On a related note, I want to also express my congratulations to the staff of the Los Angeles Times, which won the CNPA’s highest honor, Newspaper of the Year. The Times is a tremendous force for good in our profession, and I’m proud to be part of that organization.
The Times’ faith in us, coupled with the ability, drive and professionalism of the TCN staff, has made our papers a truly positive force in our communities.
It highlights the importance of the type and style of news that we produce. You will see information in these pages that you simply cannot get anywhere else. You will get hard-hitting, impactful journalism about city finances, insights into officer-involved shootings, and up-to-the second online coverage of news, sports and everything else local.
I am particularly proud of several of our awards. The Burbank Leader received first-place nods for its coverage of the Burbank bonus issue, winning in both the government coverage and freedom of information categories.
A bit of background: The city of Burbank, for many years, provided bonus pay to those it rated as “exceptional.” The Leader sought the names and amounts of those receiving the pay, as the city ranked more than 50% of its employees as A-students. That sounded a bit like grade inflation.
The city refused the Leader’s request, saying the information was tantamount to revealing performance evaluations. We disagreed, took the city to court, and won. It showed that even a small paper could prosecute its rights — one with a burly older brother, anyhow.
