The First Amendment Coalition awarded Ferndale Enterprise publisher/editor Caroline Titus the 2016 Free Speech & Open Government Award on Thursday during the California Press Foundation’s annual meeting in San Francisco.
“I am extremely proud to be honored by such a prestigious organization. I’m also honored to represent the 138-year-old Ferndale Enterprise and our readers who support our efforts to stand up for the First Amendment and open and transparent government,” she said in an email.
Titus was one of two journalists selected out of more than 24 nominees. This is the third award Titus has received this year for her First Amendment civil rights lawsuit filed in 2014 and a public records lawsuit against the Humboldt County Fair Association. Earlier this year the fair board settled for $150,000 with Titus in the wrongful termination and federal civil rights lawsuit and awarded her $45,000 in attorney’s fees for the public record lawsuit.