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Staffers of the Hollywood Reporter at the Press Club banquet Sunday night. Photo on Twitter: @ScottFeinberg
Here are some of the highlights of the Southern California Journalism Awards for 2016 presented last night at the Biltmore by the Los Angeles Press Club.
LA Observed doesn't ever enter these or any other awards, but our columnist Bill Boyarsky picked up an award for his writing at Truthdig. Bill won first place in the category of activist journalism for his Sept. 2015 column that was titled, Why Ending Homelessness Is Political Poison. It was the first in a three-part series by Bill on homelessness.
Warren Olney of KCRW won the award for radio journalist of the year. It was the year in which he stopped hosting "Which Way, LA?" and began periodic reports called "Olney in LA," Along with his hosting of "To the Point" on KCRW and other stations nationally.
There is a scadzillion awards given out during the evening by the press club — you can peruse the full list. Here are some highlights that jump out to me.
- Gary Baum of the Hollywood Reporter won as print reporter of the year in the over-50,000 circulation tier. That covers the biggest print news outlets in the region. "Extensive research and large amount of time dedicated to each story set these articles out from the others," a judge said.
- R. Scott Moxley of the OC Weekly won print reporter of the year in the under-50,000 tier. "Moxley's work is a searing corrective in a society that often fails to question prosecutorial power," a judge wrote. "Woven throughout his stories are narratives that bring to life the injustices possible when prosectors put winning ahead of civil rights."
- Mike Amor of 7 Network Australia won the press club's TV journalist of the year award, Bill Raden of Capital & Main won online journalist, Daniel Miller of the LA Times won entertainment journalist [fixed], and freelancer Ted Soqui won photojournalist.
- Steve Lopez of the LA Times won the columnist of the year honors for a large print outlet.
- Gary Baum and Scott Feinberg of the Hollywood Reporter won the magazine investigations award for “The Tears and Terror of Mickey Rooney’s Final Years.”
- Chery Glaser of KCRW won as radio anchor of the year for her work the morning of the San Bernardino shootings.
- Staying on the homeless issue, Angie Crouch and Tommy Bravo of KNBC won in the public service (news or festure) category for a report on people living under bridges.
- The Los Angeles Times won the Pulitzer, but David Montero of the Daily News won the press club's hard news category for reporting on the San Bernardino terrorism shootings.
- The top investigative series was from the LA Times: Jason Song, Victoria Kim and Sandra Poindexter for “Nearly 9 out of 10 students drop out of unaccredited law schools in California.”
- Allan J. Schaben of the LA Times won in two photo categories: news and feature photography. Francine Orr of the Times won the photo essay category for her photos of children living at that San Bernardino motel.
- Jeff Maysh of Playboy won in crime reporting for “The Pez Outlaw.” Says a judge: "Who knew there was such shenanigans to be found in the dirty world of Pez dispensers.”
- Stephanie O'Neill of KPCC won twice in the radio category for a news feature on how doctors choose to die and a lifestyle feature on a terminally ill mother who spoke out against assisted suicide.”
- Morris O'Kelly of KFI AM 640 won in the obituary category for an appreciation of B.B. King. "A fine tribute to a musical genius by combining a personal recollection with excerpts of King’s music and interviews," said a judge.
- Joe Linton and the team at Streetsblog Los Angeles won for best group blog.
- Rip Rense won in the category of non-political column or commentary for The Last Mexican of Venice.
- Headline of the year: Tom Hicks of the Los Angeles Business Journal for a story on unions in the marijuana industry: “Labor Buds.”
