Help Protect Journalists from Arrest in California
Over the past year, we’ve seen dozens of our colleagues injured, detained and arrested by police in California.
Last month, the Los Angeles Press Club’s board of directors unanimously voted to endorse SB-98, a bill that was written to protect journalists from arrest during protests. Endorsing legislation is an extraordinary step that we rarely take. Unfortunately, a new amendment to SB-98 threatens our safety. We are pushing back together, part of an unprecedented coalition with at least 15 journalism groups signing the following open letter.
Please share this with your colleagues, and encourage coverage and editorials. A State Senate floor vote will happen no later than Friday, and then it would pass to the Assembly. A number of Senators from our area could be influential in addressing this hostile amendment, including Anthony Portantino, Steven Bradford, and Sydney Kamlager. We want to ensure they hear from the people this bill affects.
Enter the Southern California Journalism Awards
Take a careful look at our revised call for entries for this year's contest! We've added new categories in the Print, Online and Broadcast sections calling for the best reporting on race, immigration, gender and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The final deadline for submitting entries has been extended to 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 1, 2021. Got a question? Email info@lapressclub.org.
* Please note that work entered in the student categories must have been published or broadcast by a student-run media outlet. Students are welcome to enter work disseminated by a professional outlet in the other categories. *
Photo by Gary Leonard
Joint Letter to Law Enforcement and Local Governments
Los Angeles and other major cities have seen a resurgence in protests against police brutality over the past year, which have resulted in a series of incidents involving police officers and the journalists assigned to cover those demonstrations.
Journalists in Southern California and elsewhere have been detained, tackled, sprayed with tear gas, hit with rubber bullets and arrested, preventing them from providing the public with urgently needed information and putting their health and safety at great risk.
Law enforcement officers, and government agencies more broadly, must not interfere with journalists as they work to provide accurate information on these protests and law enforcement’s response to them.
Now, a cross-section of Southern California journalism organizations has come together to demand that you take new steps to safeguard that work.
Click here to read the full statement.
Check out the Press Club’s Tips for Safely Covering Protests.
13th National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards/Veritas Award Presentation
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our second virtual awards gala! We are honored to celebrate the best in arts and entertainment reporting nationwide.
In case you missed it, check out the presentation video above. Please note that the first five minutes feature a montage from previous galas.
For a complete list of winners, click here!
‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ Wins the LA Press Club’s Veritas Award
The Los Angeles Press Club is thrilled to announce the winner of its 6th annual Veritas Award for Best Film Based on or Inspired by Real Events and People. This award is judged by the 1,000-member strong LAPC — based equally upon fidelity of subject matter and artistic excellence.
The clear winner is “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” written and directed by Aaron Sorkin. The outstanding ensemble cast is led by Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Frank Langella and Michael Keaton. The powerful drama is produced by Marc Platt, Stuart Besser, Matt Jackson and Tyler Thompson and distributed by Netflix.
“On behalf of the producers, cast and crew of ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7,’ as well as Dreamworks, Cross Creek and Netflix, we’re honored to receive the LA Press Club’s Veritas Award. The Chicago 7 showed enormous courage in their efforts to hasten the end of the Vietnam War. We’re proud to have told their story and to accept this award on their behalf as well,” Sorkin said.
Press Club Online
Join the LA Press Club for access to our exclusive members-only online programming.
- How To Make A Better Zoom Room, Or At Least Have Fun Trying
February 27, 2021 - The Social Dilemma, Discussion
February 1, 2021 - Mental Health for Journalists
November 17, 2020 - A Fine Line: How Most American Kids Are Kept Out of the Best Public Schools
November 12, 2020
- A Conversation with Author Amy Klein
October 21, 2020 - A Conversation with Journalist Lisa Napoli
July 29, 2020 - Writing Workshop with Steve Padilla
July 18, 2020 - Personal Finance for Journalists
June 18, 2020
62nd Southern California Journalism Awards
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for our first-ever socially distanced digital awards gala! For a complete list of winners, click here!
Life in the Time of the Coronavirus Contest
We are thrilled to announce the winners of our Life in the Time of the Coronavirus Contest!
These are challenging times and our entrants bravely and acutely documented their experience living through the COVID-19 pandemic.
First Place winners will receive $1,000. Second Place winners get $500 and Third Place winners get $200 each. All runner-ups will get $100 each. Cash prizes are partly funded by a generous grant from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
Click here to see if you're one of the lucky winners! We've published all their amazing work to serve as a historical document of the times. Make sure you check them out!
'Bombshell' Wins 5th Annual Veritas Award
The Los Angeles Press Club is proud to announce the winner of its 5th annual Veritas Award for Best Film Based on or Inspired by Real Events and People. This award is judged by members of the LAPC – based equally upon the fidelity of subject matter and artistic excellence. Click here to read all about it!
Learn more about the Veritas Award. Check out our photos from the award ceremony!
12th Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards
Congratulations to all of our winners! You made this our most exciting and competitive contest to date. This year's awards gala stands out as a celebration of the power of journalism and storytelling.
It was a star-studded night as we celebrated and awarded the top entertainment journalist nationwide!
Click here for a list of winners. Looking for photos, videos or the program book?
Learn more about the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards.
61st Southern California Journalism Awards
Congratulations to all the winners of the 61st annual Southern California Journalism Awards!
Hundreds of journalists, media professionals and supporters attended the 61st SoCal Journalism Awards Gala. The number of entries we received and our record attendance attest to the resilience and bright future of journalism in Southern California.
Check out the winners, and peruse our photos, videos and program book from the evening.
Learn more about the Southern California Journalism Awards.
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