Times of San Diego was named the region’s Best News Site for the seventh time as the San Diego Press Club celebrated its 50th anniversary Tuesday in Balboa Park.
Led by photographer Chris Stone of La Mesa, with 10 individual awards, contributors to the 9-year-old website claimed 25 awards, including 13 first-place plaques.
“I’m proud of the Times of San Diego team for once again producing the best news site in this city, serving 500,000 readers every month with timely and credible local news,” said Chris Jennewein, the site’s editor and publisher.
“And this year, special recognition is due Ken and Chris Stone, whose articles and photographs received a record number of awards. Their work truly makes Times of San Diego stand out.”
Del Mar resident Jennewein won three individual awards — two for editorials and one for his November 2022 voter guide. Press clubs in other states did the judging.
Mayor Todd Gloria hailed outgoing club executive director Terry Williams and proclaimed Oct. 3 as “San Diego Press Club Day” in San Diego. He also saluted the industry, saying: “The role of the media and of journalists has never been more crucial.”
Hundreds of media and public-relations professionals, plus students collecting awards and scholarships, attended the annual Excellence in Journalism Awards amid Balboa Park’s international houses.
The club, led in 2022-2023 by San Diego City College journalism professor Nicole Vargas, is one of the largest in the nation. Over the years, it’s awarded $175,000 in grants and scholarships to local journalism students, the audience was told.
Kathryn Gray was introduced as new executive director, and special honors went to retired Union-Tribune columnist Diane Bell (Harold Keen Award for Outstanding Contribution in Journalism) and the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s Georgeanne Irvine (Andy Mace Award for Outstanding Contribution in Public Relations).
Times of San Diego First-Place Awards
- Websites, News Site: Times of San Diego with contributors including Chris Jennewein, Elizabeth Ireland, Debbie Sklar, Chris Stone and Ken Stone
- Online and Daily newspapers, Environment: JW August for Bill Targets Smugglers Using Toxic, Banned Pesticides for Illegal Pot Farming/Bipartisan ‘TOXIC Act’ Targets Pesticides Smuggled by Cartels for Illegal Marijuana Grows
- Online and Daily newspapers, Editorials: Chris Jennewein for Maybe America’s Immigration ‘Problem’ Is Really an Opportunity
- Online and Daily newspapers, Military: Chris Stone for How Honor Flight San Diego Saved a Life: Until Trip, Viet Vet ‘Didn’t Care Anymore’
- Photography – Still, Feature – Light Subject: Chris Stone for Rodent lunch looks at egret
- Photography – Still, News: Chris Stone for Migrant girl playing with yoyo
- Photography – Still, Photo Essay: Chris Stone for Bloody Good Bouts as UFC Returns to SD
- Photography – Still, Portrait: Chris Stone for Migrant girl behind border bollards
- Photography – Still, Sports: Chris Stone for Mondo Duplantis soars at Oregon22
- Photography – video, Photo Essay: Chris Stone for Honor Flight San Diego: April 2023 D.C. visit
- Online and Daily newspapers, Essay/Commentary/Opinion: Marsha Sutton for California’s High School Ethnic Studies Plan Faces Continued Criticism, Funding Hurdles
- Online and Daily newspapers, Reviews: Misc.: Ken Stone for Muckraking Memoir: U-T ‘Gossip Central’ Dishes on Ex-Colleagues Dead and Alive
- Online and Daily newspapers, Headlines: Ken Stone for this package:
Chicken Soup for the Souls: Volunteers Find Border Zone ‘A Little Apocalyptic’
A Novel Look at SDPD: Book by Retired Homicide Detective Traces 1950s-1970s
High Jump Blues: How Event’s Standards Have Lowered Since Being ‘Beamonized’
Louisville Slugger Tim Sullivan, Ex-U-T Sports Columnist, Laid Off in Kentucky
Breakout Jail Reporter Kelly Davis Hailed as San Diego’s 2023 Journalist of the Year
Second-Place Awards
- Online and Daily newspapers, Editorials: Chris Jennewein for A Bill to Prop Up Legacy Media in California Is Bad News for Journalism
- Online and Daily newspapers, Election Coverage: Chris Jennewein for Voter Guide to San Diego County Races and Ballot Measures in Nov. 8 General Election
- Online and Daily newspapers, Breaking News: Chris and Ken Stone for Slammed in Santee, Transgender Woman Reveals Herself After Harsh YMCA Rally
- Photography – Still, News: Chris Stone for Family welcomes home pilot at Miramar
- Photography – video, Photo Essay: Chris Stone for San Ysidro border zone on final day of Title 42
- Online and Daily newspapers, Sports: Ken Stone for High Jump Blues: How Event’s Standards Have Lowered Since Being ‘Beamonized’
Third-Place Awards
- Online and Daily newspapers, Criminal Justice: JW August for Issues of ‘Trust’ Versus ‘Danger’ Pervade Debate on Domestic Violence Reporting
- Online and Daily newspapers, Profile: Rick Griffin for Profile of San Diego’s First Woman Sportscaster 50 Years Ago
- Online and Daily newspapers, History: Marsha Sutton for Opinion: When Mikhail Gorbachev Spoke in San Diego, His Message Was the Power of Education
Honorable Mention Awards
- Online and Daily newspapers, Column – Light Subject: Rick Griffin for ‘MarketInk,’ a weekly media and marketing column
- Online and Daily newspapers, Feature – Serious Subject: Ken Stone for Breakout Jail Reporter Kelly Davis Hailed as San Diego’s 2023 Journalist of the Year
- Online and Daily newspapers, Election Coverage: Ken Stone for Dem-on-Dem Dirty Tricks? Who is Using Lee, Porter Websites to Link to Schiff?
Award winners are listed alphabetically here, and honors by category are listed here.
