USC Dornsife communication staffers honored among leading journalists
In a room teeming with Los Angeles-area media notables — as well as nationally renowned newsies Andrea Mitchell and Jake Tapper — members of the USC Dornsife Office of Communication staff took home high honors for their writing and design expertise.
Journalists from the southland’s television, radio, digital and print news outlets gathered at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown L.A. on June 25 to celebrate and recognize each other’s achievements at the 59th annual Southern California Journalism Awards.
The USC Dornsife team won the first place award in the In-House or Corporate Publication category for the Fall 2016/Winter 2017 issue of USC Dornsife Magazine — themed “The Politics Issue.”
Judges lauded the art direction from Executive Director of Publications and Operations Dan Knapp and graphic design by Letty Avila and Matthew Pla Savino. Editorial content from Director of Strategic and Scientific Communications Darrin Joy and writers Susan Bell, Michelle Boston and Laura Paisley, and Communications Assistant Deann Webb also caught their eye, as did imagery from photographer Michael Glier.
“The stunning colorful graphics and photography greatly enhance the features, profiles and statistics in the USC Dornsife Magazine, giving the professional-looking publication this well-deserved honor,” wrote the judges.
In addition, Paisley earned first place in the Public Service News and Features category with her article USC Dornsife faculty help former prisoners find their voice. Judges praised the two-part story, which highlights an important outreach program undertaken by USC Dornsife faculty.
Laura Paisley, left, and Letty Avila hold first-place trophies at the June 25 awards gala. Photo by Mike Glier.
“Laura Paisley’s work grabs you immediately,” they wrote. “Her tight and original articles cut to the heart of what it means when a community — in this case, the USC Dornsife Writing Program — steps forward to provide unique and impactful rehabilitation assistance for recently released prisoners.”
Bell took second-place honors in the Lifestyle Feature category with her article titled From free love to well-set table, which covers Assistant Professor (Teaching) Ellen Wayland-Smith’s book about the scandalous secret history behind a well-known silverware brand’s rise from a 19th-century radical religious sect.
“These awards continue a string of accolades that attest to this team’s talent and commitment to exceptionally high standards,” said Lance Ignon, USC Dornsife’s new senior associate dean for strategic initiatives and communication, who succeeds Mira Zimet, who led the department at the time the magazine issue was published. “I couldn’t be more proud to have joined them.”
Several students, recent graduates and faculty members from USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism also received awards. Among them, Cole Sullivan and Sarah Collins, who are each double majoring in political science at USC Dornsife and journalism at USC Annenberg.
Other honorees for the evening were NBC News’ Mitchell, recognized with the Joseph M. Quinn Award for Lifetime Achievement; CNN’s Tapper, who received the President’s Award; photojournalist Daniel Berehulak, honored with the Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism; and Los Angeles Dodgers sportscaster Jaime Jarrin, who was awarded the Bill Rosendahl Public Service Award.
In addition, music entertainment icon Shawn Carter — better known as Jay Z — and film producer and distributor Harvey Weinstein received the inaugural Truthteller Award for Contributions to Public Discourse and Cultural Enlightenment of Our Society. The award recognized their bodies of work and, in particular, their documentary series TIME: The Kalief Browder Story.