Independent wins statewide newspaper awards

The Huntington Beach Independent won two second-place awards, one for

its design and one for columns written by Ron Davis, in the 2001

California Newspaper Publishers Assn. Better Newspaper Contest.

The Independent won in the 25,001 and up weekly category, the

association announced Saturday.

“We thought long and hard about how best to present our news,”

Publisher Tom Johnson said of the paper’s redesign, which was done in

June 2001. “It’s very satisfying to know that our peers recognized that.

We think the awards speak well of our role in the community.”

Editor Tony Dodero pointed to the tough competition as evidence that

the Independent is consistently producing top-quality journalism.

“We pride ourselves on our paper and what it delivers,” he said. “To

come in second to the San Francisco Weekly for design shows we’re giving

readers excellent journalism.”

Dodero added that Davis’ award was bittersweet, as Davis had to step

down from the post when he applied for a vacant City Council seat earlier

this year.

“Ron focused on important issues and wrote about them in a lively,

original way,” Dodero said. “His voice added a lot to our paper.”

The Independent’s sister paper, the Daily Pilot, which is published

along with the Independent by Times Community News, won a second-place

award for its editorial pages in the 25,001 to 75,000 daily category.

Along with the Independent and Pilot, Times Community News publishes

four other newspapers: the News-Press, a daily in Glendale; the Inland

Valley Voice; the Burbank Leader, a weekly; and the weekly Laguna Beach

Coastline Pilot.