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By Miriam Raftery
June 21, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – Two drownings, one fatal, two days apart in Lakeside prompted East County Magazine to dive into the circumstances and the victims’ lives. Our coverage has resulted in two awards from the Society of Professional Journalists presented at last night’s awards ceremony.
Shiloh Ireland’s article, Who was Thomas Moreno? received first place in the daily reporting profile category. The piece profiled a man whose body was found in a Lakeside pond, his hope to reunite with his adult children after prison, and suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.
A shocking video provided by a community member, Angel New, led to our article, Heroic bystander and deputies save drowning woman in Lindo Lake. Miriam Raftery and Shiloh Ireland shared SPJ’s third place award for breaking news in the daily reporting category. The article documented a shocking delay by deputies to take action while a homeless woman was drowning in Lindo Lake. A bystander ultimately entered the water, and only then did law enforcement officials help to save her life. ECM grilled multiple officials in an effort to seek answers and accountability.
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SPJ’s San Diego chapter awarded its prestigious Journalist of the Year award to Kelly Davis, for her dogged persistence in covering San Diego County jail deaths for the past decade. Her coverage began at CityBeat and more recently, she teamed up with San Diego Union-Tribune reporter Jeff McDonald to coauthor the “Dying Behind Bars” series.
Last night’s event included parents and siblings of people who died in local jails, including many who suffered from mental illness. They came to thank Davis for her coverage.
photo: Kelly Davis, left, with family members of people she wrote about who died in local jails.
Davis’ coverage has led to numerous reforms by the Sheriff’s department as well as legislative reform efforts, though San Diego continues to have the highest rate of jail deaths of any major county in California and even more deaths last year than New York’s infamous Riker’s Island prison, though Riker’s has fewer prisoners.
“Kelly has made San Diego County a better place by almost single-handedly forcing the issue of jail deaths and other negligent practices in local jails to the forefront of the public agenda. We are so much better as a community for her efforts,” he added.
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