The Los Angeles Press Club has officially announced the finalists for the 68th Southern California Journalism Awards, recognizing outstanding work across print, broadcast, online, podcasting, photography, commentary and student journalism.
More than 2,700 entries were submitted this year, highlighting the depth and diversity of journalism throughout Southern California and beyond. Winners will be revealed during the annual awards gala on June 28, 2026.
Among the evening’s major honorees:
- Maria Ressa will receive the 2026 Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism.
- Rob Fukuzaki will receive the Joseph M. Quinn Award for Lifetime Achievement.
- Carol Sobel will be honored with the Guardian Award for her work supporting press freedom.
- Craig Melvin will receive the President’s Award for Impact on Media.
- Hamnet has been named the recipient of the 2026 Veritas Award, which honors films based on real events.
The finalists span hundreds of categories, ranging from investigative reporting and environmental journalism to entertainment coverage and social media storytelling. Major outlets represented include the Los Angeles Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, PBS SoCal, Spectrum News 1 and Capital & Main.
Selected Nominees
Broadcast & Television Finalists
Regularly Scheduled Newscast
- ABC7 Eyewitness News at 4pm
- CBS LA at 11PM
- Good Day LA
- Spectrum News 1’s “The Rush Hour”
- Spectrum News 1’s “Your Evening”
Breaking News
- CNN — “LA Wildfires”
- KTLA — “Protests erupt after dozens detained in sweeping Los Angeles ICE raids”
- KABC-TV — “My Home is Burning: Leanne Suter”
Public Service News or Feature
- PBS SoCal — “Lost LA: When the St. Francis Dam Collapsed”
- Los Angeles Times Studios — “Tapped Out: What We Learned About Why A Key Reservoir Was Empty When The Fires Came”
- LAist — “911 calls during the Eaton Fire”
- Spectrum News 1 — “After the Wildfires: Healing Together”
Human Interest Feature (Over 5 Minutes)
- NBC LA — “The Palisades Paintings”
- Spectrum News 1 SoCal — “Moonshadows”
- PBS SoCal — “Rebel Kitchens Southern California: How a Simple Pastry Changed This Chef’s Life”
- La Cronista & La Opinión — “Uvalde: El Precio de un Tiroteo Masivo”
- Reason Magazine — “Why Trump made a deal to free Ross Ulbricht”
Journalists of the Year
Print, Over 50,000 Circulation
- Gary Baum — The Hollywood Reporter
- Daniel D’Addario — Variety
- Rebecca Ellis — Los Angeles Times
- Michael Idato — The Sydney Morning Herald
- Mikey O’Connell — The Hollywood Reporter
Television Journalist
- Giselle Fernandez — Spectrum News 1
- Gene Kang — KTLA 5
- Robert Kovacik — NBC Los Angeles
- Mary Beth McDade — KTLA 5
- David Ono — KABC-TV
Entertainment Journalist
- Seth Abramovitch — The Hollywood Reporter
- Holly Gleason — HITS/POLLSTAR
- Brent Lang — Variety
- Lyndsey Parker — Lyndsanity/FLOOD
- Chris Willman — Variety
Commentary/Analysis of Film
- Ben Fritz — “Can ‘The Naked Gun’ Save the Endangered Big-Screen Comedy?”
- David Rooney — “‘Jaws’: The Prototype Summer Blockbuster Turns 50”
- Ethan Shanfeld — “‘Her’ Is Here”
Criticism of TV
- Angie Han — The Hollywood Reporter
- Alison Herman — Variety
- Dan Fienberg — The Hollywood Reporter
- Aramide Tinubu — Variety
- Ben Travers — IndieWire
Music Criticism
- Jem Aswad — Variety
- Holly Gleason — HITS
- Lina Lecaro — Freelance
- John Lavitt — The Hollywood Times
Major Investigative Reporting Nominees
- Los Angeles Times Staff — “L.A. firestorms: Uncovering how government failed the public”
- Rebecca Ellis — “Exposing misconduct in L.A. County’s historic $4-billion sex abuse settlement”
- Paul Solotaroff — “Inside the Battle for the Soul of the LAPD”
- Michele McPhee — “The California Coverup – Who Helped the 9/11 Hijackers in L.A.?”
Broadcast & Television Finalists
Regularly Scheduled Newscast
- ABC7 Eyewitness News at 4pm
- CBS LA at 11PM
- Good Day LA
- Spectrum News 1’s “The Rush Hour”
- Spectrum News 1’s “Your Evening”
Breaking News
- CNN — “LA Wildfires”
- KTLA — “Protests erupt after dozens detained in sweeping Los Angeles ICE raids”
- KABC-TV — “My Home is Burning: Leanne Suter”
Public Service News or Feature
- PBS SoCal — “Lost LA: When the St. Francis Dam Collapsed”
- Los Angeles Times Studios — “Tapped Out: What We Learned About Why A Key Reservoir Was Empty When The Fires Came”
- LAist — “911 calls during the Eaton Fire”
- Spectrum News 1 — “After the Wildfires: Healing Together”
Podcast & Audio Journalism Finalists
Regular Podcast
- “California Book Club” — Alta Journal
- “The first five days: Inside LA’s most destructive wildfires” — LAist
- “CHECK YOUR HEAD: Mental Help for Musicians Podcast”
- “Rebuilding L.A. ‘Where Do We Go From Here’” — Los Angeles Times Studios
Limited Series Podcast
- “Pandora’s Box: The Fall of L.A.’s Sheriff” — Los Angeles Times
- “One of Their Own” — KPBS
- “Untold Stories of the 1917 Santa Fe Bath Riots” — USC Annenberg
Student Media Finalists
Best College Newspaper
- el Don — Santa Monica College
- Long Beach Current
- Los Angeles Collegian
- The Union
Best College News Website
- Daily Bruin
- el Don
- Long Beach Current
- The Los Angeles Loyolan
The full list of finalists showcases reporting on topics including immigration, climate change, politics, entertainment, race and society, health, technology, sports and investigative journalism.
More info and full list at: https://lapressclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/SoCal-2026-Finalists-051326-0232.pdf
