Media panel focuses on mental health

San Diego SPJ is honored to be a co-sponsor of the annual Bench/Bar/Media panel discussion where lawyers (the bench), judges (the bar) and journalists (the media) come together to discuss a subject of common interest. This year’s topic is the toll our jobs can have on our mental health. Panelists include retired San Diego Superior Court Judge Laura Halgren; Amy Lansing, the director of Cognitive and Neurobehavioral Studies in Aggression, Coping, Trauma and Stress at UC San Diego; and Dana Littlefield, public safety editor at the San Diego Union-Tribune. San Diego Superior Court Judge Frank Birchak will be the panel’s moderator. The event takes place Thursday, Aug. 17, at the San Diego County Bar Association’s Conference Center, starting with a reception at 5 p.m. and program at 6 p.m. See the flyer below for details and please RSVP.

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Welcome to our new board members!

San Diego SPJ is excited to welcome two new members to our board and wish a fond farewell and a big thanks to departing board members Lauren Mapp, Bianca Bruno, and our 2022-23 president, Lisa Halverstadt.

Click here to see a list of current board members, including our executive board, and their contact information.

Jennifer Kastner
Reporter, San Diego Business Journal

Jennifer Kastner is a reporter for the San Diego Business Journal where she specializes in stories about AI, biotech and life sciences. Before transitioning to print journalism in 2023, she was an investigative reporter for ABC 10News. She has reported for TV stations across the country where her work has been recognized with a Murrow, an Emmy, AP awards and SPJ awards. She’s a native San Diegan and is excited to connect with other local journalists.

Hafsa Fathima
Audio producer, NPR

Hafsa Fathima is an audio producer at National Public Radio, where she’s covered pop culture, immigration and invading snails in Florida. She’s also reported for The San Diego-Union Tribune and the Los Angeles Times, producing their narrative podcast, Border City. Before she ventured into radio, she wrote for The Hindu in Tamil Nadu, India. She’s called San Diego home since 2017, and is from both Mississauga, Canada, and Chennai, India.

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Another great awards banquet! Congratulations to our winners!

SPJ San Diego president Lisa Halverstadt with some of our scholarship winners. Photo by Bella Ross.

Thanks to everyone who joined us last night at Stone Brewing in Liberty Station for a night of good company, good food and a celebration of great journalism! Below is the official list of winners and judges’ comments. If you weren’t able to claim your award, please send an email to spjsandiego@gmail.com.

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Congratulations to our 2023 scholarship winners!

Each year, the San Diego Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists awards scholarships to deserving local college students and recent graduates. We’re always impressed by the applications and this year — in which we received an unprecedented number of entries — was no different. We’re proud to have the opportunity to recognize such talent and, hopefully, reduce the financial burden of education for these future reporters. Below are our winners, whom we’ll celebrate at our annual awards reception at Stone Brewing on June 20.