500 awards in more than 180 categories; three special career achievement recognitions
SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Press Club will host its 48th annual Excellence in Journalism awards program on Facebook and Twitter live stream on Monday, October 25 at 6 p.m. The program will recognize 500 award recipients in more than 180 categories and 10 divisions.
“For 48 years, the Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards have celebrated the extraordinary work of journalism and public relations professionals in San Diego,” said Press Club Executive Director Terry Williams. “These peer-based awards are the gold standard in the industry and have inspired winners as they build their businesses and careers.”
The event will also highlight three special career achievement awards. Recipients are Jeff McDonald – Harold Keen Award for outstanding contributions in journalism, Scott McGaugh – Andy Mace Award for career achievements in public relations and Phyllis Pfeiffer – Jim Reiman Award for excellence in media management.
McDonald is a member of the investigative reporting team at the San Diego Union-Tribune and writes about government and institutional misconduct and waste in San Diego County and beyond. His most impactful stories over the years include rampant theft at the San Diego Food Bank, a deep-dive series on lax regulation of CA and San Diego assisted-living homes, the illegal deal over the failed San Onofre nuclear plant, the ongoing deaths inside San Diego County jails and the city of San Diego’s record with real estate. He was named journalist of the year in 2015 by the local Society of Professional Journalists.
McGaugh began his career at a local San Diego marketing firm in 1985, serving clients in the hospitality, recreation, agriculture and real estate industries before opening his own firm with co-owner Peter MacCracken in 1996. Later, he became a founding board member and the founding marketing director of the USS Midway Museum before retiring in 2002. McGaugh is currently working on his 11th book, “The Brotherhood of the Flying Coffin.” He sold the movie rights to a previous book, “Honor Before Glory,” and his book “Surgeon in Blue” was a New York Times bestseller.
Photo(Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune)
Pfeiffer is president and general manager of the Union-Tribune Community Press, a group of nine community newspapers in San Diego County. She began her career as publisher at the La Jolla Light in 1977 and has also held such roles as general manager of the Los Angeles Times San Diego Edition, president and publisher of the Marin Independent Journal, vice president of advertising and marketing at the Contra Costa Times and senior vice president of advertising at the San Francisco Chronicle. Additionally, Pfeiffer is founding chair of the La Jolla Community Foundation and a member of the Chancellor’s Community Advisory Board at the University of California, San Diego.
The Excellence in Journalism awards program can be viewed live on Monday, October 25 at 6 p.m. at https://www.facebook.com/SDPressClub or https://twitter.com/sdpressclub.
About San Diego Press Club ..The San Diego Press Club is proud to be one of the largest clubs of its kind in the nation with nearly 400 members in the news communications field. Offering a blend of social and professional growth activities, we seek to foster a community where the relevant professional/social needs of news communications professionals can be met in an environment of integrity and high ethical standards.
