You probably know that The Newsletter goes out only to California Local members and subscribers—folks like yourself who’ve signed up to join our family and support our work. Today I am writing to bring the good news that we have just been given two big awards by the California News Publishers Association (CNPA).
We learned Thursday morning that our Santa Cruz Rail Trail ‘Tracker’ won a Third Place award for Public Interest Journalism. This is a category that many people in our industry care the most deeply about, because it involves having a real and demonstrable impact in our community—and as you are no doubt aware, that’s why we are in this game to begin with.
The award-winning “Tracker,” by the way, is a news product devised by our co-founder Chris Neklason, who defines it like so: “Article that acts as a portal for information about an ongoing process, tracking it and adding and updating information over time.” And here’s what the CNPA judges said about this one.
One-stop shopping for readers interested in this local issue. A model for presenting comprehensive information on a subject of public interest—a contentious one—from all kinds of angles and all kinds of sources. Allows readers to access journalism as well as primary sources, a nod to the “do your own research” approach. All of it is in easily digested writing and images. Informative and inviting through expert use of media.
We are deeply honored that our industry peers have given us this recognition. Speaking of which.
California Local Wins First Place CNPA Award for Story Presentation Page Layout & Design
My friend and colleague Chris has thought long and hard about the best ways to present news and information in a way that helps keep people engaged; NewsOS, our Content Management System, is a result of years of his work toward that end. Kara Brown, our designer, has decades in the biz, and is committed to creating a user experience that inspires feelings of delight. Apparently their collaboration is golden.
I am pleased as punch to tell you that we have been named the best-looking journalism website (in our 100,000 uniques-per-month division) in the state of California. And here, “best-looking,” as in all online endeavors, includes functionality.
We are fiercely committed to creating something good in the online world—by bringing you news you can trust and helping you stay connected.
As you will see below, there is more on its way.
