Hello and welcome to the December edition of Scoop, the San Francisco Press Club’s monthly newsletter.
We start by reporting that this year’s San Francisco Press Club Awards Banquet drew a record 310 people on December 4 to the beautiful Julia Morgan Ballroom on California Street in downtown San Francisco.
It was not just the largest, but by far the swankiest, Press Club event in recent memory, with a glamorous setting, passed hors d’oeuvres, two cocktail bars, and wines at the sitdown dinner courtesy of J Lohr Winery.
The gala was hosted by CNBC anchor Deirdre Bosa and KQED political correspondent Marisa Lagos, with special cameo appearances by the two newest Press Club board members, Roberta Gonzales of KTVU and Erika Carlos of El Tecolote.
Among the evening’s highlights was a session with former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and political insider Phil Matier, who were interviewed on stage and took questions from the audience. Brown, witty and pointed as ever, chided Democrats who “didn’t notice apparently” that the world changed dramatically during the pandemic.
Recognizing an extraordinary act of courage, the Press Club gave its first-ever Integrity in Journalism Award to Mariel Garza, the former editorials editor of the Los Angeles Times. Garza, who flew up from LA to accept her award, made headlines when she resigned from the Times after its owner blocked the editorial board’s planned endorsement of Kamala Harris for President.
Above all, it was a night to honor the excellent work produced by northern California journalists — on digital platforms, in print, on television and radio, in college media — as well as by public relations professionals.
Along with more than 150 first-, second- and third-place awards for stories during the last year, the Bill Workman Award to recognize distinguished reporting went to San Francisco Chronicle reporter Kevin Fagan. “The Lost and the Found,” Fagan’s book on homelessness, was just published by Simon & Schuster. He is retiring from daily journalism and about to go on a tour to promote the book.
John King, The Chronicle’s architecture critic, received this year’s Lifetime Achievement award and was interviewed on stage by The Chronicle’s Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight of the New York Times. King is another recent Chronicle retiree, having stepped down this fall after 23 years of distinguished work for the newspaper.
The banquet was a fitting cap to a year of increased activity for the Press Club. In the spring, the club partnered with ABC 7 News to interview San Francisco Mayor London Breed and her chief of police. Later in the year, the club partnered with the San Francisco Federal Reserve to discuss the economy, an event covered by more than 100 different outlets around the world. And this fall, the club also relaunched its scholarship program for journalism students.
Noting all of this, Bill Workman’s widow, Marla Lowenthal, presented Press Club President Curtis Sparrer with a ceremonial gavel from the old Peninsula Press Club to honor Sparrer’s role in bringing new energy, ambition and conviviality to the association of journalists. We have much more in store for 2025!
MEDIA NEWS
Assembly Bill 56 would require social media platforms to warn users about potential mental health effects to young people, the LA Times reports.
Bay Nature won three editorial awards from the SPJ for its reporting on science and environment.
The SF Standard is launching a paywall with a two-tiered membership structure. The Standard membership costs $9 per month, or $90 for an annual subscription. Non-members will be allowed three free articles per month, while a Gold Standard membership with additional benefits costs $900 per year.
Got news you’d like included in next month’s newsletter? Email scoop@sfpressclub.org
EVENTS
December 19, 6:15-8pm, Chronicle film critic Mick LaSalle will speak at Manny’s. LaSalle is retiring from his job as film critic. He will be joined by the paper’s senior arts and entertainment editor, Mariecar Mendoza.
December 20, 5-7pm, Hanukkah Happy Hour. J the Jewish News is hosting a happy hour for Bay Area Journalists at One Market from 5-7 pm. You’re invited to come enjoy latkes and drinks.
JOBS
Bloomberg is looking for a planning and campaign manager, a position that requires three years of media planning experience and comes with a 12-month contract ($45-55/hour).
San Francisco Standard wants to hire a deputy politics editor ($90,000-140,000), an opinion editor ($130,000-190,000) and a senior manager of social media ($150,000-$250,000).
KPIX TV is looking for a multi media journalist to produce news stories for broadcast and digital ($116,000-130,000) and an executive producer ($150,000-165,000).
This month’s Scoop was written by Dan Rosenheim and edited by Rob Price. Interested in sponsoring a future edition? Get in touch at board@sfpressclub.org