Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Copley "Ring of Truth" awards truncated

Seven of the shrinking chain's eight papers on the block

— For decades, legions of executives, editors, and reporters of once-mighty Copley Newspapers have trooped out to the firm's posh Casa del Zorro resort near Borrego Springs for the annual "Ring of Truth" awards honoring employees for their ostensibly superior journalism. But for Copley insiders, 2007's corporate backslap, held earlier this month, was sadly different. Seven of the shrinking chain's remaining eight papers are on the block to pay off the late Helen Copley's estate taxes, leaving son David with the Union-Tribune as his sole media property. Based on the paucity of prizes given to the U-T in this year's contest -- judged by faculty of the Donald W. Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada in Reno -- there may not be much of a reason to continue the tradition once the sell-off is complete.

In times past, the U-T, Copley's mother ship, touted its awards in large, prominently featured stories, but not this year. On the other hand, the Torrance Daily Breeze, recently unloaded by Copley to the Hearst Corporation, bragged to readers that "six reporters shared first place in the news category for a series of stories about a sewage spill in Manhattan Beach" and that a sportswriter took another first for "a series of articles analyzing the drop in participation of black baseball players." The Peoria (IL) Journal Star won first in best enterprise reporting for "revealing the high incidence of lead poisoning in Peoria." Its editorial writer also placed first. Over in Springfield, the State Journal-Register noted that its coverage of a spate of tornados received a Special Award of Honor for Meritorious Service, "an award that is not given each year."

Sponsored
Sponsored

The U-T's relatively few prizes were mostly for stories that had largely been covered first and arguably better by others. The paper won second place for "best news story" for a report by Matt Hall about how there was "developing controversy about the financing of the San Diego Padres' Petco Park." Leslie Wolf Branscomb and Tanya Sierra were finalists for "an investigation of deplorable conditions in real estate owned by a local politician." That would be Nick Inzunza, former National City mayor and brother of ex-San Diego city councilman and convicted Cheetahs defendant Ralph, whose collection of slum properties was first disclosed here back in 2003.

Mike Lee got a nod as "finalist" for "a series of reports on environmental issues." John Wilkens came in first for best feature with his write-up of a San Diego family's Polynesian sailing trip gone awry. In business reporting, Penni Crabtree claimed second prize for "a story about allergy-free kittens." Robert Krier picked up a first in the "best series of headlines" division for "a collection of feature headlines." And K.C. Alfred came in second for best sports photograph, "for the photograph of a fumbled football and lost helmet."

The U-T did manage to prevail in the "Awards of Valor" category. Elizabeth Fitzsimons, Bruce Lieberman, and Sherri Pineda got a prize for "dedication in organizing an event to benefit the health of a fellow employee's child," and Diana Baier received one for "dedication in organizing a fundraiser to finance a memorial bench for a fellow employee." Cole Tuttle of the Peoria Journal Star was also recognized for "kindness and responsibility in stopping his car to assist an elderly woman who had fallen."

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

San Marcos Harvest Fest, The Distinct Modernism of San Diego

Events October 13-October 16, 2024

— For decades, legions of executives, editors, and reporters of once-mighty Copley Newspapers have trooped out to the firm's posh Casa del Zorro resort near Borrego Springs for the annual "Ring of Truth" awards honoring employees for their ostensibly superior journalism. But for Copley insiders, 2007's corporate backslap, held earlier this month, was sadly different. Seven of the shrinking chain's remaining eight papers are on the block to pay off the late Helen Copley's estate taxes, leaving son David with the Union-Tribune as his sole media property. Based on the paucity of prizes given to the U-T in this year's contest -- judged by faculty of the Donald W. Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada in Reno -- there may not be much of a reason to continue the tradition once the sell-off is complete.

In times past, the U-T, Copley's mother ship, touted its awards in large, prominently featured stories, but not this year. On the other hand, the Torrance Daily Breeze, recently unloaded by Copley to the Hearst Corporation, bragged to readers that "six reporters shared first place in the news category for a series of stories about a sewage spill in Manhattan Beach" and that a sportswriter took another first for "a series of articles analyzing the drop in participation of black baseball players." The Peoria (IL) Journal Star won first in best enterprise reporting for "revealing the high incidence of lead poisoning in Peoria." Its editorial writer also placed first. Over in Springfield, the State Journal-Register noted that its coverage of a spate of tornados received a Special Award of Honor for Meritorious Service, "an award that is not given each year."

Sponsored
Sponsored

The U-T's relatively few prizes were mostly for stories that had largely been covered first and arguably better by others. The paper won second place for "best news story" for a report by Matt Hall about how there was "developing controversy about the financing of the San Diego Padres' Petco Park." Leslie Wolf Branscomb and Tanya Sierra were finalists for "an investigation of deplorable conditions in real estate owned by a local politician." That would be Nick Inzunza, former National City mayor and brother of ex-San Diego city councilman and convicted Cheetahs defendant Ralph, whose collection of slum properties was first disclosed here back in 2003.

Mike Lee got a nod as "finalist" for "a series of reports on environmental issues." John Wilkens came in first for best feature with his write-up of a San Diego family's Polynesian sailing trip gone awry. In business reporting, Penni Crabtree claimed second prize for "a story about allergy-free kittens." Robert Krier picked up a first in the "best series of headlines" division for "a collection of feature headlines." And K.C. Alfred came in second for best sports photograph, "for the photograph of a fumbled football and lost helmet."

The U-T did manage to prevail in the "Awards of Valor" category. Elizabeth Fitzsimons, Bruce Lieberman, and Sherri Pineda got a prize for "dedication in organizing an event to benefit the health of a fellow employee's child," and Diana Baier received one for "dedication in organizing a fundraiser to finance a memorial bench for a fellow employee." Cole Tuttle of the Peoria Journal Star was also recognized for "kindness and responsibility in stopping his car to assist an elderly woman who had fallen."

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Happy accidents on the Bob Ross soundtrack

Jason Lee and Dave Klein craft new sounds for a classic show
Next Article

Gonzo Report: Ben Folds takes requests via paper airplane at UCSD

A bunch of folks brought theirs from home
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader