The Southern California News Group was well represented among the finalists for the 2025 SoCal Journalism Awards.

The Los Angeles Press Club announced the finalists for the 67th annual awards on Tuesday. SCNG, which comprises 11 daily news publications and various community weeklies, had 17 total finalists across 18 categories — including a candidate for sports journalist of the year and some reporters in the running for multiple awards.

John Murphy, a freelance journalist who writes for the Redlands Daily Facts and other SCNG publications, was named a finalist for sports journalist of the year.

Political and government reporting

Staff writers Beau Yarbrough and Jordan Darling, who respectively write for the San Bernardino Sun and Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, as well as other SCNG papers, are finalists in the local political/government reporting, schools and universities category for “Riverside takes UC Riverside to court over university’s growth plans,” published in The Press-Enterprise.

Orange County Register investigative reporter Scott Schwebke is a finalist in the local political/government reporting, crime/corruption category for “Arcadia councilmember under harsh glare over ties to accused Chinese agent,” published in the Pasadena Star-News.

Photography

L.A. Daily News photojournalist David Crane is a finalist in the feature photo category for “Supermoon Strut,” published in Los Angeles Daily News, which captured people at the Griffith Observatory walking in front of the backdrop of the August supermoon.

L.A. Daily News photojournalist Keith Birmingham is a finalist in the sports photo category for “Freddie Freeman’s big swing,” which captured L.A. Dodger Freddie Freeman hitting a walk- off grand slam in Game 1 of the World Series in October.

News

Staff writer Erika Ritchie is a finalist in the hard news category for “A first for Marines and Camp Pendleton as ACVs return from Indo-Pacific,” published in The Orange County Register.

Housing and real estate reporter Jeff Collins is a finalist in the business reporting category for “How real estate listings and potentially jobs are shifting to AI,” published in The Orange County Register.

Staff writer Steve Scauzillo is a finalist in the lifestyle feature category for “Home kitchen mini-restaurants now a thing in L.A. County. Oh, and it’s legal too,” published in the Pasadena Star-News.

Staff writers Kristy Hutchings and Lisa Jacobs are finalists in the education reporting category for “Meet the student journalists bringing college campus protests to the world,” published in the L.A. Daily News.

Ritchie is also a finalist in the news feature, general news/hard news category in publications with more than 50,000 in circulation, for “Camp Pendleton Marines take new vehicle on first deployment after early issues,” published in The Orange County Register.

Schwebke is also a finalist in that category for “Aliso Viejo residents claim herbicide spraying near their homes is making them sick,” published in The Orange County Register.

Ritchie landed as a finalist in one more category, news feature, society/culture/history in newspapers with more than 50,000 in circulation, for “Sound Spectrum, a longtime Laguna Beach record store, is for sale,” published in The Orange County Register.

Investigative reporter Jason Henry is a finalist in the news feature, general news/hard news category in newspapers with under 50,000 in circulation, for “How ‘pig butchering’ romance scams siphon millions from Californians every year,” published in the L.A. Daily News.

Schwebke, again, is a finalist in that category for “Harbor-UCLA orthopedics chief fired for accepting improper payments, patient misconduct,” published in the Daily Breeze and other SCNG papers. That story also landed him as a finalist in the investigative reporting category for newspapers with under 50,000 in circulation.

SCNG intern Delilah Brumer is a finalist in the news feature, society/culture/history category in newspapers with under 50,000 in circulation, for “Patricia Howard vanished 44 years ago, a long time for a family to hope,” published in the L.A. Daily News.

Staff writer Teresa Liu is also a finalist in that category for “The bullet from the Monterey Park shooting is still there. So is the dancing,” published in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

Scauzillo is a finalist in the entertainment news or feature category for “The rise of Jimmy Kimmel: From LA’s KROQ, to talk show host to now Biden’s emcee,” published in the Pasadena Star-News.

David Wilson is also a finalist in that category for “How the Rose Parade’s largest marching band is gearing up for a key moment: ‘the turn’,” published in the Pasadena Star-News.

Murphy, SCNG’s sports journalist of the year candidate, is also a finalist in the personality profile category in newspapers with under 50,000 in circulation, for “Banning football standout Deven Ray Jr. has emerged out of a dark past into a bright future,” published in the San Bernardino Sun.

Schwebke had one more story in the running for investigative reporting in publications with under 50,000 in circulation for “Investigation details whistleblower retaliation at VA Loma Linda,” published in the Redlands Daily Facts.

Columns

SCNG columnist Patricia Bunin, is a finalist in the columns category for newspapers with more than 50,000 in circulation, and Press-Telegram columnist Rich Archbold is a finalist in columns for newspapers with under 50,000 in circulation.

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony June 22 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.