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donald promnitz

Donald Promnitz

published on April 2, 2020 - 1:09 PM
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Business Journal reporter Donald A. Promnitz has won the 2020 George F. Gruner Award for public service journalism.

The annual awards, which were announced Thursday, showcase the top newspaper stories in the San Joaquin Valley. George Gruner, the namesake for the awards, is a former editor from The Fresno Bee who refused to name a vulnerable source in a story on a judge’s orders. Gruner retired in 1988.

The awards were established by The McClatchy Co. and are run by the Fresno State Department of Media, Communications and Journalism.

Promnitz took the award in the weekly paper category for his in-depth look at the opioid epidemic and its impact on the students and alumni in Clovis Unified School District. Over the course of several months, Promnitz interviewed rehab counselors and students, along with their families, detailing their introduction to opioid-based drugs including Vicodin and OxyContin and how easy it was for students to gain access to them.

Promnitz started at The Business Journal in June 2017.

“We’re very proud to receive such a prestigious award from the judges,” said Gordon Webster, The Business Journal publisher. “We’d like to thank Donald for his excellent work on this important topic.”

In all, prizes were awarded in 34 categories, including high school and college journalists for the first time.

Here is the list of winners and runners up:

Public Service

Dailies over 25,000 circulation

Winner: A Decade of Force by the Bakersfield Police Department; Sam Morgen; The Bakersfield Californian

Honorable Mention: Cancer Patients Are Being Denied Drugs; Carmen George; The Fresno Bee

Dailies under 25,000 circulation

Winner: Sex Harassment Lawsuit; Vikaas Shanker; Merced Sun-Star

Honorable Mention: Tulare County Mental Health System; Sheyanne N Romero; Visalia Times-Delta

Weeklies

Winner: Opioid Epidemic in Clovis; Donald Promnitz; The Business Journal

Honorable Mention: Lindsay Bankruptcy; Paul Myers; The Sun-Gazette

Best Column

Dailies over 25,000 circulation

Winner: Vindication for Bobby Mistriel; Robert Price; The Bakersfield Californian

Honorable Mention: DA Sounding Like a Politician; Marek Warszawski; The Fresno Bee

Dailies under 25,000 circulation

Winner: MID Plays Favorites With Electricity Rates; Garth Stapley; The Modesto Bee

Honorable Mention: Devin Nunes’ Lawsuit Is Threat to Democracy; Staff; Visalia Times-Delta

Weeklies

Winner: The Six Pack Girls; Jon Hammond; Tehachapi News

Honorable Mention: Tirade of Merlin Jones; Greg Little and Nicole V. Little; Mariposa Gazette

Best Feature Story

Dailies over 25,000 circulation

Winner: Allensworth Still Symbol for ‘What We Can Become;’ Carmen George, The Fresno Bee

Honorable Mention: The Final Episode of the Harrell-Fritts Saga; Robert Price; The Bakersfield Californian

Dailies under 25,000 circulation

Winner: How a false birth certificate upended a Modesto man’s life; Deke Farrow; The Modesto Bee

Honorable Mention: The KKK and Visalia; Calley Cederlof and James Ward; Visalia Times-Delta

Weeklies

Winner: A True Survivor; Greg Little; Mariposa Gazette

Honorable Mention: Mural Inspires Prisoners; Cara Jackson; Tehachapi News

Best News Story

Dailies over 25,000 circulation

Winner: The Investigation Into the Rev. Monsignor Craig Harrison; Stacey Shepard, Robert Price and John Cox; The Bakersfield Californian

Honorable Mention: Social Justice Groups Are Changing Fresno; Brianna Calix; The Fresno Bee

Dailies under 25,000 circulation

Winner: Legacy of Violence; Sheyanne N Romero and James Ward; Visalia Times-Delta

Honorable Mention: How Modesto PD Polices Its Officers; Erin Tracy and Kevin Valine; The Modesto Bee

Weeklies

Winner: Power Outages in Tehachapi; Christine L. Peterson, Darla A. Baker and Cara Jackson; Tehachapi News

Honorable Mention (tie): Government Shutdown; Greg Little; Mariposa Gazette; Seven Visalia Schools Among Lowest Performing in the State; Reggie Ellis; The Sun-Gazette

Best Sports Feature

Dailies over 25,000 circulation

Winner: The Empty Bike Seat; Carmen George; The Fresno Bee

Honorable Mention: Lexus Green Looks to Continue Family Tradition; Clay Cunningham; The Bakersfield Californian

Dailies under 25,000 circulation

Winner: High School Referee Shortage; Julian A. Lopez; The Modesto Bee

Honorable Mention: She Made History on the Football Field; Vongni Yang; Visalia Times-Delta

Weeklies

Winner: McDaniel Uses His Faith; Jeremiah Martinez; Enterprise Recorder

Honorable Mention: Joe Montana; Matt Johnson; Mariposa Gazette

Best News/Feature Photo

Dailies over 25,000 circulation

Winner: Jerry Dyer and the New Police Chief; John Walker; The Fresno Bee

Honorable Mention: Staying Cool at the Pool; Alex Horvath; The Bakersfield Californian

Dailies under 25,000 circulation

Winner: Homeless Woman in Modesto’s Tent City; Andy Alfaro; The Modesto Bee

Honorable Mention: Graduation Joy; Ron Holman; Visalia Times-Delta

Weeklies

Winner: Tehachapi’s Own Version of ‘Frozen;’ Jon Hammond; Tehachapi News

Honorable Mention: The Sky’s the Limit; Nicole V. Little; Mariposa Gazette

Best Sports Photo

Dailies over 25,000 circulation

Winner: Clovis Rodeo Action; Craig Kohlruss; The Fresno Bee

Honorable Mention: Buzzer-beater; Alex Horvath; The Bakersfield Californian

Dailies under 25,000 circulation

Winner: Soccer Match; Ron Holman; Visalia Times-Delta

Honorable Mention: Ripon Reigns; Andy Alfaro; The Modesto Bee

Weeklies

Winner: Rodeo; Matt Johnson; Mariposa Gazette

Honorable Mention: The Warriors Run for a Touchdown; Corey Costelloe; Tehachapi News

College Newspaper Excellence

Winner: The Collegian; San Joaquin Delta College

Honorable Mention: The Collegian; Fresno State

College Online Excellence

Winner: The Collegian; San Joaquin Delta College

Honorable Mention: The Collegian; Fresno State

College Best News/Enterprise Story

Winner: Vivienne Aguilar; The Collegian; San Joaquin Delta College

Honorable Mention: Larry Valenzuela; The Collegian; Fresno State

College Best Profile Story

Winner: Anthony De Leon; The Collegian; Fresno State

Honorable Mention: Harpreet Singh; The Collegian; San Joaquin Delta College

High School Newspaper or Online General Excellence

Winner: Sanger Hi-Lights; Sanger High School

Honorable Mention: Selma Clarion; Selma High School

High School Best News/Enterprise Story

Winner: Dress Code Causes Confusion; Sakshi Palav; Selma Clarion; Selma High School

Honorable Mention: The Dirt on the Parking Lot; Autumn Pecarovich and Joseph Langley; Minarets Press; Minarets High School

High School Best Profile Story

Winner: Principal of Fun; Suriya Siriphoosit; Sanger Hi-Lights; Sanger High School

Honorable Mention: Victoria’s Wonderful Journey With Music; Anna Armstrong; Selma Clarion; Selma High School


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