Voice of OC was recognized twice Sunday at the Los Angeles Press Club’s annual Southern California Journalism Awards.
Editor David Washburn won first place in the online “personality profile/interview” category for his in-depth profile of labor leader Nick Berardino, titled “A Fighter Steps Out of the Ring.”
The judges described it as “an engrossing profile that holds the reader until the end.
“The story is well-written and highly detailed, with everything from the subject’s birth to his rise as a labor leader included. Good use of quotations, both pro and con about the subject, add to the piece’s effectiveness and believability. Long isn’t always good…in this case it is!”
Reporters Tracy Wood and Thy Vo won third place in the online “hard news feature” category for their first-person stories surrounding the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon.
Wood, who was among the few female combat correspondents to cover the war, told the story of how the corruption she witnessed in South Vietnam shaped her worldview and journalism career.
And Vo explored her struggle, and that of others in her generation, to fully understand the trauma of her parents’ refugee experience.
The full list of winners is available here.
The awards come a month after the news agency took home 11 awards from the Orange County Press Club, including best news story, best public affairs story, and best slideshow of 2015.
Nick Gerda covers county government for Voice of OC. He can be reached at ngerda@voiceofoc.org.