USC Annenberg students, alumni and faculty took home plenty of hardware from the Los Angeles Press Club’s 63rd Annual Southern California Journalism awards on the evening of Oct. 16. From the many current student and recent graduate winners to alumnus Marc Brown of KABC-TV being honored with the Joseph M. Quinn Award for Lifetime Achievement, the theme of the festivities at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles might as well have been “Fight On!”
Congratulations to all of our USC Annenberg honorees!
Student winners
BEST NEWS WRITING, Campus Issues – Print or Online
1st Place
Karen Wang, Olivia Novato, Alexander Song and Hala Khalifeh, USC Annenberg Media, “USC Community Uses 3D Printing to Combat Medical Equipment Shortage During Covid-19 Pandemic.”
Judges’ comment: Timely story on campus use of technology during the pandemic. Multiple sources helped this story along.
BEST SPORTS/ARTS WRITING – Print or Online
1st Place
Reagan Griffin Jr. and Eddie Sun, USC Annenberg Media, “Meet the Mobleys.”
Judges’ comment: The writers' story is very strong and informational.
BEST FEATURE WRITING, Campus Issues – Print or Online
1st Place
Baoqi "Eileen" Chen, USC Annenberg Media, “Shared Living and Working Spaces Provide International Students with Stability Amid Uncertainty.”
Judges’ comment: Chen’s story is an eye-opening, important piece of journalism about the lengths some international students went through during this pandemic to get their education.
3rd Place
Natalie Bettendorf, USC Annenberg Media, "One Year Ago Today, Matthew Olson Died on the I-110"
TALK/PUBLIC AFFAIRS, An episode or a locally produced news, talk, information, education or public affairs show
1st Place
Aiyonna White, ZaZu Lippert, Isaiah Murtaugh, Yuki Liang, Joshua Chang, Luke Scorziell, Evan Jacoby and Rebecca Katz, USC Annenberg Media, “Portraits of a Pandemic.”
Judges’ comment: These pandemic portraits really captured a moment in time through a variety of stories and experiences, with the sounds flowing nicely.
BEST NEWS PHOTO
1st Place
Yannick Peterhans, USC Annenberg Media, “Students Gather on Streets to Celebrate Election Results.”
Judges’ comment: In a year full of social unrest, a celebration can look a lot like conflict, but Peterhans’ photo does well to capture jubilation with colorful smoke and eyes smiling through masks. A powerful photo that tells multiple stories.
BEST PERSONALITY PROFILE, Campus Personalities – Any Platform
1st Place
Juan Vega de Soto, USC Annenberg Media, “Profiles from a Polarized America: A Portrait in Liberty.”
Judges’ comment: A well-written profile featuring a lively interaction between the reporter and the controversial professor. The result is a clear portrait the reader can judge for herself.
3rd Place (tie)
Melody Waintal, Dímelo, USC Annenberg Media, “USC Student Brings Peruvian Flavor to Hot Sauce.”
BEST TV REPORTING, PODCAST or STREAM
1st Place
JOVRNALISM staff, JOVRNALISM, “Who We Are: Finding Home.”
Judges’ comment: Brilliant videography, crisp editing and standout writing combine to bring this unusual story to life.
BEST RADIO OR PODCAST REPORTING
1st Place
Joshua Chang, Celine Mendiola, Camila Thur de Koos, Kate Ly Johnston and Luke Scorziell, USC Annenberg Media, “Annenberg Radio News Live Election Day Coverage.”
Judges’ comment: Annenberg News Election Day reporting featured knowledgeable reporters and lively location reporting to present a professional-sounding package.
2nd Place
Fiona Pestana, USC Annenberg Media, “Be Green, Go Thrifting.”
BEST FEATURE WRITING, Off-Campus Issues – Print or Online
2nd Place
Kate Lý Johnston, USC Annenberg Media, “13 rides, 36 Different Political Opinions.”
BEST USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA TO ENHANCE and/or COVER A STORY by a Group, maximum two days coverage of an individual story.
2nd Place
JOVRNALISM staff, JOVRNALISM, “Cultural Burning: Keeping Tradition Aflame.”
3rd Place
JOVRNALISM staff, JOVRNALISM, “Finding Home AR Experiences.”
COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS OF TV/FILM
2nd Place
Jessica Doherty, Ampersand, “Bojack Horseman Is Over and Everything Is (Maybe) Better Now.”
BEST PERSONALITY PROFILE, Off-Campus Personalities – Any Platform
2nd Place
Chiara Nonni, Ampersand, “Distraction, Nostalgia, Connection: Finding Support in Fandom During Covid-19.”
ANIMATION/MOVING GRAPHIC
2nd Place
Abhinanda Bhattacharyya, USC Annenberg Media, “The Iowa Caucuses Are Coming Up. But... What Exactly Are Caucuses?”
BEST USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA TO ENHANCE and/or COVER A STORY by a journalist tied to an organization, maximum two days coverage of an individual story.
2nd Place
Melody Waintal, Dímelo, USC Annenberg Media, “Dímelo: Don't Be Rice-ist! Try These Latinx Dishes.”
3rd Place
Melody Waintal and Ignacio Ventura, Dímelo, USC Annenberg Media, “Dímelo Presents: A College Students' Guide to the Census.”
EDUCATIONAL REPORTING
3rd Place
Mia Brown and Phoebe Zheng, USC Annenberg Media, “Zoom Fatigue: Managing Mental and Physical Health with the ‘New Normal.’”
CRITICISM OF THEATER/PERFORMING ARTS
3rd Place
Steven Vargas, USC Annenberg Media, “Qui Nguyen’s New Play Puts a Feminist, Queer Narrative Center Stage.”
SPORTS COMMENTARY
3rd Place
Reagan Griffin, Jr., USC Annenberg Media, “Trading Baskets: The Ball Is in Your Court, NBA Owners.”
SPORTS PHOTO A single sports image.
3rd Place
Ling Luo, USC Annenberg Media, “Okongwu Declares for NBA Draft.”
PANDEMIC REPORTING, TV
3rd Place
Steven Vargas, Ampersand, “Dancing at Home.”
Alumni winners
NEWS FEATURE – Society/Culture/History (for Environment Science, Education, Technology)
1st Place
Harriet Ryan and Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, “The True Story of the Heartthrob Prince of Qatar and His Time at USC.”
Judges’ comment: Thoroughly reported story on college admissions. Degree of difficulty on a story like this is clear, making the finished product all the more impressive.
OBITUARY/IN APPRECIATION – Politics/Business/Arts Personalities
1st Place
Anh Do, Los Angeles Times, “As Coronavirus Rages, a Vietnamese Diva Falls Silent. But Her Legend Lives On.”
Judges’ comment: An arrestingly poetic and well-reported piece that’s a winner from the first line.
GENDER AND SOCIETY (includes LGBTQ reporting)
1st Place
Tomás Mier, Los Angeles Times, “Death of an Indigenous Essential Worker Sparks Debate Over Gender Identity.”
Judges’ comment: This beautifully written, deeply reported story demonstrates an effort to build genuine community trust — no easy task during a global pandemic. Well done.
PANDEMIC REPORTING, Radio
1st Place
Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRW-FM, “San Gabriel Valley Restaurateurs Are Determined to Make Their Businesses Work, Even with Mounting Losses.”
Judges’ comment: A compelling, sound-rich segment about restaurateurs with excellent all-around work by the reporter.
BREAKING NEWS
2nd Place
Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRW, “Some L.A. Business Owners Support Protesters, but Feel Anger Toward Looters.”
Faculty winners
LIFESTYLE FEATURE
1st Place
Claire Hannah Collins, Makeda Easter and Erik Himmelsbach-Weinstein, Los Angeles Times, “How Black Culture Made Roller Skating Popular.”
Judges’ comment: With footage from the ’80s, this segment weaves well the history of roller skating with the influence of Black people before it became a social media trend.
3rd Place
Jennie O'Hagan, Greg Payton, Amy Kaufman and Lisa McRee, Spectrum News 1/Los Angeles Times, “Mrs. Rogers.”
POLITICAL COMMENTARY, National, One person’s point of view.
1st Place
Chris Hedges, ScheerPost, “Trump’s Barrett Nomination Another Step Toward Christian Fascism.”
Judges’ comment: Chris Hedges’ commentary may be excessive and a touch alarmist – but eloquent writers are needed to sound the alarms, to articulate the worst-case scenarios in order to prevent them from happening.
BEST USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA TO ENHANCE and/or COVER A STORY by a Group, maximum two days coverage of an individual story.
1st Place
Christina Schoellkopf, Jessica Roy, Fidel Martinez and Adriana Lacy, Los Angeles Times, “Reporting the Loss of Kobe Bryant.”
Judges’ comment: The L.A. Times’ social media coverage of Kobe Bryant's death shows a firm grasp on the use of social media as a journalistic tool. It included breaking news, follow-up details, interesting sidebar content, reader-generated content and use of multiple platforms for significant, measurable impact among readers. Well done.
LIFESTYLE FEATURE
1st Place
Stacey Leasca, Los Angeles Times, “Coronavirus Stole the Sweet Magic of Kissing. Will We Ever Get It Back?”
Judges’ comment: The writer's ability to weave the psychological reasons for kissing and people's attitudes toward the practice during the pandemic made for an enjoyable read.
RACE AND SOCIETY, Online
1st Place
James Queally and Ben Poston, Los Angeles Times, “For years, California Police Agencies Have Rejected Almost Every Racial Profiling Complaint They Received.”
Judges’ comment: Hard data and solid reporting lead to incontrovertible conclusions and a great read.
INVESTIGATIVE, may include relevant information on the impact, or supporting editorials and letters to the editor. Series accepted.
1st Place
Kim Christensen and Ben Poston, Los Angeles Times, “Dying for Dollars.”
Judges’ comment: A well-written, in-depth look at fraudulent, for-profit “hospice” care in Southern California. This excellent report triggered reform measures targeting fraud.
PERSONALITY PROFILE/INTERVIEW, not TV/Film, over 10 minutes
2nd Place
Robert Scheer, “Scheer Intelligence,” KCRW-FM, “Noam Chomsky: America Has Built a Global Dystopia.”
NEWS FEATURE – Society/Culture/History (for Environment Science, Education, Technology)
3rd Place
Makeda Easter, Los Angeles Times, “How Out-of-Work Strippers Made Their Show Virtual and Are ‘Taking the Power Back.’”
EDITORIAL CARTOON
3rd Place
Mr. Fish (Dwayne Booth), ScheerPost, “The Greatest Snow on Earth.”
RACE AND SOCIETY
3rd Place
Robert Scheer, “Scheer Intelligence”, KCRW-FM, “Melina Abdullah: The Powerful Past, Present and Future of Black Lives Matter.”
PANDEMIC REPORTING, Radio
3rd Place
Robert Scheer, KCRW-FM, “Sarah Holt: A Global Look at the Virus That Upended the World.”
COLUMNIST
3rd Place
Chris Hedges, ScheerPost, “Chris Hedges, ScheerPost Columnist.”