Record Searchlight wins California journalism awards, recognized for public service

California's annual journalism contest recognized the Record Searchlight for public service journalism in its pursuit of records related to the sheriff’s office management in Shasta County.

The newspaper in 2021 began to seek an investigative report and other documents that would shed light on how former Sheriff Eric Magrini ran his department after he left his job to accept a promotion as the county’s No. 2 official, despite having received “no confidence” votes from his staff.

The R-S successfully sued for access and was able to provide in-depth coverage related to the findings in the report and other communications it obtained.

Judges from the California News Publishers Association’s annual journalism contest noted the newspaper’s two-year effort in a second place award and cited reporter Damon Arthur for his reporting .

“The Record Searchlight’s persistence in getting the findings from a county investigation took years and a legal fight, but ultimately the public’s right to know prevailed. That doesn’t happen without the dedication of reporters like Damon Arthur. Never. Stop. Fighting,” a judge commented.

In addition to the public service journalism award, the R-S earned second place in local government reporting, second place in its coverage of youth and education and third place in the feature story category.

“We’re thankful to our peers for recognizing the good journalism produced at the Record Searchlight, whether it's in the form of an inspiring story or a watchdog report our North State communities need,” said Jenny Espino, the newspaper’s executive editor. "This little team works their heart out to serve our mission of keeping readers informed."

CNPA's competition celebrates the best journalism by print and online news organizations. Announcement of the awards for the best of 2023 came during a July ceremony in Los Angeles.

Reporter Jessica Skropanic was honored for a story on Native American students who were learning filmmaking to document the stories of their Wintu and Pit River elders.

Arthur and his colleague, reporter David Benda, shared the local government coverage award for their articles examining the chaos that’s marred Shasta County Board of Supervisors meetings.

Arthur received the award in features for a narrative on residents from a neighborhood that took the brunt of the Carr Fire in 2018 and how their lives have changed since then.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Record Searchlight wins California journalism awards, recognized for public service