Last night at the Omni Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, the Society of Professional Journalists honored Streetsblog Los Angeles’ founding editor, and the Southern California Streets Initiatives’ Executive Director Damien Newton for “Distinguished Work in New Media.”

Newton and Linton (who presented Damien with the award) at the SPJLA Awards dinner last night. Photo Dawn Newton
Newton and Linton (who presented Damien with the award) at the SPJLA Awards dinner last night. Photo Dawn Newton

Less than four years ago, Streetsblog Los Angeles was in imminent danger of closing due to a changing funding landscape, particularly with our primary funder at the time. Now the Southern California Streets Initiative is thriving, with not just Streetsblog Los Angeles publishing online but also Long Beachize and Santa Monica Next.

Last night’s honor is the recent in a string of honors for Streetsblog Los Angeles. Last year it was recognized by the Los Angeles Section of the American Planning Association for excellence in journalism. Sahra Sulaiman was singled out by the APA. Both Sulaiman and Newton were honored for individual pieces by the Los Angeles Press Club.

From it’s founding in 2008, through the challenges of 2010, through the victories of the past two years; Streetsblog Los Angeles, and its companion websites in Santa Monica and Long Beach, has thrived because of the support of its readers. As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, we rely nearly exclusively on grants and individual donations for our financial support. You can support our organization financially by giving to Streetsblog, Santa Monica Next, or Long Beachize.

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