I see in this article that the El Paso Times and its reporters got some much deserved recognition recently.
They recently received awards from no less than the Associated Press Managing Editors.
A former Times reporter who is now with the Denver Post was commended for her articles about the problems over at the El Paso Independent School District:
“Bravo to reporting that seems to have used a combination of digging for records and good-old-fashioned source work to unearth a scandal that had real, quantifiable harm. Investigative journalism at its finest,” the judge wrote.
The Times itself was awarded first place in the community service category for stories and editorials about the cheating. The judge wrote:
“Exceptional use of reporting and public records laws reveal the depth of corruption and malfeasance in a public school system,” the judge wrote. “Outstanding, tough editorials call for action. The El Paso Times staff performed an immense public service by calling attention to the problem and demanding a solution that would benefit the community’s children, parents and taxpayers. This is exciting, satisfying work.”
I have noticed a marked improvement in the Times since the return of the executive editor.
The Times also “won second place in Texas APME’s best newspaper category for mid-size papers.” Now I don’t mean to be funny or cruel here, but second place? I can only wonder about the quality of other newspapers. Maybe the economic situation that the newspapers find themselves in has changed the standards.
I applaud the Times and its staff and will try to be a bit more gentle with my comments in the future.
In the meantime could we get some coverage of the other problems we have with local governments now that the parade is over? I’d like to see them win some more awards.
Muckraker
elpasospeak 