Jack White Award for Excellence in Local Journalism
Laura Castañeda
Laura Castañeda is an award-winning bilingual journalist, documentary filmmaker, media instructor, mentor, and former deputy opinion editor and member of the editorial board at The San Diego Union-Tribune.
She retired from San Diego City College after 17 years in the Radio Television Film Department in 2019, where she served as chair and professor. She also worked as a lecturer in the Journalism & Media Studies department at San Diego State University, Point Loma Nazarene University, and Palomar College.
Castañeda worked in three different television news markets (Chicago, San Diego, and Tucson, Arizona). She held positions such as writer, assignment editor, field producer, reporter, and anchor. Laura spent many years working on both sides of the international border in Nogales and Tijuana, B.C. She won two Emmy Awards for her magazine series, "Stories de la Frontera," and recently won another for her contributions to "Nuestra Voz Today," an online magazine show formerly produced by The San Diego Union-Tribune and The Los Angeles Times.
In 2008, her first documentary film, "The Devil’s Breath," was nominated for an Emmy Award and debuted at the San Diego Latino Film Festival. The film was screened at various colleges and universities across the United States and shown on PBS affiliates in Tucson, Chicago, Riverside, and San Diego.
Castañeda is an alumna of the University of Illinois-Urbana. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in Sociology.
She is a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and Chapter President of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ). Laura was recently inducted into the Silver Circle by the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
About the Jack White Award
Jack White was the face of San Diego television news from the late 1960s until his retirement in 2002. The iconic local news anchor was known for his generosity and professionalism during his 35 years at KGTV Channel 10. After his death, a scholarship was set up for journalism students within JMS, his alma mater.
This year, in honor of Jack’s incredible dedication to local news, the Jack White Award for Excellence in Local Journalism is being inaugurated. The purpose of the award is to highlight a journalist who has made a significant impact on their local community through their hard work and passion for those whom they serve.