J-School Alums and Lecturer Win Excellence in Journalism Awards
The Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists announced the 2009 Excellence in Journalism Award Winners. Several J-School alums and a lecturer received top honors.
Holly Kernan, who teaches the Advanced Radio and Watchdog Reporting class at the J-School, and news director of KALW, was named "Journalist of the Year." The SPJ recognized Kernan’s drive to expand the station’s weekly newsmagazine, Crosscurrents, into a daily program. The program focuses its coverage on underserved communities.
Alum John Myers (MJ ‘95) of KQED-FM earned The Blog award for Capital Notes, which covers California politics and policy.
Alum Kathleen Richards’ (MJ '07), received an the Investigative Reporting award for her piece in the East Bay Express. The SPJ described her story, “Yelp and the Business of Extortion 2.0,” as “a strong example of consumer-affairs reporting.” As a result of Richards' reporting, Yelp pledged to change it’s business practices that compromised its independence and reliability.
An investigative reporting project published in the North Coast Journal—edited by alum Hank Sims (MJ ‘01)—also received an award for “Student Special Project.” The story, reported by Humboldt State University’s investigative reporting class, explored the environmental hazards that led to the closure of an ice plant that was vital to the local fishing industry.
Winners will be honored at an awards dinner in San Francisco on November 10, 2009.