Free Speech Advocate to Speak at SPJ/LA's Distinguished Journalist Awards Banquet
First Amendment expert, criminal defense lawyer and podcaster Ken White will deliver the keynote address at the 47th annual Distinguished Journalist Awards Banquet, hosted by the Los Angeles Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
White, an attorney at Brown White & Osborn LLP, has written about First Amendment and criminal justice issues for numerous publications, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and The Atlantic. Known to many by his social media handle Popehat, he is also co-host of Serious Trouble, a podcast about the legal travails of public figures.
A former federal prosecutor, White is known for helping to find pro bono legal representation for the targets of frivolous and censorious defamation cases. He previously co-hosted the podcast Make No Law, a podcast about the history of the First Amendment, and the podcast All the Presidents' Lawyers, which examined the many legal inquiries into President Trump and his allies.
The awards banquet will be held Oct. 25 at the Omni Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, starting with a no-host reception at 6 p.m.
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The event will honor six SoCal journalists and two students: Patt Morrison, columnist, Los Angeles Times; Gwen Muranaka, senior editor, The Rafu Shimpo; Michaela Pereira, freelance journalist and TV host; Ben Camacho, photographer and journalist, Knock LA; Dean Musgrove, photo editor, Southern California News Group; and Paul Glickman, retired senior editor, KPCC/LAist. This year’s outstanding students are Jackson Tammariello, Santa Monica College, and Alexandra Najera, California State University, Northridge.
Proceeds from the event help cover the cost of SPJ/LA's scholarship program.
SPJ/LA thanks Southern California Public Radio/LAist, the Los Angeles Times, Southern California News Group, Santa Monica College and Cal State Northridge for stepping up to sponsor the event, which helps to raise money for the chapter's six student scholarships. If you would like to become a sponsor, please contact Elizabeth Marcellino at eliz.marcellino@gmail.com.