Courier wins Los Angeles Press Club Award

Beverly Hills Courier Publisher Lisa Friedman Bloch was honored with a first place award in the newspaper personality profile category at the 66th Annual Southern California Journalism Awards for her article on designer Mike Amiri. The piece, titled “Mike Amiri: He’s Building a Modern Luxury Home on His Own,” appeared on the cover of the Beverly Hills Courier’s Summer 2023 STYLE magazine and in the June 16, 2023, issue of the Courier. It is the third award for Bloch, who previously received first place awards for her profiles of Lionel Richie and Nicholas Bijan.

The awards were presented by the Los Angeles Press Club at its gala dinner on June 23 in the Crystal Ballroom of the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. Editor-in-Chief Ana Figueroa took third place in the Hard News, Print, Any Outlet category for her story “Hostage families tell their stories in Beverly Hills.” The Courier’s Neely Swanson was a finalist in the All Media Film Commentary/Analysis category for her review of the film “Oppenheimer” and Bloch was a finalist in the Entertainment News or Feature category for her cover profile of Eva Longoria for Holiday STYLE magazine’s 2023 cover.

The evening included tributes to two local television icons who passed away this year: Ruth Ashton Taylor and Sam Rubin. Other notable awards included the Guardian Award for contributions to the First Amendment to Mickey H. Osterreicher of the National Press Photographers Association, the President’s Award for influence on the media to Amanda Salas of FOX 11, the Bill Rosendahl Public Service Award for contributions to civic life to actress and humanitarian Jane Seymour, and the Joseph M. Quinn Award for lifetime achievement to ESPN anchor and commentator Stephen A. Smith.

Perhaps the most moving award of the evening was the presentation of the Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism, created in honor of the slain Wall Street Journal reporter. The award was presented by Daniel Pearl’s father, Judea, and given in absentia to Evan Gershkovich of the Wall Street Journal. Gershkovich was wrongfully arrested over a year ago while working for a reporter in Russia. This week he is on trial in Russia in camera on espionage charges. The trial is taking place 900 miles from Moscow in Yekaterinburg, infamous as the city where Tsar Nicholas II and his family were exiled and later executed in 1918. If convicted, Gershkovich faces 20 years in prison. Paul Beckett, deputy editor of the Wall Street Journal, accepted the award on Gershkovich’s behalf, condemning the treatment of his colleague and urging everyone to join in the pressure on U.S. government officials for his release.

It was a stark reminder that journalists’ rights remain under threat around the world. And the editorial excellence recognized during the evening was a stark reminder of the impact and importance of strong local journalism.