The Colorado Press Association Convention celebrated local journalists, newspapers, reporters, and those who support media aimed at uplifting communities and upholding truth. The Sopris Sun newspaper attended the award ceremony and returned with nearly double the number of awards from the previous year.
James Steindler: I'm James Steindler. Still, I consider myself the brand-new editor of the Sopris Sun Newspaper. I took over from Raleigh Burleigh, who was the Editor-in-Chief for about five years. I, of course, got to work with him through that time as his sidekick — the Robin to his Batman. And I also get to work with Sol del Valle, which is our sister Spanish-language newspaper, and then of course, our wonderful Sopris Stars Youth News Bureau.
Katalina Villarreal: And you were just recently at the Colorado Press Association Awards. Can you tell me about that?
Steindler: Yeah, that's right. We were just at the Colorado Press Association Convention, which happens every year, and this was the 147th annual. So it's been happening for nearly 150 years now. It's such a great opportunity for different news organizations, big and small, from around the state to get together, network, and also learn the most recent or latest tricks of the trade, so to speak.
Villarreal: And the Sopris Sun got 38 awards.
Steindler: Yeah.
Villarreal: That's amazing.
Steindler: Yeah, I know. We're so grateful, and really, it's just 'cause of our amazing team. I think a highlight for me was sitting with a group of Latino publishers from around the state and hearing how Anglos can better assist Latino news outlets, such as Sol del Valle. And that, you know, people are taking a step back within the Latino community because of fear of immigration enforcement crackdowns nationwide; here in the Valley, we're not immune to that. And so one takeaway that I took was that teamwork between the Anglo and the Latino communities is essential right now.
Villarreal: Yeah.
Steindler: I wrote a column today. I really did lean into that lesson. Also seeing that the Sopris Sun and Sol Del Valle, as well as the COWest Noticias Collaborative, which of course is a group of eight different news organizations here in the valley, including KDNK, who provide content to be translated within Sol Del Valle. And Sol Del Valle is certainly doing its part in maintaining trust and openness and transparency with Latino readers. So I think we're doing a pretty bang-up job here. Of course there's more work to be done, and I couldn't be more grateful for Bianca Godina, who's been the editor for the last two years, and the Sol Del Valle team for really making it into a critical resource.
Villarreal: On that note, what are you most proud of after this award ceremony?
Steindler: Well, I'm proud that we brought home 38 press awards. It's our record, and it's just astonishing. Our record from last year was twenty awards, so this year at thirty-eight, we nearly doubled that. Very proud of our team. I'm proud of my predecessor, Raleigh Burleigh. I can't really take the credit because I wasn't at the helm at the time. Also, taking into consideration that it was the first year that the Colorado Press Association opened up student journalism awards, our Sopris Stars Youth News Bureau, which has been active for the last five years, received 15 of those 38 awards. I also wanna point out that the submissions that we submit are in English, but two of the awards that the Sopris Sun got credit for were, in fact, originated from Soul del Valle.
Steindler: I'm proud of people coming into the fold and doing the hard work that journalism takes, because as we know, it's not easy. And we are surrounded by hardworking, dedicated people who are seeking the truth and reporting it. I'm also proud of our neighboring papers and outlets that also received awards. I'm proud of the news environment here in the Valley.
