Patch Editor Martin Henderson Named Finalist for Online Journalist of the Year

For the first time in the short 2 1/2 year run by Patch.com in Southern California, one of its local editors is a finalist for one of the top awards given by the Los Angeles Press Club.

Martin Henderson, a former sports reporter for the Los Angeles Times who now oversees the community news of two south Orange County cities, is one of five finalists for Online Journalist of the Year as the media organization takes to the stage at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel on Sunday. These will be the 55th Awards presentation.

Since December 2010, Henderson has been the local editor for Rancho Santa Margarita Patch, and this week also became the editorial face of the Lake Forest Patch.  Owned by AOL, Patch is an online-only community news site with information tailored to specific communities.

Presented annually, the SoCal Journalism Awards honors journalists of the year in Print Over 50,000 Circulation, Print Under 50,000, Television, Radio, Online, Entertainment, and Photojournalism.

Participation in the awards this year was high; five finalists were named for about 90 categories.

Other nominees for online journalist are:

• Catherine Green, Neon Tommy

• Chris Hedges, Truthdig

• Dylan Howard, CeleBuzz

• Dennis Romero, L.A. Weekly

Henderson, who won first- and third-place awards in 2012 for Best Online Sports News/Feature/Commentary, is also up for an individual award, Best News Story.

His daily trial coverage of the Richard Forsberg murder case, “Forsberg Murder Trial: At Long Last, A Question Answered,” is one of only two news stories in the category based on deadline event coverage.

The other four stories being considered are:

• Lilly Fowler, Fair Warning, “State Investigators, Workers Cite Labor Abuses in Warehouse Empire”

• Catherine Green, Neon Tommy, “New Details in Shooting Case”

• Michael Martinez, CNN, “On the Border; Guns, Drugs and a Betrayal of Trust”