By Stephen Magagnini | OBSERVER Editor In Chief

The California Newspaper Publishers Association, representing more than 700 news organizations, recognized The OBSERVER’s work in seven award categories at its banquet last week.

The OBSERVER was honored in the following categories. We have included some of the judges’ comments:

  • Second place in Health Reporting, Genoa Barrow, “Painfully Aware: Examining the Impact of Sickle Cell Disease in the African American Community” (special section).
  • Second place in In-Depth Reporting, Genoa Barrow, “Inside Out: A Look at Mass Incarceration”: “Storytelling at its very best. Each profile sticks with you thanks to the memorable writing and incredible personal insights that they shared. Genoa Barrow is a heckuva writer and knows how to get people to talk.”
  • Second place in Feature Reporting, Jared Childress, “Black Pride: Black Queer and Trans Folk Talk about Parental Love and Pride’s Social Justice Roots”: “This series is a powerful, poignant effort that builds awareness and empathy, and is accessible to all readers. The individual profiles are moving, and the resources and glossary are excellent tools for readers to understand and appreciate many aspects of these stories.”
  • Second place in Profile Story, Steve Magagnini, “New Sac State President J. Luke Wood”: “An inspiring story, written with craft, about triumph over unimaginable adversity. Extensive reporting on his accomplishments was also helpful.”
  • Fourth place in Enterprise News Story/Series, Jared Childress, “The 8 Limbs of the Black Yogi.”
  • Fifth place in Photo Story/Essay, Louis Bryant III, “Lessons From Cuba”: “Very strong portrait work. I really got a sense of who the subjects were and even their lifestyles. Really liked the first image with the cigar … a strong entry and one that stood out.”
  • Fifth place in Coverage of Youth and Education, Srishti Prabha, “The Way Sacramento Pays for Arts Education is Broken. Here’s What Can Help”: “I found the story about art programs to be quite interesting; there is a real possibility of getting lost in the nuts and bolts of school funding, and this story seemed to walk a tightrope between information of broad interest to readers and getting into the weeds.”

“I’m very proud of the work our team has done over the past year,” OBSERVER Publisher Larry Lee said in announcing the awards. “We’ve reported hundreds of articles, talked to dozens of neighbors, and shined a light on topics and issues that otherwise would have been missed. These awards further affirm our commitment to trustworthy, unbiased news that matters.”

Lee also thanked The OBSERVER’s loyal readers, subscribers, and advertisers: “We couldn’t have done it without you,” he said. “Your support means we can keep pounding the pavement, reporting on breaking news and important local issues. Your support keeps our lights on.”