Annenberg Media, a student-run media organization at the University of Southern California, was recognized with 10 awards, including four for first place, at the 58th annual L.A. Press Club Awards, held this past Sunday at the historic Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
"That's a big deal," said Stacy Scholder, Professor of Professional Practice and Director of Annenberg TV News, who has taught many of the student finalists and winners. "These students were competing against professionals in the second biggest market in the country, and this showed that they're doing the same caliber of work, or in some cases actually better, than the professionals."
Winners were recognized in a variety of media, from online news and commentary to podcasts and online video, befitting Annenberg Media's goal to to "create multimedia content with a millennial focus."
Among the big winners was Stassy Olmos, from the class of 2015, who received two first-place awards for her work on Annenberg TV News. “What It's Like To Be A Police Officer On Skid Row,” which won for Best Reporting: Broadcast, Podcast or Stream, was recognized for "shooting the report using various professional techniques covering all sides of the issue," according to the judges. "Attending School as a Homeless Child," also by Olmos, won for Educational Reporting, judges commending the piece as a "compact piece of work that covered a lot of ground quickly."
Paolo Uggetti, Sports Editor for Annenberg Media, was another multiple winner, receiving first place for Online Sports News or Feature for “Scenes From A Women’s World Cup Viewing Party,” and third place in the same category for “USC Wins the Battle of LA, Advances to Pac-12 Championship.” Uggetti was also recognized in the category of Online Sports Commentary for his second-place winning piece “Sarkisian Just Another Low Point Among Many For USC.”
Nathaniel Haas, a law student at USC Gould School of Law, won first place for Online Investigative Reporting for "The Price of Sex at USC."
"Whether they were winners or finalists, or even just attending as a student, this was a tremendous boost for their confidence," said Scholder.
Here's a list of all the Annenberg Media winners from the evening:
First Place:
Stassy Olmos, “What It's Like To Be A Police Officer On Skid Row” — Best Reporting: Broadcast, Podcast, or Stream
Paolo Uggetti, “Scenes From A Women’s World Cup Viewing Party” — Sports News or Feature (Online)
Nathaniel Haas, “Price of Sex at USC” — Investigative (Online)
Second Place:
Alex Janin, “California Participates in Great Shakeout” — News
Sara Tiano and Celeste Alvarez, "Inglewood Censorship" — Hard News (Online)
Ryan McRee, “To Be or Not To Be: An Arts President” — Political Column/Commentary (Online)
Paolo Uggetti, “Sarkisian Just Another Low Point Among Many For USC” — Sports Commentary (Online)
Third Place:
Martha Daniel, “From Where We Are” — Talk/Public Affairs
Paolo Uggetti, “USC Wins the Battle of L.A., Advances to Pac-12 Championship” — Sports News or Feature (Online)
