Stanford Journalism graduates recognized in local and national journalism contests

Stanford Journalism alumni were among those honored in December by the San Francisco Press Club for journalistic work published in 2025. Among the winners were Hannah Bensen, Aru Nair, Rebecca-Ann Jattan, Hina Suzuki, and Hannah Woodworth, all part of the 2024-2025 Journalism cohort. 

Here are the honors awarded by the San Francisco Press Club under the college media categories: 

Radio Podcast/News Reporting:

First Place: Hannah Bensen, Aru Nair, How Trump's Mass Deportation Promise is Already Impacting California's Undocumented Community

Feature/Serious Subject: 

Second Place: Peninsula Press Staff, Coping with Cuts: Portraits of Loss after the U.S. Ceases Aid Operations Around the Globe

Third Place: Rebecca-Ann Jattan, Life, After Homelessness and Stability Beyond Housing

Investigative:

Third Place: Hina Suzuki, Hannah Woodworth, San Francisco plans to spend $10 million on trash cans. Will they make the streets clean?

Additionally, Bensen and Nair’s work was recognized as the national winner in the General News Reporting, Large School Division by the Society for Professional Journalists. The piece initially won the regional awards in May 2025 and was nominated for the national contest. 

The piece centers on “Alondra,” an undocumented woman in San Jose, and details the rising apprehension and uncertainty among immigrant communities following the 2024 elections. Through print and audio, the reporters captured how this climate affects local families and schools. 

Bensen said, “We wanted to explore how undocumented immigrants contribute to the Bay Area economically, culturally, and socially … we wanted to think about what the Bay Area would look like without undocumented immigrants.”