Valley News and Village News well-represented at SPJ Awards

Two Reeder Media newspapers – the Village News and the Valley News – were recognized with four awards by the San Diego Society of Professional Journalists at its annual awards banquet Tuesday, July 17.

Both newspapers were handed two awards during the San Diego Society of Professional Journalism 2018 Journalism Contest Banquet held at Kona Kai Resort & Spa in San Diego.

"Reeder Media and our staff pride ourselves on providing relevant, accurate content in a timely manner,” said Kim Harris, Reeder Media’s managing editor. “Winning awards such as these proves that we are able to provide that much-needed service to our readers in a way that is meaningful to them."

Harris won a first place award in the Breaking News story category for non-daily reporting and writing for “300-acre wildfire burning off Los Alamos and Liberty roads near Murrieta; mandatory evacuations in place” in the Valley News.

It is the third year in a row that Harris has won a Breaking News story award from the SDSPJ.

"I couldn't be happier to see that particular category represented for journalists in a non-daily paper such as ours,” Harris said. “Use of our websites, http://www.myvalleynews.com and http://www.villagenews.com, along with social media, allow us to disseminate this pertinent news information to our readers in a timely manner.

“To be recognized for our efforts in this category shows that efforts to become leaders in sharing news on a digital platform have truly paid off, something we at Reeder Media find to be very gratifying as journalism continues to evolve."

Nathalie Taylor was awarded two second place awards – the first in the Review/Criticism non-daily reporting and writing category for her “Brooktown Fusion Kitchen – Savor the Bold Cuisine and the Energetic Ambiance!” feature story in the Village News.

Taylor’s second prize came in the Writing, Food in the non-daily reporting and writing category for “Viva El Jardin and its Enticing Menu Items!” also in the Village News.

Alex Groves was awarded second place in News Feature in the non-daily reporting and writing category for his follow up feature story titled, “In the wake of Lilac fire's destruction, family tries to pick up the pieces” in the Valley News.

“I am very proud of our professional and hard working staff which has won hundreds of journalism awards over the years,” Publisher Julie Reeder said. “We believe it is more crucial than ever that people have a trusted news outlet in their community. We take our First Amendment responsibilities very seriously and appreciate the support we receive from our readers, subscribers and advertisers.”

The Society of Professional Journalists exists to protect the First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and of the press. The San Diego chapter sponsors professional development and networking programs, gives scholarships to student journalists, assists local journalists and the public with First Amendment issues, access to public records and government meetings, and newsgathering issues.

Jeff Pack can be reached at [email protected]