inewsource was honored with 22 awards Tuesday night from the San Diego Press Club, including a Best of Show award.
Reporter Roxana Popescu, who has worked with inewsource since 2010, took home the Best of Show in the Online and Daily Newspapers category for her story, “Pandemic takes a toll on San Diego County refugees sheltering in place with abusive partners.”
The judges called it a “sensitive and important story” that shed light on the struggles of women and children amid the pandemic. Popescu’s story was chosen from all the first place entries in that category, with the story also winning first place for feature stories on serious subjects.
inewsource reporters also swept the category for investigative reporting, taking first, second and third place honors.
The annual competition, which yielded about 1,000 entries, was judged by the New Orleans Press Club chapter and covered from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this is the first year the competition’s yearly gala has been hosted online.
Click here to see a full list of the winners announced Tuesday. Here are the awards inewsource received:
First Place
Roxana Popescu, “Pandemic takes a toll on San Diego County refugees sheltering in place with abusive partners.” Online and Daily Newspapers: Feature – Serious Subject
Shyla Nott, “REWIRED – a two part series.” Online and Daily Newspapers: Feature Layout Design
Shyla Nott, “REWIRED – a two part series.” Online and Daily Newspapers: Front Page Design
Brad Racino, “Mapping populations at highest risk of COVID-19 complications in San Diego County.” Online and Daily Newspapers: Health and Medicine
Cody Dulaney and Jill Castellano, “San Diego County knew about gaps in mental health care at a COVID-19 motel. Now someone is dead.” Online and Daily Newspapers: Investigative Reporting
Brad Racino and Jill Castellano, “Risky Research.” Online and Daily Newspapers: Series – Serious Subject
Brad Racino and Jill Castellano, “REWIRED.” Radio/Podcast: Enterprise/Investigative Reporting
Mary Plummer, “Fire risks tied to homelessness in San Diego’s Canyons.” Radio/Podcast: General News Story
Second Place
Mary Plummer, “San Diego Convention Center expansion measure leaves many details unknown.” Online and Daily Newspapers: Election Coverage
Brad Racino, “Ketamine: San Diego VA moves suicidal veterans off life-saving treatment, against doctors pleas.” Online and Daily Newspapers: Health and Medicine
Cody Dulaney, “San Diego police issue twice as many illegal lodging tickets to homeless during pandemic.” Online and Daily Newspapers: Criminal Justice
Brad Racino and Jill Castellano, “REWIRED.” Online and Daily Newspapers: Investigative Reporting
Zoë Meyers, “Scene of County Administration Building during George Floyd
protest.” Photography, Still: Breaking News
Mary Plummer, “Military Wife’s Coronavirus Tale.” Radio/Podcast: Feature
Third Place
Jennifer Bowman, “Cory Briggs’ track record overshadows his San Diego city attorney bid.” Online and Daily Newspapers: Election Coverage
Mary Plummer, “Fire risks to homelessness in San Diego’s canyons leaves residents on edge.” Online and Daily Newspapers: Environment
Jill Castellano, “Anatomy of an outbreak: How COVID-19 struck dozens of San Diego VA social workers.” Online and Daily Newspapers: Investigative Reporting
Cody Dulaney, “San Diego could put homeless in motels with history of bedbug, mold complaints.” Online and Daily Newspapers: Poilitcal/Government
Zoë Meyers, “Photos from San Diego hospitals amid COVID-19 pandemic.” Photography, Still: Photo Essay
Honorable Mention
Zoë Meyers, “Healthcare worker in the midst of a pandemic.” Photography, Still: Serious Subject
Zoë Meyers, “Scene from San Diego protest over police violence,” Photography, still: News
Type of Content
Behind The Story: Clarifies for the public how a story was reported.
