Congratulations to our 2025 award honorees
On Wednesday, Oct. 22, SPJ/LA celebrated its 49th annual Distinguished Awards Banquet.
It was a memorable and wonderful night as we celebrated the outstanding careers of six local journalists, a non-journalist who has helped further the free flow of information, and two student journalists.
Our honorees were: Joanne Griffith, chief content officer, Marketplace; Mark Acosta, metro editor, The Press-Enterprise and the Southern California News Group; Larry Maestas, managing editor, Southern California News Group; Lolita Lopez, reporter, anchor, NBC4; Teresa Watanabe, former L.A. Times education reporter; Diana Martinez, editor, San Fernando Valley Sun.
The chapter's Freedom of Information award, given to a person who has helped further the free flow of information and championed freedom of the press, went to John F. Szabo, City Librarian, Los Angeles Public Library.
The chapter also recognized two students – one from a two-year college and one from a four-year university – who show promise as emerging journalists. This year’s outstanding students were Delilah Brumer, Pierce College, and Lex Wang, University of California, Los Angeles.
We also want to thank our amazing keynote speaker, Tonya Mosley, co-host of NPR’s Fresh Air.
A special thank you to our sponsors, Southern California News Group, LA Local, and NBC4.
