Los Angeles Times wins top environmental journalism awards for water and wildfire reporting

The Los Angeles Times has won two awards at the 24th annual Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) competition. The honours recognise outstanding reporting on water issues and soil contamination after wildfires. Judges praised the newspaper's work for its impact and public service. Staff writer Ian James secured second place for beat reporting in the large division category. His coverage focused on water challenges in the western US, including the Colorado River's decline and the region's prolonged megadrought. Judges noted that his stories influenced environmental policies, even prompting action from the California Attorney General.

The newspaper also took third place in the Kevin Carmody award for investigative reporting. The winning series examined soil contamination risks following Los Angeles wildfires. Reporters Tony Briscoe, Noah Haggerty, and Hayley Smith led the investigation, supported by wider newsroom teams. Judges called the project a 'brave and admirable' effort that served both communities and policymakers by highlighting the dangers of inadequate soil testing. The awards will be presented at SEJ's annual conference in Chicago on April 17. A full list of winners and details about the competition are available at sej.org.

The Los Angeles Times' recognitions underscore its role in uncovering critical environmental issues. The awards highlight the newspaper's investigative depth and its ability to drive policy discussions. Both winning projects will be formally honoured at the upcoming SEJ conference.