Monday, February 16, 2004 6:01 PM
BY KAREN OCAMB
The 46th Annual Southern California Journalism Awards gala set for June 12 at the five-star St. Regis Hotel in Century City will honor three extraordinary journalists and pay tribute to late Los Angeles Times columnist Frank del Olmo.
The President’s Award, recognizing an individual’s impact on journalism and the media, will be awarded to CNN senior political analyst Jeff Greenfield, an especially pertinent honor during this political season.
One of America’s most respected journalists, Greenfield has authored or co- authored ten books, including “‘Oh, Waiter! One Order of Crow!’ Inside the Strangest Presidential Election Finish in American History,” praised by Publishers Weekly as “a valuable political commentary wrapped in a wonderfully entertaining package.”
Prior to CNN, he was ABC News’ political and media analyst for 14 years. Past recipients of the President’s Award include former Adelphia public affairs host Bill Rosendahl, commentator and comedian Bill Maher, and Pulitzer Prize- winning Los Angeles Times columnist and author Al Martinez.
The club’s nationally recognized Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity will be awarded to TIME senior correspondent Michael Weisskopf and TIME photojournalist James Nachtwey, for distinguished reporting while placing their lives in danger.
“I am honored to be receiving an award named after such a great journalist as Daniel Pearl,” Weisskopf said.
Among many harrowing experiences, Weisskopf lost his hand—-and saved the lives of three other people—-when he hurled away a grenade that was tossed into
a Humvee in which he and Nachtwey were riding with two U.S. soldiers in Baghdad.
Nachtwey has covered some of the world’s most troubled regions, including Rwanda, Somalia, Chechnya and Bosnia. Six times, Nachtwey’s stunning photojournalism has earned him the coveted Magazine Photographer of the Year Award.
Weisskopf, based in Washington D.C., covered Monica Lewinsky and co-authored “Truth At Any Cost,” a book on the Kenneth Starr probe. He joined TIME in 1997 after 20 years at the Washington Post. A seasoned foreign correspondent and recipient of the Henry R. Luce Award, he has also covered China and Iran.
Last year’s Daniel Pearl Award went to the late Atlantic Monthly editor Michael Kelly, killed while covering the war in Iraq for the Washington Post.
This year the evening at the St. Regis will also include a tribute to late Los Angeles Times columnist Frank del Olmo. Times editor John Carroll will introduce the tribute, to be narrated by Julio Moran, executive director of the California Chicano News Media Association.
As the 8 Ball reported in its February edition (see www.lapressclub.org for the story) KCAL News anchor Pat Harvey will receive the coveted Joseph M. Quinn Award for lifetime achievement.
Harvey has been a journalist for over 25 years, 15 of them anchoring the KCAL 9 News in Los Angeles. She has reported on five continents, including South Africa, Kenya, Russia, and El Salvador. Harvey is an active member in the Black Journalists Association of Southern California. Past Quinn Award recipients have included Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, Ted Koppel, Patt Morrison, Warren Wilson, and Laura Diaz.
