KCET's SoCal Connected Wins duPont-Columbia Award for 2011
Download Press Release
Download Fact Sheet
KCET's hard-hitting weekly news program, SoCal Connected, today won the
prestigious Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for its extensive
coverage of controversial and timely issues, it was announced today by the
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
The duPont-Columbia Award honors excellence in broadcast journalism and is
considered equivalent to the Pulitzer Prize. The multiple Emmy®-winning series,
which won the 2010 George Foster Peabody Award, has now been awarded broadcast
journalism's two most prestigious honors.
The
award committee praised SoCal Connected
for its "in-depth stories that exposed elected representatives who don't do
their jobs on the local, state and federal levels. KCET's
reporting teams showcased television journalism at its best in these stories.
In 'Up in Smoke,' a team of reporters exposed the rapid, and often illegal
growth of medical marijuana shops in Los Angeles with thorough sourcing,
excellent writing and strong production.
In 'Cal/OSHA,' a stunning six-month
investigation, another team revealed negligence and fraud by a state agency
mandated to protect workers by tracking down documents, finding victims and
talking to officials on the record. And in 'Hung Out to Dry,' a national issue
was brought down to a local level with clear, thorough and well produced
reporting that brought change to the community."
The
winning reports are "Up In Smoke," which investigated loopholes in Los Angeles
City regulations that led to a proliferation of medical pot clinics; "Cannabis
Cowboys," an undercover raid with federal agents to confiscate
marijuana grown
in California parklands by Mexican drug cartels; and "The Doctor Is In," a
piece by Los Angeles Times columnist
Steve Lopez, who finds out just how easy it is to legally obtain medical
marijuana in Southern California.
Also
included in the honor are "Protected or Neglected," a six-month investigation
into California worker safety and the lax handling of worker protection
regulations by Cal/OSHA, and "Hung Out To Dry," a report on FEMA flood zone
designations that forced some California homeowners to pay for expensive,
mandatory flood insurance or lose their homes - even in areas that haven't seen
flooding in decades.
SoCal Connected's award-winning
investigative team is comprised of reporters John
Larson, Steve Lopez, Judy Muller and Vince Gonzales;
producers Karen Foshay and
Rick Wilkinson; anchor Val Zavala; senior producer Justine Schmidt; supervising
producer Linda Burns; associate producers Brian Frank, Alexandria Gales and
Lata Pandya; editors Alberto Arce and Michael Bloecher; graphic designer Robert
Vega; web producer Steve Proffitt; web associate producer Brian Frank; and
executive producer Bret Marcus.
For additional information, please visit: http://www.kcet.org/shows/socal_connected/content/socal-connected-wins-dupont-award.html and http://www.dupontawards.org/year/2011#winners_box
About the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Awards
For
over 40 years, the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards have recognized
excellence in broadcast journalism at Columbia University. Created by Jessie
Ball duPont in 1942 as a tribute to the journalistic integrity and
public-mindedness of her husband, Alfred I. duPont, these awards are regarded today
as the most prestigious prizes in broadcast news, the equivalent of the
Pulitzer Prizes, which are also administered at the Columbia University
Graduate School of Journalism.
The
purpose of the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards is to bring the best
in television and radio journalism to professional and public attention and to
honor those who produce it. The duPont Awards engender a collective spirit for
the industry and inform the public of the contributions news organizations make
to their communities and to the nation as a whole.
About SoCal Connected
SoCal Connected, winner of the Peabody Award, 11 Emmys,
eight Golden Mikes, including Best News Public Affairs Show, 18 LA Press Club
awards for journalism, recipient of the Edward R. Murrow Award for Best News
Documentary, and Los Angeles Magazine's "Best New Local TV Program" of
2009, airs Thursdays (9:00 - 9:30 p.m.), Fridays (8:30 - 9:00 p.m.), Saturdays
(6:00 - 6:30 p.m.) and Sundays (6:30 - 7:00 p.m.), exclusively on KCET. For
more information, to view episodes online or to post comments, please visit www.kcet.org/socalconnected.
SoCal Connected is made possible through the generous
support of The Ahmanson Foundation, serving the Los Angeles community since
1952; Jim and Anne Rothenberg; Maddocks-Brown Foundation; The Elizabeth
Hofert-Dailey Trust; The John Randolph Haynes & Dora Haynes Foundation; The
Alkoloa Foundation, The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs,
UCLA and U.S. Bank.
###
