SPJ NorCal honors KQED Public Radio’s Raul Ramirez for “Distinguished Service to Journalism”

Forum host Michael Krasny receives “Career Achievement Award.”

KQED Public Radio stories featuring the work of KQED journalists Julia McEvoy and Sasha Khokha receive Excellence in Journalism Awards.

The Society of Professional Journalists, Northern California Chapter, has honored KQED News with four 2013 Excellence in Journalism Awards:

“Distinguished Service to Journalism Award:” Raul Ramirez, Executive Director, News and Public Affairs, KQED Public Radio
SPJ NorCal highlighted Ramirez’s extensive journalism career beginning in 1960s, his reputation for uniquely immersing himself in the issues he was covering, his service to national and international journalism organizations and his mentorship of countless reporters and students.

“Career Achievement Award:” Michael Krasny, host, KQED Public Radio’s Forum
Krasny was honored for his 20-year tenure in the host chair of the nation’s most-listened-to local public radio news and public affairs talk show and SPJ Norcal highlighted his “incredible breadth of knowledge and strong interview style.”

Explanatory Journalism (radio/audio): KQED Central Valley Bureau Chief Sasha Khokha, freelance journalists Grace Rubenstein and Patricia Flynn, The Center for Investigative Reporting’s Bernice Yeung, and the Investigative Reporting Program at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
The award–winning series, which aired on KQED’s statewide news service The California Report, is part of a larger project with FRONTLINE and Univision. It exposed how undocumented women who work in the fields experience sexual abuse and rape by supervisors and others in positions of power.

Arts & Culture (radio/audio): Former KQED staff member and freelance journalist Shuka Kalantari and KQED News Senior Editor Julia McEvoy
The award-winning story portrayed a Cambodian immigrant who creates an entirely new genre of music by weaving together traditional Cambodian singing, psychedelic rock and hip hop.

The 2013 winners will be honored at SPJ NorCal’s 28th annual awards dinner on Tuesday, November 19, 2013, at the City Club in San Francisco.

About KQED
KQED serves the people of Northern California with a public-supported alternative to commercial media. Home to the most listened-to public radio station in the nation, one of the highest rated public television services and a leader in interactive technology, KQED takes people of all ages on journeys of exploration — exposing them to new people, places and ideas.

While other news organizations have shrunk, KQED has expanded its efforts to cover the issues and events that are important to the Bay Area. As the most trusted source of news in the Bay Area, KQED News is now a multiplatform operation with offices and bureaus in San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, Fresno and Los Angeles. KQED News offerings on television, radio and online include KQED NEWSROOM, current affairs specials produced in collaboration with The Center for Investigative Reporting, The California Report, Forum with Michael Krasny, 18 news broadcasts on KQED Public Radio, daily and the popular blogs News Fix, State of Health, Mindshift and The Lowdown. Stories from all KQED news programs are featured online at KQEDnews.org.