Times’ Van der Brug and St. John Earn Dan Rather Medal For ‘Legal Weed’ Investigation
Investigative Reporter Ian Urbina was also honored for “The Outlaw Ocean” podcast series, presented by CBC Podcasts and the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times journalists Brian van der Brug, photographer, and Paige St. John, investigative reporter, have received the Dan Rather Medals for News and Guts professional prize for their work on The Times’ investigative series Legal Weed, Broken Promises. Additionally, investigative reporter Ian Urbina received an honor for the podcast series “The Outlaw Ocean,” which was presented by CBC Podcasts and the Los Angeles Times. The award winners were announced on April 25.
The “Legal Weed” series examined California’s dysfunctional and corrupt recreational cannabis market, and exposed regulators’ failure to protect the state’s cannabis workers. For St. John and Van der Brug, the story required on-the-ground reporting and photography in remote areas where outlawed weed farms and seasonal camps are guarded with guns. Following the report, state lawmakers began incorporating measures to address the investigation’s findings in proposed legislation.
Urbina received a professional prize for the seven-part podcast series “The Outlaw Ocean,” which exposes criminal activities taking place on the world’s high seas. The series was presented by CBC Podcasts and the L.A. Times and created and produced by the Outlaw Ocean Project.
Established by the Moody College of Communication and the School of Journalism and Media at the University of Texas at Austin, the Dan Rather Medals for News and Guts awards competition recognizes outstanding work from student and professional journalists across the country, and work that demonstrates commitment to reporting the tough stories.
To learn more about the awards and winners, visit danrathermedals.com.
