Welcome to the September edition of Scoop, the San Francisco Press Club’s monthly digest of Bay Area and national media news. I’m your narrator, Dan Evans. As this is my first go-around at doing this, I welcome any and all suggestions on how to make it more useful. Please send that feedback and any tips on jobs or news to: scoop@sfpressclub.org.
Topping our newsletter this month is the Press Club’s announcement that its annual Awards Gala will be held Dec. 9. The event, which honors excellence in journalism and media in the Greater Bay Area, will be held again in the beautiful Julia Morgan Ballroom, 465 California Street. Stay tuned for details about tickets and how to submit work for Press Club awards.
Now let’s get into the news. The last few weeks have notched some major media-related headlines: PBS announced it was cutting 15% of its workforce in response to funding cuts, Matthew Dowd of MSNBC (er, MS NOW) was fired for his comments in the wake of the murder of conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk, and Donald Trump went on the legal offensive again, suing the New York Times for claiming he wasn’t as financially successful as he has claimed.
Dowd’s firing has sparked a conversation on free speech, as other journalists, public relations folks, educators and a host of others have been fired, suspended or otherwise disciplined for their comments in the wake of the shooting. In short: It’s a challenging time. Keep fighting my friends. Keep fighting.
Call for Entries: 2025 Greater Bay Area Journalism Awards
The contest portal for the San Francisco Press Club’s 2025 Greater Bay Area Journalism Awards is now open: www.BetterNewspaperContest.com. Please follow the contest rules below and submit your entries before 9 p.m. PST on Oct. 20, 2025. We look forward to your submissions and celebrating with you on December 9, 2025, at our 48th annual winter gala and awards ceremony at the fabulous Julia Morgan Ballroom!
Bay Area Media News
- Jimmy Kimmel fired: Speaking of which… While we’re not exactly down the road from Burbank, the firing of late night host Jimmy Kimmel for remarks he made about the murder of Charlie Kirk has reverberated north, with Gov. Gavin Newsom calling ABC’s decision “spineless” and “a coordinated effort to control the media.” (San Francisco Chronicle)
- Professor honored: City College of San Francisco’s Juan Gonzales has received the 2025 Distinguished Teaching Award, the Society of Professional Journalists’ top honor for journalism educators. Gonzales has led CCSF’s journalism department for four decades, mentoring generations of reporters and founding the bilingual Mission District newspaper El Tecolote. Former students, including SPJ NorCal president Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez and Journalism Department instructor Alex Mullaney, praised his relentless focus on community-centered reporting and investigative rigor. (Society of Professional Journalists)
- New editor for the Sacramento Bee: Chris Fusco, the executive editor of The Press Democrat, announced earlier this month he is leaving to take the top editorial position at the Sacramento Bee. The move comes a few months after the Sonoma County paper was purchased by MediaNews Group. (The Press Democrat)
- Anniversary for San Quentin journalists: This year marks the 10th anniversary of the San Quentin gvzz s satellite of the Society of Professional Journalists’ Northern California Chapter. It’s the only SPJ group based behind prison walls. (Bay City News)
- Sideshow law blocked: A Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel blocked an Alameda County law that made it illegal to be within 200 feet of a sideshow for the purpose of observing, ruling that it likely violates First Amendment protections for journalists. The decision, in favor of Oaklandside reporter Jose Antonio Garcia (aka “Jose Fermoso”), reversed a lower court and ordered a preliminary injunction to allow news gathering at sideshows. (Courthouse News Service)
- Press Club Board expands: The San Francisco Press Club welcomed several prominent local journalists to its board of directors, including San Francisco Chronicle City Hall reporter J.D. Morris, Chronicle women’s sports writer Marisa Ingemi, and SF Business Times editor-in-chief Jeremy C. Owens. Earlier this summer, the club added Napa Valley Register editor & publisher Dan Evans (hey that’s me!) and Uber public affairs manager Zahid Arab to the board.
Jobs Board
Bloomberg: West Coast Editor, Weekends ($90-120K)
The Information: Reporter, Amazon ($80-$160K); 2026 Summer Intern (deadline Oct. 31); Video Editor ($35-$50/hr)
Forbes: Staff, Writer Education (remote) ($80-$100K); Senior Editor, CIO (remote) ($150-$200K)
NBCUniversal: Media Operations Specialist – NBC Sports, Bay Area ($75-$85K)
Vox: Senior Video Producer, The Verge (SF or NY) ($90-$110K) ; Senior Politics, Policy, & Ideas Editor (remote) ($130-$150K)
Cityside: Higher Education Reporter, Berkeleyside ($77-$98K)
KRON4: Digital Producer ($31.25/hr)
KQED: Data Journalist ($45-$53/hr); Executive Director, TV Programming, Video Production and Distribution ($138-$166K)
Sacramento Bee: Service Journalism Editor ($70-$85K)
Compiled by Dan Evans; edited by Dan Rosenheim. For submissions, sponsorships or feedback on Scoop, email scoop@sfpressclub.org.