To sum up
Judges for this year’s California Journalism Awards called CalMatters’ work “insightful,” “impressive” and “thorough.”
CalMatters has once again been awarded first place for overall excellence in a statewide journalism contest, with one judge saying, “I couldn’t find a story that didn’t answer the question: Why does this matter to California?”
CalMatters’ first place the California News Publishers Association win is in the largest digital audience category; the Los Angeles Times was second and the San Francisco Chronicle was third. The award is given for the full year of editorial work in 2022.
The judges noted, “CalMatters’ digital platform presents insightful political news in an extremely engaging yet digestible way. The report delves into complex issues while capturing attention with striking visual content. Headlines grab attention, the photography is excellent and each vertical has wide and important coverage.”
This is CalMatters’ second year in a row with the top honor in the largest audience category and its third overall win. The 2021 award highlighted a “relentless approach to telling compelling stories from multiple perspectives.” the 2020 one noted “easy navigation, good art, beautifully written stories, and even interactivity”; and in the 2019 runner-up honor, the judges said that “rarely does a community-funded nonprofit news website reach the level of what CalMatters offers. … You feel like you’re visiting a great organization of news”.
This year’s California CalMatters Journalism Awards also include:
Information graphic
1st Place, Jeremiah Kimelman, John Osborn D’Agostino, Erica Yee
This honor goes to the Drought and Water Tracker which provides current and historical perspective on water issues facing the state using a variety of publicly available datasets.
Environmental coverage
2nd Place, Rachel Becker
The judges noted Becker’s comprehensive report on California’s water crisis: “This report provides so much context that it’s actually a road map to help solve some of our most vexing problems. The graphics are also very informative. The reporter provides all this information while telling compelling stories.”
Coverage of the Company and the Economy
2nd place, Alexei Koseff
The judges honored it story that examines the issues facing legal cannabis: “A comprehensive report that shines a light on various players in the cannabis industry, as well as the political implications of Newsom’s support and his eventual lack of attention to the cause. Each story flowed well with comprehensive reporting that highlighted personal stories of the entire state.”
featured photo
2nd place, Martin do Nascimiento
This photo from a story about infant formula shortages that the judges praised as: “Lovely well-lit portrait. Maybe a slightly different crop at the bottom to solve pinky finger distraction. Expressions are great for concern
Health coverage
3rd place, Kristen Hwang
The judges noted this story about rising rates of syphilis: “the depth of reporting on the ground here is impressive and the writing is outstanding. Good work.”
Coverage of Youth and Education
3rd place, Mikhail Zinshteyn, Julie Watts, Michaella Huck
This series on low graduation rates for black students at California State University was honored by judges who said, “Reporters Mikhail Zinshteyn, Julie Watts and Michaella Huck took what could have been routine data analysis and , instead, they discovered a flaw in how the CSU system reports progress. among black students. The benefit of digging deeper.”
Newsletter
3rd place, Emily Hoeven
Hoeven’s CalMatters newsletters, including one that featured lawmakers’ climate change travel, were honored by the judges. They wrote that they were: “impressed by the design, quality of writing and the wide variety of topics featured in this engaging and useful newsletter. Bullets help draw the reader in and focus on the most important parts of the news of the day, especially important to readers looking for bite-sized information and quick access to top California headlines.
