The Winners Tab
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The Winners Tab 2013 BETTER NEWSPAPERS CONTEST AWARDS PRESENTATION: SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014 CALIFORNIA NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION INSIDE ESTABLISHED 1888 2 General Excellence 5 Awards by Newspaper 6 Awards by Category 10 Campus Awards normally loquacious violinist is prone to becoming overwhelmed with emotion The Most Interesting Man in the Phil when discussing the physical, psychologi- How Vijay Gupta, a 26-Year-Old Former Med Student, cal and spiritual struggles of his non-Dis- Found Himself and Brought Classical Music to Skid Row ney Hall audience. “I’m this privileged musician,” he said recently. “Who the hell am I to think that I By Donna Evans could help anybody?” On a sweltering day in late August, raucous applause. Chasing Zubin Mehta Los Angeles Philharmonic violinist Vijay Screams of “Encore!” are heard. One Gupta will be front and center this week Gupta steps in front of a crowd and bows man, sitting amidst plastic bags of his when the Phil kicks off the celebration of his head to polite applause. belongings, belts out a curious request for the 10th anniversary of Walt Disney Con- He glances at the audience and surveys Ice Cube. Gupta and his fellow musicians, cert Hall. Along with the 105 other mem- the cellist and violist to his left . He takes Jacob Braun and Ben Ullery, smile widely bers of the orchestra, he’ll spend much of a breath, lift s his 2003 Krutz violin and and bow. the next nine months in formal clothes tucks it under his chin. Once it’s settled, Skid Row may seem an unlikely place and playing in front of affl uent crowds. In he slowly pulls the bow across the strings. for a classical concert. In fact, it was, prior addition to the Downtown dates that start As the fi rst strains of the “Passacaglia” to Street Symphony, a nonprofi t organiza- on Monday, Sept. 30, the Phil this season by George Frideric Handel and Johann tion founded by Gupta in 2011. Th e New will tour domestically, including stints in Halvorsen usher forth, the murmurs of the York native was just 24 at the time, though Washington, D.C., and New York. crowd go mute. he had already been a member of the Phil Vijay Gupta was born in 1987 in While the scene is one that audiences at for fi ve years. He was the youngest player Walden, N.Y., in the Mid-Hudson Valley Walt Disney Concert Hall pay up to $266 in the orchestra when he joined at the age public relations for the L.A. Phil who now to Vivek, a travel agent, and Chandana, a a ticket to take in, no one here has spent a of 19, and at 26 today, he’s still the young- serves as vice president of external aff airs bank teller; the couple immigrated to the cent. In fact, many in the packed room at est. for the St. Louis Symphony. United States from India. His musical in- Skid Row’s Midnight Street Symphony Th e path that brought Gupta to Skid clination was clear from an early age — he Mission know little Los Angeles Downtown News is an ensemble of Row is as twisting as it is unlikely, and continually sang and danced around the about classical music socially conscious house — and when he was 4 his parents (Weekly A. 25,001 & Above) though he has now played the Mission and even less about musicians dedi- three times, it’s clear that it’s a visceral took him to a music teacher. He was soon the men playing in 1st Place, Feature Story cated to bringing experience for the man who suff ered his given the choice of piano or violin. While front of them. Still, live, classical music own mental abuse while growing up. Th e Gupta’s younger brother, Akshar, later the approximately to the mentally ill, See PHIL, PAGE 8 100 people, many of whom sleep on the imprisoned, homeless and the otherwise streets at night, sit rapt on their blue plas- marginalized members of society. Gupta tic chairs. Th ey remain largely quiet — if founded the group with Adrian Hong, a not as silent as Disney Hall crowds — dur- human rights activist and the managing ing the 45-minute performance. director of consultancy Pegasus Strategies, Harvest of Fear When it ends, the crowd busts into and Adam Crane, the former director of Rape, harassment persist among female farmworkers. By Robert Rodriguez and Diana Aguilera Maria, a farmworker from Guatemala, sor was not arrested and she has seen him Bringing back the Logjams says never again will she look at any super- around Huron numerous times. Huron visor with the same trust she once had. police Lt. Chad McMullen said Sunday By Adam Spencer Th e 40-year-old mother of three was that the department takes all sexual assault Like so many rivers of the West, the Del Norte Triplicate hired last November to pick pomegran- cases seriously. He said he didn’t have Lower Klamath exhibits a legacy of de- (Weekly C. 4,301 - 11,000) ates near Huron. Her supervisor told her information on Maria’s case and couldn’t he would pick her up an hour earlier than comment on it. struc ve logging prac ces and is currently 1st Place undergoing restora on. What sets this the rest of the crew. She was puzzled, but Legal aid workers and experts who have work apart is the lead role held by Na ve Environmental Reporting needed the work. studied the issue say Maria’s case is not American tribes. But the early pick-up turned into a sexual unusual. assault when the su- Besides federal and state agencies, the For hundreds if not thousands of years, pervisor drove to an The Fresno Bee Veil of secrecy alley Yurok Tribe Fisheries Program is the larg- tribes of the Klamath basin have been in- (Daily B. 35,001 - 150,000) est fi sheries management organization in trinsically linked to salmon, steelhead and in Huron and Every year in the California. the waterways that breed them. attempted to rape 1st Place central San Joaquin her in the back of Today, commercial harvesting of chi- Agricultural Reporting Valley, thousands Photo: Del Norte Triplicate / Bryant Anderson nook salmon is an economic driver for the the van, putting of farmworkers are Yuroks, with tribal fi shermen pull-ing in his hand over her harvesting fruits and close to $3 million last season — some- mouth and holding her wrists while trying vegetables to feed the nation and the world. times making around $1,000 a day. to take her pants off . Yet, underneath this massive multibillion- In order to sustain and improve this Maria was in shock. dollar industry is an environment that resource, the Yurok tribe has acquired and She was able to fend him off , and a few advocates say makes it ripe for sexual abuse. spent millions of dollars in grant funding days later — at the urging of her husband Female workers have been the victims of to restore fi sheries in the Lower Klamath. and with the help of legal aid staff ers sexual attacks, harassment and intimida- In a three-part series beginning today — she reported it to the Huron Police tion by supervisors and fellow workers. and continuing in March and April, the Department. Many have suff ered in silence, afraid to Triplicate will take a look at the three as- Maria, who spoke on condition that her tell authorities for fear of losing their jobs pects of Yurok fi sheries restoration work: last name not be used, said the supervi- — or being deported. Sarah Beesley, a biologist for the Yurok Tribal Fisher- habitat restoration, up-slope restoration See FEAR, PAGE 3 ies Program, overlooks a logjam she helped engineer to recover fi sh in Terwer Creek. See LOGJAMS, PAGE 8 California Newspaper Publishers Association 2013 BNC 2 Th e Winners Tab General Excellence First Place Winners Daily & Weekly Divisions 150,001 & Above 35,001 - 150,000 15,001 - 35,000 15,000 & Under Great breadth, strong writing, solid This paper cares about its commu- Packed with local news, features, This paper shows that it is ambitious reporting, packaging and design—and nity. Good beat reporting, sense of enterprise and photos. The Desert Sun in its journalism, offering a well-con- so much newshole—create a diverse place and keen focus on local news. serves its community well. The paper ceived mix of local, state, national sense of life and culture in L.A. Creativ- Strong editorial, great space for let- is easy to read—clean, accessible and world news, plus sports, arts ity and energy help features and busi- ters and topical op-eds. writing; interesting stories; simple and lifestyle sections. The design/ ness shine brightly. design and heads. Strong news cover- layout is attractive and well-orga- age and fun, engaging bite-sized nized. Kudos for a strong Sunday edits on Saturday. opinion page and op-ed offerings, with a nice mix of topics. 25,001 & Above 11,001 - 25,000 4,301 - 11,000 4,300 & Under Lots of local concerns covered here. Nice job on water shortage. Layout makes for easy reading. Editorials ad- dress local issues. Calendar features A good community weekly refl ects its well-presented. community well. A generous newshole, a strong local focus, smart reporting, Reporting was solid and story choice and an attractive, well-organized pack- creative. Writing lived up to graphics age; good columns, nice mix of letters and layout. Regular features like “Rise from readers and a dignifi ed approach and Fall” a nice balance to in-depth to obituaries.