The Daily 49er was awarded best college newspaper for the 2011-12 school year at the annual Southern California Journalism Awards held last Sunday.
The Los Angeles Press Club has honored journalists for 54 years at the Southern California Journalism Awards. The Daily 49er ranked above the Los Angeles Collegian from Los Angeles City College and the El Don from Santa Ana City College.
“I was proud of our budget cut coverage,” Zien Halwani, who served as the Daily 49er’s editor-in-chief in 2011-12, said. “We were on top of everything.”
Halwani said he believed the Daily 49er was responsible for covering all CSU budget cut meetings, protests and hunger strikes because Cal State Long Beach is the closest Cal State University campus to the Chancellor’s Office.
The judges commended the Daily 49er on its investigative reporting and recognized the newspaper for being well-researched and taking student issues to heart. The Press Club also said the Daily 49er had a great layout with a good mix of news, entertainment, opinions and sports.
In April, the Daily 49er was recognized nationally in the Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Award contest.
Stefan Agregado, photo editor of the Daily 49er, and Steven Carcano, sports photo editor of the Daily 49er, each won first place prizes in the categories of Breaking News Photography and Sports Photography, respectively, in 2011-12.