BEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER
El Don Staff, El Don, Santa Ana College, “El Don”
https://bit.ly/vol96issue3 | https://bit.ly/vol96issue5 | https://bit.ly/vol96issue6 | https://bit.ly/vol97issue1 | https://bit.ly/vol97issue2 | https://bit.ly/vol97issue3
Judges’ comment: With crisp, clean design and content that is thoughtfully curated for a collegiate audience, El Don stands out as one of the strongest contenders in college media.
2nd The Corsair Staff, The Corsair, Santa Monica College, “The Corsair Issue 7”
3rd Austin Brumblay and Staff, Daily Forty-Niner, CSULB, “Daily Forty-Niner November 18, 2019 Issue”
BEST HIGH SCHOOL NEWSPAPER
Lauren Ballesteros and Elsie Wang, The Matador, San Gabriel High School, “The Matador Volume 65, Issue 3”
https://bit.ly/3bcpqTS
Judges’ comment: Winner in a very competitive category. Excellent news coverage and timely feature.
2nd Tommy Li, Michelle Buckley, Hannah Yi and Alex Park, The Accolade Newspaper, “Media Under Fire”
3rd The Mirror Staff, Kayla Lee and Pilar Sims, The Mirror, “The Mirror, November 2019 Issue”
BEST COLLEGE NEWS WEBSITE
ELAC Campus News, East Los Angeles College, elaccampusnews.com
Judges’ comment: A nice variety of news topics on a clean, simple, responsive design. Not cluttered. Interesting content.
2nd USC Annenberg Media, uscannenbergmedia.com
3rd The Corsair, Santa Monica College, thecorsaironline.com
BEST HIGH SCHOOL NEWS WEBSITE
The Mirror, Van Nuys High School, vnhsmirror.com
Judges’ comment: It’s clear that the student journalists at The Mirror are producing a high standard of work in multiple platforms – and it all comes together in their website. Excellent pivot to cover the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement.
2nd Highlights, Beverly Hills High School, beverlyhighlights.com
3rd Quest News, Don Antonio Lugo High School, dalquestnews.org
BEST NEWS PHOTO
Yasamin J. Tehrani, The Corsair, Santa Monica College, “Beto O’Rourke Townhall”
Judges’ comment: Tehrani’s choice to focus on a Bernie doll standing out in a crowd shows both the seriousness and hilarity of national politics while revealing our innate need to humanize politicians.
2nd Plapol “PJ” Rattapitak, The Mirror, “Blood Drive”
3rd Ling Luo, USC Annenberg Media, “USC Upsets No. 10 Utah as Fink Makes 2019 Debut”
BEST FEATURE PHOTO
Glenn Zucman, The Corsair, Santa Monica College, “Tiffany Dong, Dancer”
Judges’ comment: Zucman’s portrait of a dancer stretching captures the intense physical sacrifice dancers make which belies the pressure to perform.
2nd Plapol “PJ” Rattapitak, The Mirror, “And the Band Played On”
3rd Kevin Tidmore, The Corsair, Santa Monica College, “Corsair Basketball Coach Joshua Thomas”
BEST NEWS WRITING – PRINT or ONLINE, Sports/Arts
Ruby Yuan and Ashley Zhang, USC Annenberg Media, “Indicted USC Administrator’s Side Business”
https://bit.ly/2y8LGAp
Judges’ comment: Deep and damning investigation of how Donna Heinel, implicated in ‘Varsity Blues’ admissions scandal, was running a self-enriching private consulting operations “under the noses of USC’s leadership.”
2nd Arielle Zolezzi, The Roundup at Pierce College, “Coach Under Investigation”
3rd Stephanie Lai, Columbia Spectator (formerly Pasadena Star News), “UCLA Spirit Squad Director Sacked After Donor — Ex-State Sen. Alan Robbins — Takes Dance Team to Racy Show”
BEST NEWS WRITING – PRINT or ONLINE, Campus Issues
Austin Peay, USC Annenberg Media, “’Like The Kremlin:’ USC’s Broken Promises of Transparency”
https://rb.gy/nvknaa
Judges’ comment: Austin Peay’s article is a great example of the importance of holding officials accountable by going back through the record of their promises. There were a lot of well-done projects from USC in this competition. The Trojans have a lot of local news to cover.
2nd Simrin Singh, Claire Heddles, Haeri Kim, Charlotte Pruett and Keer Wu, USC Annenberg Media, “USC’s Trojan Transfer Plan”
3rd Kaidi “Ruby” Yuan, USC Annenberg Media, “Fourth and Last Defendant Sentenced to Life in Prison in Beating Death of USC Student”
BEST NEWS WRITING – PRINT or ONLINE, Off-Campus Issues
Austin Peay and Sam Kmack, USC Annenberg Media, “Why Students At LA’s Richest Public Schools Are Far More Likely To Get Extra Time On The SAT”
https://bit.ly/3d3Usyi
Judges’ comment: Austin Peay and Sam Kmack dug into data to expose how students with wealthy backgrounds use alleged disabilities to their advantage. Well done.
2nd Logan Bik, The Sundial, “Ranchers and Firefighters Battle Saddleridge Fire”
3rd Stephanie Lai, Columbia Spectator (formerly Daily Bruin), “Document Shows Three People Account for Majority of Property Appeals in Westwood”
BEST FEATURE WRITING – PRINT or ONLINE, Sports/Arts
Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, “At Los Alamitos’ opening day of horse racing, a feeling of ‘less stress’”
https://lat.ms/2xsD9Y8
Judges’ comment: Jack Harris flexes his descriptive writing muscles as he sets scenes for the reader, both in the lede and throughout interviews with various sources. The reader gets a good understanding of what it was like to be at the park that day from the track to a private table in the stands. He also lets sources say things that may not look great for them but shows a deeper truth about their motivations.
2nd Arielle Zolezzi, The Roundup at Pierce College, “Coach Under Investigation”
3rd Ruby Yuan and Ashley Zhang, USC Annenberg Media, “Indicted USC Administrator’s Side Business”
BEST FEATURE WRITING – PRINT or ONLINE, Campus Feature
Steven Vargas, USC Annenberg Media, “Falling Down the Voguing Hole”
https://bit.ly/3bU5o1w
Judges’ comment: Steven Vargas paints a picture of ballroom’s present in Los Angeles as well as its formative past in New York in this feature. His scene-setting skills put the reader in a store shopping for a sequin-filled ball outfit as well as at a ball. He does all this while discussing appropriation and who gets to represent a subculture once it goes mainstream.
2nd Gillian Moran-Perez, The Sundial, “From Incarceration to Higher Education”
3rd Noelle Copeland and Josselyn Ramos, The Mirror, “The Continuing Homecoming Controversy”
BEST FEATURE WRITING – PRINT or ONLINE, Sociopolitical Feature
Grayson Schmidt, Cronkite News at Arizona State University, “Return to ‘the Rock’: Original Alcatraz occupier retraces steps during 50th anniversary”
http://bit.ly/2TzgP6z
Judges’ comment: Grayson Schmidt employs nice, clean writing in this piece about Native American activists returning to an island they once occupied to protest the loss of their ancestral lands. His descriptive writing and quote selection are spot on. He also took the photographs in this piece, making this submission all the more impressive.
2nd Victoria Alejandro, Ampersand, “Sorry, No Hablo Español”
3rd Gillian Moran-Perez, The Sundial, “Period Poverty: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Tampons”
BEST PERSONALITY PROFILE, Campus Personalities — Any platform
Kimberly Silverio-Bautista, The Sundial, “Jose Andres Miramontes”
https://bit.ly/3dnOR6V
Judges’ comment: With respect and honesty, Kimberly Silverio-Bautista told one young man’s very personal, heartbreaking but ultimately empowering story. We saw an entire journey of a young man who lived past his struggles and doubts to realize he had a future, with thanks to some caring help along the way. The story felt like proof the EOP program works.
2nd Nate MacKay, USC Annenberg Media, “Marshall Student Makes Music About His Experience in Conversion Therapy”
3rd Kim Quitzon, Dimelo, USC Annenberg Media, “USC Student Inspires Latinas to Help Each Other and Create Community”
BEST PERSONALITY PROFILE, Public Personalities — Any platform
Andres Soto, The Sundial, “Far from Hollywood, Danny Trejo Made His Own Name”
https://bit.ly/3971obK
Judges’ comment: Andreas Soto did an outstanding job making a print story feel so visual. I saw it all in my head as I was reading it. Soto also came up with a clever way to introduce us to a young man whose name is already so identifiable by another person. I didn’t have to get that far into the story to know *this* Danny Trejo is a pretty impressive young man. I don’t know a thing about soccer and it didn’t matter one bit as I read it. The piece has a real soul.
2nd Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, “Young, Small, but Mighty: Skateboarder Sky Brown Shreds Path Toward Olympics”
3rd Clarissa Kerner, Ampersand, “Simpson’s Art”
BEST TV REPORTING
Chase Beech, USC Annenberg Media, “Students and Parents Weigh in on the Saugus High School Shooting”
https://bit.ly/3clMyQv
Judges’ comment: This is a well-put-together breaking news on scene story with excellent sound bites. Reporter was able to tell the story with urgency concern and bring the viewer to the scene of yet another school shooting and the shock and panic the victims were experiencing. Well written.
2nd Zoe Ginsberg, Nikki Walkger and Yannie Hoang,USC Annenberg Media, “California in Flames”
3rd Rico Bruce, Valley View News, CSUN, “Angelenos Flock to Hussle Celebration”
BEST RADIO OR PODCAST REPORTING
James Chow, Daily Forty-Niner, “Native Histories”
http://bit.ly/3cmArnc
Judges’ comment: Well-researched. Keeps your interest.
2nd Isaiah Murtaugh, USC Annenberg Radio News, “Warrior Bards: Military Vets Rework Ancient Greek Dramas”
3rd Victoria Alejandro, Ampersand, “We’re All the Cowboy If We Want to Be”
Congratulations everyone! Excellent Scholastic journalism.