Alumna named opinion journalist of the year

Lois Kazakoff ('76, Cowell, linguistics), deputy editorial page editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, has been named opinion journalist of the year by the National Conference of Editorial Writers (NCEW).

Kazakoff was selected from newspapers with a circulation of 100,000 and more. It's the first year NCEW has given awards to individual journalists.

NCEW, founded in 1947, is dedicated to advancing the craft of opinion journalism through education, professional development, exploration of issues of public importance and vigorous advocacy within journalism.

“Today’s open media environment has produced a cacophony of opinion, much of it non-factual, uninformed, abusive in tone and hidden in anonymity or false identities,“ said Froma Harrop, NCEW president in a statement. “These winners are protecting our civic culture by presenting strong arguments written with skill and creativity. They are having an impact on public policy and the quality of our national discourse.”

Kazakoff will receive her award at the annual NCEW conference in Indianapolis in September.