IndieWire Wins Two Southern California Journalism Awards, Including Best News Website

IndieWire won two major prizes on Saturday night when the Los Angeles Press Club revealed the winners of the 2022 Southern California Journalism Awards. IndieWire’s entire staff was honored as the Best Website, Traditional News Organization, with judges noting that the site is “full of analysis of entertainment issues, not to mention the depth of most of the pieces that immediately pop up on the site. Quite compelling and thought-provoking.”

IndieWire’s Deputy TV Editor and TV Critic Ben Travers also won an award for Entertainment Commentary for his piece TV’s IP Problem: How Reboots, Spinoffs, and Blockbuster Franchises Could Shape the Future. Travers’ win was accompanied by a judge’s comment that noted “the writer brilliantly argues that the repetitive nature of the blockbuster mentality is at the expense of originality we all will have to pay for.”

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In his essay, Travers argues that “today, TV does it all, and when it comes to scripted series, the small screen is seeing an influx of reboots, revivals, and sequels, some of which take the form of big-budget franchises. The streaming wars have created a number of new services, all angling for supremacy, and the easiest way to win is to offer audiences something they already know and want. Whether that’s the next piece of the Marvel (Not-So-)Cinematic Universe or an extension of ‘The Godfather’ trilogy, awareness can be a shortcut to subscribers — or, at least, that’s the predominant thinking, backed up by a Brinks truck of Hollywood cash.”

Three other IndieWire staff members received award nominations for their writing on the site. IndieWire’s Chief Film Critic David Ehrlich was nominated for Best Criticism of Film, an award that encompassed his many reviews for IndieWire. Associate Editor Jude Dry was also nominated for Best Personality Profile, Film/TV Personalities for their profile of Ruth Negga, titled, Ruth Negga Crafted a “F*ck-You Machine” to the Establishment with Her Radiant Turn in “Passing.” And TV Editor Kristen Lopez’ reported piece “Crip Camp” Co-Director James LeBrecht Claims CBS and Television Academy Deceived Him on Emmy Ramp earned her a nomination for Best Entertainment News on Music/Performing Arts.

According to their mission statement, the annual awards seek to “support, promote, and defend quality journalism in Southern California.” The tradition has continued for 59 years, and while the media landscape has changed significantly during that time, the organization “continues to call attention to LA’s fine journalists while promoting excellence in new and emerging media.”

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