posted July 15
ChicoSol has been awarded a first place in the prestigious Community Focus category in the statewide newspaper contest run by California News Publishers Association (CNPA).
The award, announced July 14, recognizes the stories last year by Natalie Hanson and Leslie Layton on the gender identity lawsuit that was filed against Chico Unified School District by a local mom.
ChicoSol competed for the first place with the Bay Area Reporter, the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Santa Barbara Independent and the San Francisco Chronicle, all of whom were named as finalists in May. A judge wrote that our coverage of the lawsuit produced a “strong series that shows how a community paper can be fair – and still expose bigotry and transphobia and offer the true facts.”
The lawsuit stories also won a third place in the Youth and Education category.
ChicoSol placed fourth in Investigative Reporting, fourth in Health Reporting, and fifth in Housing and Land-Use Reporting. The investigative reporting award recognized a video story by Dave Waddell and Julian Mendoza, “The checkered history of Mark Bass,” which a judge said “packs a wallop.”
ChicoSol placed fourth in Health Reporting for Hanson’s essay. “When the truth won’t set them free,” which a judge said was a “powerful personal tale.”
ChicoSol placed fifth in Housing and Land-Use Reporting for Hanson’s story on the Valley’s Edge planned community project.