City College Student Awarded by SPJ NorCal

By Jerusha Kamoji

jkamoji@gmail.com

 

Michael Toren, a City College student and former reporter of The Guardsman, is one of several honorees for the 2019 James Madison Freedom of Information Awards.

The award, presented by the Society of Professional Journalists NorCal, honors organizations and individuals in the Bay Area who have helped promote the freedom of information and expression.

Toren won in the Student Journalist category for successfully obtaining public records from campus administrators that shed light on the private conflict over funding for Free City, a program that offers free tuition to San Francisco residents. At first, campus administrators were reluctant to oblige, however with persistence and help from the California News Publishers Association, they complied with Toren’s request.

The winners of this year’s James Madison Freedom of Information Awards will be honored on March 14 at the Delancey Street Town Hall in San Francisco.