Good old fashioned city hall coverage earned Voice of OC two first place awards in key news categories at the 65th Annual Southern California Journalism Awards.
Staff Writer Brandon Pho had twin First Place wins for two different stories in the Hard News and Local Government reporting categories.
In his award winning Hard News entry, Fallout From the FBI Corruption Probe Triggers a New Kind of Open Mic Night in Anaheim, Pho takes readers on a journey into the city council chambers, listening to everyone that was shut out while resort interests got a front row seat at city hall.
Pho’s reporting also won distinction in the Local Political, Government Reporting category for his story, Westminster Officials Fight Over ‘Fake News’ for 2 Hours, Discuss City Bankruptcy for 30 Minutes, juxtaposing Westminster council members arguing for over two hours about whether members of the local Vietnamese media were spreading “fake news” while the city increasingly slides toward bankruptcy.
“Brandon’s work on both these stories show his leadership in our community, and regular focus on putting residents front and center at city hall,” said Voice of OC Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Norberto Santana, Jr. “We’re super proud of him and all our staff writers’ community efforts. We really appreciate judges recognizing the kind of tough reporting and writing it takes to help residents protect their quality of life and hold powerful interests accountable.”
For all the winners of the 65th Annual Southern California Journalism Awards click here.