Dec 16
B.A.R. wins SF Press Club awards
Cynthia Laird READ TIME: 2 MIN.
The Bay Area Reporter continued its award-winning journalism by picking up several awards at the recent San Francisco Press Club event. The awards were distributed for articles published from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025.
This year also saw assistant editor John Ferrannini, a gay man, join the board of directors of the press club. The press club’s gala was held December 9 at the Julia Morgan Ballroom in downtown San Francisco.
“John represents the very best of Bay Area journalism: curious, courageous and deeply committed to truth,” said Curtis Sparrer, a gay man who is president of the San Francisco Press Club and principal of Bospar. “His dedication to fairness and accuracy embodies the values our Club stands for, and we’re honored to welcome him to the board.”
Ferrannini stated that he was excited to join the board.
“At a time when the free press is under siege, and many readers and viewers have understandably tuned out, I hope to help uplift the amazing work so many of my colleagues do every day – finding facts, asking tough questions, and giving people a fair opportunity to be heard,” he said. “With each story, we can rebuild trust and rekindle a passion for fearless, honest journalism.” (Board members don’t vote for the awards.)
There was a change this year in how the press club established its categories. Before, the B.A.R. was in the "newspapers non-daily" category. This year, the press club changed categories to the size of newsrooms: fewer than 15 or more than 15. As a result, the B.A.R. faced off against different publications, such as the San Francisco Examiner and Mission Local.
The B.A.R. took third place in Overall Excellence: Best Community Newspaper. The Examiner took first place in the category, while the San Francisco Business Times was second.
In the political/news columns category, assistant editor Matthew S. Bajko, a gay man, received third place for his Political Notebook column on the Presidio canceling its Pride event due to President Donald Trump’s executive orders. https://www.ebar.com/story/154869
In the arts writing competitions, longtime B.A.R. freelance writer Tim Pfaff won second place in the entertainment review category for his piece on Ken Burns’ documentary about Leonardo da Vinci. https://www.ebar.com/story/151631
B.A.R. publisher Michael Yamashita, a gay man, praised the recognition the paper and its writers received.
“Congratulations to Matthew Bajko and Tim Pfaff for their well-deserved achievements,” he stated. “We are proud to have such talented writers. For the B.A.R. to be awarded for overall excellence by the San Francisco Press Club, along with the San Francisco Examiner and the San Francisco Business Times, is an honor. Credit is due to editors Cynthia Laird, Jim Provenzano, Matthew Bajko and John Ferrannini.”
