CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta has been named the Los Angeles Press Club’s 2021 Presidents Awardee for Impact on Media.
“During the pandemic, it was crucial that journalists provide information that would help the public understand the crisis,” said Lisa Richwine, president of the Los Angeles Press Club. “Audiences turned to Dr. Gupta for his expertise and ability to explain the science behind a complex and rapidly evolving story that touched every corner of the world.”
Dr. Sanjay Gupta is the multiple Emmy®-award-winning chief medical correspondent for CNN. Gupta, a practicing neurosurgeon, plays an integral role, reporting on health and medical news for all of CNN’s shows domestically and internationally, and regularly contributes to CNN.com. Since 2001, Gupta has covered some of the most important health stories from around the world.
On March 9, 2020, Gupta penned an op-ed announcing the network would refer to the novel coronavirus outbreak as a “pandemic,” ahead of both the WHO and the CDC. Throughout 2020 and into 2021, Gupta reaffirmed his role as a trusted guide helping viewers worldwide navigate between Covid-19 and pandemic fact and fiction. Read his full bio here.
The President’s Award will be presented at the 63rd SoCal Journalism Awards Gala on Saturday, October 16 at the Biltmore Millennium Hotel in downtown LA.
In addition to honoring Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Sean Penn and Ann Lee from CORE will be bestowed with the Bill Rosendahl Public Service Award for Contributions to Civic Life.
Other honors presented on the evening will include a special First Amendment Award, the Joseph M. Quinn Award for Lifetime Achievement and the Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism.
The evening will be dedicated to the memory of Ruth Pearl, the mother of slain journalist Daniel Pearl, and Buster Sussman, a member of the LA Press Club since 1948 and a former LAPC director.
More than 500 journalists and media executives are expected to attend this prestigious event.
The Los Angeles Press Club is closely monitoring the development of the new Delta variant of Covid and all current information on the evolution of the disease. The LAPC will follow all recommended guidelines from LA County and protocols already in place at the Biltmore Hotel. In addition, we will require proof of vaccination or, in some cases, a negative Covid test and all safety rules specified by the CDC.
Proceeds from the Gala are the largest source of income for the Los Angeles Press Club, a 501(c) 3 that speaks for journalists across all media platforms. All contributions are tax-deductible.
For more information about this event or to sponsor, advertise or buy tickets go to www.LApressclub.org or contact Executive Director Diana Ljungaeus at 310.210.1860 or email Diana-AT-LApressclub.org.
The LAPC is one of the oldest and most respected journalist organizations in the nation with a storied history of honoring the most celebrated reporters of the past century. In recent years the Los Angeles Press Club has continued to uphold its tradition of acknowledging excellence in spite of the fact that journalism itself has struggled in the face of ever-declining budgets.
