The California News Publishers Association recognized the Gilroy Dispatch for its pandemic reporting and editorials, handing the team five awards as part of the 2021 California Journalism Awards on May 18.
The Dispatch competed in the weekly newspaper circulation of 11,001-25,000 division.
Publisher Dan Pulcrano received first place for his Dec. 18 editorial, “We’re number one—unfortunately,” which highlighted Gilroy’s skyrocketing Covid-19 case rates during the winter surge.
In their comments, a judge wrote that the piece was a “terrific commentary” that was “very well-written and well thought out.”
Editor Erik Chalhoub and Pulcrano were awarded third place for editorial comment for “Our Annual Holiday Poem,” a tongue-in-cheek take on various events that happened in Gilroy in 2020.
Reporter Juan Reyes secured third place in Covid-19 fallout reporting, with his article “Students struggle to stay connected.” The Oct. 9 report dove into the various internet access issues Gilroy Unified School District students faced in the era of distance learning.
Pulcrano’s illustration showing Gilroy’s Covid-19 infection rates compared to the rest of Santa Clara County earned third place in the Informational Graphic category.
Chalhoub’s June 12 feature story on Gary Young, a well-known Gilroyan who was one of the first victims of Covid-19 in the county, received fourth place in the Pandemic Profiles category, with a judge saying the article “painted a picture of the victim very well.”
The Dispatch’s sister newspapers, Morgan Hill Times and Hollister Free Lance, were also recognized.
The Morgan Hill Times received third place for its coverage of the pandemic fallout, competing in the weekly newspaper circulation of 4,301-11,000 division. Pulcrano’s photo of a bris procedure at Chabad South County Jewish Center received a fifth-place award for news photography.
In Hollister, Reyes received fifth place for his coverage of the pandemic fallout.
The Weeklys group of newspapers, which includes the Dispatch, received 47 awards in the competition.
The Dispatch’s sister publication, Good Times Santa Cruz, received the most prestigious award a California weekly newspaper can receive: General Excellence in the top circulation category.
In addition, the Metro Silicon Valley weekly and its digital news service San Jose Inside won 25 awards.
