From the editor: San José Spotlight named finalist in national journalism awards

San José Spotlight is a finalist for two national journalism awards, including the prestigious Publisher of the Year, the Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers announced last week.

The honor recognizes San José Spotlight among the top local news websites in the U.S.

San José Spotlight, which launched its ad-free, paywall-free website Jan. 2019, is a finalist in the Publisher of the Year category based on its size. The award recognizes publishers who provide excellent coverage of their community over a prolonged period of time. We’re vying with the Tucson Sentinel and Montana Free Press.

Our nonprofit news organization is also a finalist for its extensive coverage of COVID-19’s impact on Silicon Valley’s homeless encampments and disadvantaged East San Jose students, along with finalists Detour Detroit and Crosstown.

The winners will be announced next month in a live virtual awards ceremony.

The LION Publishers awards celebrate the best of independent online media across the U.S. and Canada. Nearly 30 judges from across the industry evaluated 169 entries from LION members. The recognition comes months after San José Spotlight won four California Journalism Awards in an annual competition sponsored by the California News Publishers Association.

We’re thrilled by this recognition and honored to be among the top news publications in the country. It speaks to the high-quality local journalism our talented team has produced and, with support from our community, will continue to produce. We’re telling the story of San Jose while our city is recognized nationally for its support of independent, innovative local news.

This success would not be possible without you, our readers and supporters. Thank you for helping San José Spotlight become a recognized national news leader. While our journalism is free to consume, it is not free to produce. Please help us continue this award-winning public service journalism in San Jose by becoming a sustaining member today.

For as little as $5 a month, you can join more than 2,500 others who care about preserving and growing journalism in our city. Thank you, San Jose.