Jake Novak and Michael Ciccotello, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, “Schmooze or Lose”
Judges Comment: Great drawings, great writing, the color strip is amazing. A good modern version of editorial cartooning.
2nd Place: Steve Greenberg, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
Honorable Mention: Patrick O’Connor, LA Daily News
D5 Photo Essay
Rick Loomis, Los Angeles Times, “Altered Oceans”
Judges’ comment: Mind-altering views of the ocean. Comprehensive and stunning.
2nd Place: Ted Soqui, Los Angeles CityBeat/Freelance
Honorable Mention: Anne Cusack, Los Angeles Times
E1 Television Regularly Scheduled Newscast
CBS 2 News Team, KCBS/KCAL
(only one entrant)
E2 Newscasts (over 35 minutes)
CBS 2 News Team, KCBS/KCAL, CBS 2 News at 5 p.m.
Judges’ comment: Nice intro, nice lead – good solid pace, compelling stories with short and solid presentation.
2nd Place: KCAL 9 News at 10 p.m., KCBS/KCAL
Honorable Mention: Jeff L. Wald, KTLA
E3 Breaking News
CBS 2/KCAL 9 News Teams, KCBS/KCAL, “The Esperanza Fire”
2nd Place: Robert Kovacik/Jeffrey Scharping, KNBC TV
Honorable Mention: Jeff L. Wald, KTLA
E4 Feature
Bill Smith, KTLA, “LA’s Good Samaritan Mayor”
Judges’ comments: Is there anything that your LA Mayor Antonio Villariagosa can’t do? Apparently not, according to this charming and inspiring segment by Bill Smith and his team – that captures the good Mayor saving a motorist who had crashed on the freeway, even going so far as to stop traffic to retrieve the man’s wheel barrel. Finely produced with terrific content.
Leelila Strogov, KTTV-Fox 11 News
Bret Marcus, Lisa McRee and John Ridley, California Connected/KCET
E5 Investigative/series
Ana Garcia and Fred Mamoun, KNBC TV, “Dumped Documents”
2nd Place: Chris Blatchford, KTTV-Fox 11 News
Honorable Mention: Brian Ross, Eric Longabardi and Jill Rackmill, ABC News
E6 - SPORTS:
Damon Andrews, Ted Green and Donovan Tar, KTLA, “Umpire School”
(only entry)
E7 – Entertainment Feature:
Sam Rubin and Grace Mendoza, KTLA, “Mel Gibson’s Anti-Semitic Rant”
E8 Talk/Public affairs
Bret Marcus, Lisa McRee, Rick Wilkinson, Bob Jimenez and Joseph Angier, California Connected/KCET, ”Pre-Election Special”
Judges’ comment: The best part of this special was that it offered important election information to viewers in a fantastic entertaining format. If you can make election information compelling and fun to watch… you deserve an award. The music and graphics were sharp and fitting. The entire show was smart and the Prop 86 expose at the end was well produced, shot and edited. Again, it was smart, opinionated and fun to watch.
2nd Place: Bret Marcus, Lisa McRee, Angela Shelley and Michael Bloecher, California Connected/KCET
Honorable Mention [tie]: Bret Marcus, Lisa McRee, Coll Metcalfe and Michael Bloecher, Californa Connected/KCET
Val Zavala, Linda Burns, Sam Louie, Roger Cooper and Vicki Curry, Life and Times/KCET
E9 Documentaries
Jeff Wald, Marcia Brandwynne, Joe Russin, Scott Aulerich, Frank Buckley, Michaela Pereira, Christie Lyn Lugo Leigh and Jim Lowry, KTLA, “When Disaster Strikes: A Survival Guide”
Judges’ comment: A well thought-out and thorough effort to help prepare the community for different disasters. The journalists were not there to scare the audience with flashy disaster scenes, rather to empower them with a factual, well-articulated presentation.
2nd Place: Adam Wilkenfeld, Trent Ward, Bobby Hall, Collin Siedor and Stacey Dewitt, CWK Network
Honorable Mention: Bret Marcus, Lisa McRee, Jonathan Dann and Michael Bloecher, California Connected/KCET
2007 Winners Continued - Click here
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