The Times Earns Scripps Howard Awards for ‘Rebuild, Reburn’ and ‘Legal Weed, Broken Promises’
The Los Angeles Times has earned two Scripps Howard Awards in the organization’s 70th annual competition. Presented by the Scripps Howard Fund and the E.W. Scripps Company, the awards recognize journalism that spurs action, news organizations that go the extra mile to expose previously undisclosed or misunderstood information, and journalists who embrace new tools and approaches to provide more immersive experiences for their audiences. The awards were announced on Oct. 22 during a special program airing on Scripps News.
Times Columnists Erika D. Smith and Anita Chabria earned an Award of Excellence in Opinion Writing for Rebuild, Reburn, a series of four columns which raised the difficult question of whether tiny California towns destroyed by wildfires should be rebuilt at incredible expense, only to face the risk of burning again in an era of climate change, worsening fires and drought.
“If we can’t rebuild every town that is destroyed by tragedy, how do we choose?” Chabria said in a video shown during the awards ceremony. “How do we have that discussion?”
Using the Dixie Fire ruins of devastated Greenville, Calif., as a backdrop, the two columnists explored the often-conservative politics of the state’s rural residents, which can lead them to question established climate science. In addition, they examined how far-right provocateurs capitalize on the loss and confusion in the aftermath of wildfires to promote division. They devoted their final column in the series to the story of two Greenville residents who dream of rebuilding their lives.
“I really wanted to make it as much about the people there as possible . . . but we also wanted to bring some science to it,” said Smith. “Things are not going to get better. Everybody agreed on that. The disagreement came in on what you do about it.”
In addition, The Times earned an Award of Excellence in Business/Financial Reporting for Legal Weed, Broken Promises, an investigative series by Times staff that explored how the business of growing and marketing recreational cannabis has evolved since its legalization in California in 2016.
The journalists discovered a multi-billion-dollar industry in complete disarray, tainted by government corruption, deceit, continued illegal growing operations and an exploited labor force. Workers are often cheated out of their wages and live in horribly squalid conditions. One of the reporting team’s most disturbing findings was that at least 35 laborers have died – 20 of carbon monoxide poisoning – while working on cannabis farms in California and Southern Oregon.
Following the investigation, state officials launched an audit aimed at curtailing bribery, conflicts of interest and other misdeeds.
“Everyone thought it was going to be great,” said Photographer Brian van der Brug, regarding Californians’ initial reaction to the legalization of marijuna. However, “It hasn’t worked out for the growers, it hasn’t worked out for the dispensaries . . . there’s more illegal growing than ever before.”
The Times was also named a finalist in the Excellence in Visual Human-Interest Storytelling for the multimedia series Hollywood’s Finest. The project, by Times Reporter Gale Holland, Staff Photographer Christina House and videographer Claire Hannah Collins, chronicles the journey of a pregnant woman, Mckenzie Trahan, living on the streets of Los Angeles.
For more on the recognized work, watch the reporting teams discuss their respective projects: Rebuild, Reburn; Legal Weed, Broken Promises; and Hollywood’s Finest. To learn more about the awards and see the full list of finalists, visit scripps.com.
