The Pearl Post takes 2nd place at 63rd Annual LA Press Club Journalism Awards
The Pearl Post placed second in the "Best High School Newspaper" category for the October 2020 issue, which was published during distance learning.
The Pearl Post placed second in Best High School Newspaper for their October 2020 issue at the Los Angeles Press Club’s 63rd Annual Awards dinner on Oct.16.
The event was dedicated to the late Ruth Pearl who passed away July 20 at the age of 85. While joining forces with her husband, Dr. Judea Pearl, Ruth spent just under two decades leading the Daniel Pearl Foundation to honor her son’s legacy and make a positive impact through journalism.
On Saturday evening, four of The Pearl Post’s editors made their way to the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. Newsmagazine Editor-in-Chief Valeria Luquin, Online Editor-in-Chief Delilah Brumer, Managing Editor Gabrielle Lashley and Sports & Tech Editor Branden Gerson checked into the event at 4:30 P.M. They then continued on to the red carpet for a group photo as the remaining honorees and nominees entered the hotel.
The four then proceeded into the cocktail room where they met Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Chief Medical Correspondent for CNN and prepared themselves for the evening’s dinner and awards ceremony. About an hour later, the doors of the hotel´s crystal ballroom were opened and the group took their seats at the predesignated table where dinner was served. Following the meal, the first presenters took the stage and the awards ceremony commenced.
A few minutes into the ceremony, the presenters began announcing the chosen winners for the Student Media category. In this segment, Van Nuys High School´s student publication, The Mirror and The Pearl Post were awarded first and second place respectively for Best High School Newspaper. For placing second, a certificate was given to reward the efforts of last year´s newspaper staff led by former Print Editor-in-Chief Itzel Luna to produce the October 2020 issue. The certificate awarded to the student publication proved that the 2020 staff managed to effectively provide their school with exemplary coverage despite the communication barriers presented by COVID-19 and distance learning.
The continuing intensification of the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020 prevented the award show from being held in person last year . However, with the implementation of a vaccination requirement, the L.A Press Club successfully organized this year’s gala to proceed as an in-person event this past Saturday, where awards were presented to spotlight editorial excellence exhibited in 2020.
Beyond acknowledging the 2020 nominees, the L.A. Press Club recognized six accomplished individuals throughout the ceremony for their diverse contributions to the field of journalism and society as a whole demonstrated through 2021. In addition to Gupta, this evening´s honorees comprised ABC 7 anchor Marc Brown, LAist reporter Josie Huang, former New York Times Opinion Editor Bari Weiss, actor and CORE founder Sean Penn and CORE Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Anna Lee.
Weiss, the recipient of the Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism, was introduced by Dr. Pearl about half way through the award show. Dr. Pearl expressed his gratitude for Weiss being the awardee who honors his late son’s legacy. He commended Weiss for her work as a journalist and praised her efforts in fighting anti-semitism, stating that if Ruth were there, that she would be pleased. Weiss then took the stage, accepting the award and speaking about her journey. She then went on to hand Dr. Pearl a plaque honoring the memory of his wife, Ruth.
¨Thank you Bari for honoring Danny´s memory as well as Ruth´s memory by accepting this award,” Dr. Pearl said.