Doggone Good Journalism

By Ron Donoho

Our cover photo—an adorable trio of Labrador retrievers sharing a bone—brings to mind the parable of the vain canine. This pooch procures the biggest bone he’s ever seen, and proceeds to a stream to savor his prize. Glancing in the water, he sees his reflection and mistakes it for another dog. He sees the bone in the mouth of this supposed rival. Hey, he thinks, I’m top dog. I deserve that. Forgetting what he already has, our tragic hero opens his mouth to bark—and out pops the bone, which washes away.

That said, I’ll risk the appearance of vanity to relish what San Diego Magazine already has: an award-winning collection of writers and designers.

The annual awards dinner thrown by the San Diego chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists netted the magazine a total of 16 awards. A pretty nifty feat, considering we only entered 11 categories. To cap the evening, William Murray’s outstanding account of his own mental breakdown and eventual recovery won Best of Show. Here’s the list:

First Place
Investigative/Enterprise Series: Tom Blair, “The Learning Curve”
Feature: William Murray, “Memoir of Madness”
Business: Larry Edwards, “How Now, Cash Cow?”
Science/Health: Larry Edwards, “The Quest for a Cure”
Sports: Ron Donoho, “When Football Is Job Two”
Review: David Nelson, “Rice as a Main Dish”
Opinion: Jamie Reno, “Historically Speaking, Kids Are Lacking”
Use of Photography: Heather Eubanks, “Outdoor Enchantment”
Layout and Design, Publication as a Whole: Laurie Miller

Second Place
Feature: Jonathan Freedman, “Blueprint Baby”
Business: Eilene Zimmerman, “A Wife for a Woman”
Opinion: Ron Donoho, “Summer of Discontent”
Headline: Larry Edwards, “How Now, Cash Cow?”

Honorable Mention
Investigative: Kevin Cox, “Juvenile Injustice”
Science/Health: Phyllis DeBlanche, “The Incredible Shrinking Woman”

Woofing completed. Back to business. Look inside this issue for our story on the multitude of ways we pamper our pets. Check out the update on the state of San Diego city schools—are administrators penny wise but book foolish? Get great weekend getaway ideas. See what would-be Chargers savior Philip Rivers has to say about life in the NFL. Find our latest stunningly attractive installment of Home Design Quarterly. Read about the state of political protest in town. And revisit the San Diego Data Processing Corporation scandal—which we first broke in print last November.

Sounds like a winner. Enjoy the issue.

Ron Donoho
Executive Editor

	50 People to Watch Party 2012 This year's event held at the Saltbox at the Hotel Palomar on January 20 honoring San Diego's best and brightest.

	47th annual Presentation Tea Photos of the 47th annual Presentation Tea at a private estate in Rancho Santa Fe

	Air Supply: Filling Lungs with Love Photos of an event to raise money for Sharlie Kaltenbach at a private estate in Olivenhain

	Super Stars... Let it Shine! Photos from an evening to raise money for the Boys & Girls Club of Carlsbad held at La Costa Resort