The Distinguished Journalist Awards
The Distinguished Journalist Awards, created in 1976, honors journalists “who have achieved a record of accomplishments over the course of a number of years.”
This includes those working in journalism in all its forms and from news sources of all shapes and sizes across the greater Los Angeles region. In 1997, the chapter began honoring journalists in four categories: television, radio, newspapers with a circulation of 90,000 or more, and newspapers with a circulation of less than 90,000. The Distinguished Work in New Media award was created in 2008 and now digital journalists are recognized alongside their peers in print and broadcast as Distinguished Journalists. In 2021, the chapter added a Visual Storytelling category and in 2022 the chapter added two student categories to honor students attending community college and a 4-year university. In 2025, the chapter replaced the individual categories for professional journalists with up to six awards across all professional platforms in order to ensure that the group of honorees represents exemplary journalism in all its forms.
The Freedom of Information award, also created in 1976, is given to people who have helped further the free flow of information and championed freedom of the press. The FoI award is not given every year, and the recipients usually are not journalists.
SPJ/LA Distinguished Journalist Awards: Changes & FAQ
Past Honorees
2024 honorees from left to right: Salvador Duran, Louis Sahagun, H. Susan Henderson, Adriana Chavira, Toni Sciacqua, Ashley Alvarado, Margaret Carrero, and Cebelihle Hlatshwayo.
