Pilot, sister papers earn newsy nods

The Daily Pilot’s front page photograph of a man dangling

precariously from officers’ arms was among several awards gathered by

the Pilot and its sister papers at the 2003 Better Newspapers Contest

luncheon Saturday at the Queen Mary.

Sean Hiller’s March 3 photograph of California Highway Patrol

officers reaching over the railing of the Costa Mesa Freeway

interchange, trying to prevent a suicidal Tustin man from falling

onto the San Diego Freeway, won first-place spot-news photo for daily

newspapers in California with circulations of 25,001 to 75,000.

Nine judges appraised the best work from newspapers all over the

state. The winning entries were announced Saturday at the luncheon.

The Pilot’s sister papers -- part of a family of five published by

Times Community News, a division of the Los Angeles Times -- also

faired well.

The Laguna Beach Coastline Pilot won first place for page layout

and design in the category for weeklies with 11,001 to 25,000 circulation. It took second place in general excellence for papers of

the same size.

The Huntington Beach Independent placed second in front page, page

layout and design and spot news photo categories for weeklies with a

circulation of 25,001 and above.

“It’s all about the staff,” Coastline Pilot City Editor Alicia

Lopez said. “Our paper’s staff is small, but their enthusiasm and

dedication make up for that.”

Others agreed.

“This is a credit to the staffs of these papers,” said Thomas H.

Johnson, the publisher for the Pilot, the Independent and the

Coastline Pilot. “They are the ones who are really doing the work.

They are the ones who really deserve the credit.”

The Burbank Leader, a twice-weekly paper in the family, won a

first- and second-place award for local spot news for weeklies with

circulation of 11,001 to 25,000. It also earned a second-place honor

for page layout and design.

The News-Press, the company’s daily Glendale paper, received a

second-place award for the category of columns, commentary, and

criticism for dailies with circulations of 25,001 to 75,000.

“I’m proud of the work our staff does,” said Tony Dodero, editor

for the trio of Orange County papers and Times Community News

editorial director. “This is just validation of the fact that we

produce some of the best community news in the state.”

News-Press and Leader publisher Will Fleet was the emcee of the

event.