Students, Faculty and Alums honored in SPJ NorCal Awards

From top left: William Drummond, Jennifer LaFleur, Kelsey Oliver, Holly McDede, Steven Rascón, Manjula Varghese, Sasha Khokha, Lauren Hepler, Teresa Cotsirilos, Victoria Mauleon, Laurence Du Sault, Coby McDonald, Kristen Hwang, Laura Klivans, Vanessa Rancano and H.R. Smith.

Congratulations to our Berkeley Journalism community on awards from the Society of Professional Journalists Northern California (SPJ NorCal)!

Professor William Drummond received the Career Achievement Award in print journalism, honoring his longtime and enduring contributions. The media release notes: “His storied career has taken him from New Delhi and Jerusalem as a bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, to positions in the White House under the Ford and Carter administrations, and later, inside the walls of San Quentin state prison, where he teaches journalism to the incarcerated population and helped revitalize the prison’s famed newspaper.”

Professor Jennifer LaFleur was a project editor/manager on “40 Acres and a Lie,” an extraordinary three-part series from the Center for Public Integrity and Reveal that explores the lesser-known legacy of American reparations that were given and taken away. “40 Acres and a Lie” won the SPJ award for Public Service. Steven Rascón (’22) was the production manager.

Lecturer Manjula Varghese (’17) won for best Arts & Culture (TV/video) for episodes of “Beyond the Menu” on Hong Kong-style pineapple buns, chamoy and Rocky Road ice cream, for KQED.

Two of our current students were also honored. Kelsey Oliver (’25) received the John Gothberg Award for Meritorious Service for establishing a chapter at the school and involving students in the SPJ Satellite Chapter at San Quentin. Holly McDede (’25) won for best Features Journalism (radio/audio/podcast small division) for a “Philosophy Talk” segment on righteous rage for KALW.

Multiple alums were honored as well. Sasha Khokha (’04) won two awards: one for Explanatory Journalism  (radio/audio/podcast large division) for KQED in collaboration with the Food and Environment Reporting Network for “California’s Nuumu People Claim LA Stole Their Water, Now They’re Fighting for Its Return,” with Teresa Cotsirilos (’17), and another in the Arts and Culture category (radio/audio/podcast) for “This All-Women Mariachi Group From Sacramento Is Redefining the Genre” alongside Victoria Mauleon (’01).

Laurence Du Sault (’20), an investigative reporter at Open Vallejo, won for best Ongoing Coverage (print/online small division) for reporting revealing that city officials in Vallejo destroyed evidence in multiple police related deaths and shootings, despite laws mandating the records’ disclosure.

Coby McDonald (’17) of EdSource won for best Education Reporting (radio/audio/podcast) for “A teacher removed, a play censored, and the chilling effect that followed” and best Longform Storytelling (radio/audio/podcast small division — standalone episode) for “Bachelor’s degrees in prison promise incarcerated students a second chance”.

Lauren Hepler (‘18) of CalMatters won for best Explanatory Journalism (print/online) for “California’s Unemployment Crash” — part 1, part 2 and part 3.

Kristen Hwang (’21) of CalMatters won for best Health Reporting  (print/online large division) for “No Deliveries,” a series on maternity ward closures around California.

Laura Klivans (’16) and Vanessa Rancano (’14) won for best Longform Storytelling (radio/audio/podcast — series) for episodes from the third season of “Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America,” which examines the intersection of the climate and housing crises, including stories on flooding, heat waves and wildfires, for KQED.

Science journalist H.R. Smith (’07) won for best Science Reporting (print/online small division) for a package on blue butterflies, California’s bull kelp forests and a eulogy for crayfish, for Bay Nature.

The winners will be honored at SPJ NorCal’s 39th Excellence in Journalism Awards Ceremony, to be held Friday, Nov. 15, at Verdi Club in San Francisco.