Press Releases

San Francisco, Calif. - November 24, 2008 - Tom Honig, former editor of the Santa Cruz Sentinel and a senior account executive at Armanasco Public Relations, Inc. accepted the Journalist of the Year award by the Northern California chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists on behalf of all those who have left the field of journalism. The Journalist of the Year is one of 25 awards that SPJ makes every year.

Neil Henry, chairman of the UC Berkeley graduate school of journalism, said that Honig was selected to receive the award on behalf of others owing to a 35-year career in one community - and because of Honig's decision to eliminate his own job, rather than cut the jobs of others on the staff of the Sentinel. "We honor each and every woman and man whose careers have been cut short by a radically changing business, a difficult economic climate and by publishers who are focused on paying down debts and fattening profit margins while loyal audiences need the important news about the community.

"We cannot bring every one of those journalists here tonight, so we've asked one person - Tom Honig - to accept the award on their behalf."

The announcement was made to about 200 journalists at the annual awards dinner of the SPJ at Yank Sing Restaurant.

In accepting the award, Honig took note of a generation of journalists who have chosen to leave the business amid a changing media landscape. "I accept the award on their behalf," he told the audience. "Some reporters go to war zones," he said. "Others call the White House their beat. But for most of us it's the school board, the library board, the fire that leaves a family homeless. We are the people who get it done, day in and day out - giving people the opportunity to understand their own community."

SPJ President Ricardo Sandoval, an author and a reporter for the Sacramento Bee, announced 24 other awards to California journalists in several categories. San Francisco Chronicle science writer David Perlman was giving an award for Distinguished Service to Journalism, honoring his more than 50 years with the Chronicle. The staff of the San Jose Mercury News won five awards, including Public Service, Breaking News, Explanatory Journalism, Criticism and Photojournalism.

Honig worked at the Santa Cruz Sentinel newspaper from 1972 until 2007. He joined Armanasco Public Relations in December of 2007. Armanasco Public Relations, Inc., is a full-service Public Relations firm serving Central California and offering a wide range of services, including community relations, crisis management, event management, marketing communications, public affairs, media relations, research and strategic planning.

###