By Miriam Raftery
October 27, 2024 (San Diego)—Four members of East County Magazine’s journalism team won awards at the San Diego Press Club’s Excellence in Journalism Awards presented on October 22. Their coverage encompassed public safety issues in La Mesa, the future of the Water Conservation Garden, international migrants in Jacumba, and La Mesa's ban on public comments after anti-Semitic rants.
Miriam Raftery won second place in the public service/consumer advocacy category for her article, “How dangerous is the area where La Mesa seeks to erect digital billboards?” She also received a second-place award for her series, “Water Conservation Garden struggles to thrive” in the series on a serious subject category. Read the series: Part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5.
Reporter Bransen Harper and Photographer Patrick Watkins won third place awards in the feature-serious subject category for their coverage of international migrants in Jacumba, “There were guys with guns, silencers” and “I am devastated. I fear for his life.” The article included interviews with migrants from multiple countries and a follow-up on a young Russian migrant opposed to the Ukraine War, now facing deportation.
Journalist Michael Howard received an honorable mention in the political/governmental category for his article, “La Mesa bans remote public comments after anti-Semitic rants.”
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