Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1400485
Newspapers • Dan Albano, The Orange County Register, for continuous coverage of education during the pandemic, including how educators acclimated to distance learning. • Paloma Esquivel, Los Angeles Times, for the story on sixth grade teacher and Inglewood Teachers Association President Aba Ngissah, who went above and beyond to support students, parents and fellow educators at the beginning of the pandemic. • Bay Area News Group, for fair and detailed coverage of COVID-19 issues impacting educators in the greater Bay Area. • Emma Gallegos, The Bakersfield Californian, for her balanced coverage of the challenges and triumphs facing schools during distance learning. • Christine Bedell, The Bakersfield Californian, for her story on how educators and students in Kern County adapted to distance learning and kept engaged in the learning process. • Garrett Leahy, 48 Hills, for his story on an action in San Francisco by a coalition of educators, nurses and parents supporting a ballot measure that would change California's tax structure and invest in public education and communities. • The Bakersfield Californian, for coverage of distance learning from several perspectives and recognizing educators and students for their achievements. • Katherine Minkiewicz-Martine, Sonoma West Publishers: The Healdsburg Tribune, for her story on Sonoma County educators collectively fighting for safe conditions for their students and peers before returning to in-person instruction. Student Journalism • Branham Bear Witness for its professional print layout and impressive content. Its education coverage always made connections between students and the local and global community. CTA member Fitzgerald Vo, a chemistry and journalism teacher at Branham High in San Jose, has advised the publication for the past five years. Journals, Magazines, Special Publications and Websites • Samuel Getachew, Teen Vogue, for his story on how Oakland student organizers fought for and won the right to vote for youth age 16 and over in school board elections. • Brooke Anderson, In These Times, for her story profiling Oakland Education Association members and other educators across the Bay Area who donated their stimulus checks to undocumented workers. • Capital and Main for its series " The Year of Living Dangerously," which explored the pandemic's impact on different aspects of teaching and learning. Television • Sharon Chin and Jennifer Mistrot, KPIX CBS, for their story on fifth grade teacher Frank Lara, who led United Educators of San Francisco members' efforts to donate part of their stimulus checks to support undocumented families during the pandemic. • ABC 10 in Sacramento, for five profiles of local inspiring educators as part of its " Teacher of the Month" series. Educators honored: Mike Lobitz, Talia Chapman-Martin, Jennifer Sinclair, Suzan Sae Lee and Tari Lawson. Media Excellence The 2021 winners of CTA's John Swett Awards C T A ' S 6 2 N D A N N U A L Jo h n Sw e tt Awards for Media Excellence honored 14 individuals, publications, websites and broadcast media for their outstanding achievements in reporting and interpret- ing public education issues during 2020. "During one of the hardest times for Cali forni a's edu cators and stud ent s, these skilled reporters told stories about triumphs, challenges and perseverance displayed by educators fighting for the success and safety of their students," says CTA President E. Toby Boyd. "eir out- standing work is based on truth and vigor, and we are so proud to honor them for their dedication to quality journalism." Entries were judged by an independent panel of working journalists and media professionals. e awards are named for the founder of CTA, who was California's fourth superintendent of public instruc- tion and a crusader for public education. W i n n e r s w e r e c e l e b r a t e d v i r t u - a l l y a t C TA's J u n e S t a t e C o u n c i l o f E d u c a t i o n . S e e o u r p re s s re l e a s e a t cta.org/swett21 for link s to w innin g entries and a link to our video honor - ing Swett Award recipients. 58 cta.org CTA & You