Pilot grabs top honors in newspaper competition
The Daily Pilot’s coverage of the 1999 preschool killings in Costa
Mesa won first place in the local spot news and spot news photo
categories at the annual California Newspaper Publishers Assn. awards
ceremony.
The association recognizes excellence in journalism through its Better
Newspapers Contest. The Pilot was judged against daily newspapers with a
circulation of 25,001-75,000 from throughout the state.
Staff photographer Don Leach shot the winning photographs. Among the
staff writers who contributed to the award-winning news package were Greg
Risling, Elise Gee, Jessica Garrison and Drew Harris.
“It was a tragedy,” Leach said. “Covering those kinds of stories are
obviously the most difficult. And you kind of feel bad being there, but
you have to do your job.”
The events of May 3, 1999, shocked and horrified the community. Steven
Allen Abrams drove his car into the playground at the Southcoast Early
Childhood Learning Center in Costa Mesa, taking the lives of Sierra Soto,
4, and Brandon Wiener, 3.
Pilot editor Tony Dodero commended the staff, who in the face of
tragedy performed their duties to report the unfolding story to the
grieving community.
“These awards solidify the Daily Pilot’s long-standing tradition of
excelling at breaking news coverage,” Dodero said. “I’m very proud of our
paper and proud of the staff writers and photographers who did great work
and kept their poise during the coverage of this very traumatic story.”
Publisher Tom Johnson said it is difficult to cover such a horrifying
incident and praised the staff for their professionalism and compassion.
“I think it’s outstanding for the Daily Pilot overall to win these
kind of awards. I think it’s a great credit to the journalists that we’re
able to attract and the tremendous talent that they have,” Johnson said.
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