On September 18, Capital & Main honored the work of journalists John Carlos Frey and Nikole Hannah-Jones as well as California Community Foundation President and CEO Miguel Santana at its annual Exposés awards gala.
Emcee Katie Phang, Capital & Main Publisher Danny Feingold and Capital & Main Executive Editor Tony Barboza emphasized the importance of independent journalism during a time of political upheaval and increasing attacks on the press. “When we witness the bending of the knee by traditional media to the demands of politicians who wield power in undemocratic ways, independent media becomes the go-to source for accurate reporting that speaks truth to power,” Phang said.
Capital & Main’s three honorees also stressed the connection between a strong press and a democratic society. Filmmaker and investigative journalist Frey discussed the ways that growing up in an immigrant family have continued to shape his reporting. “I will never forget it is the oppressed, the marginalized and those without a voice that I work for, because they are responsible for who I am today,” he said.
Santana, who received Capital & Main’s first-ever Philanthropy and Journalism Award, spoke about the necessity of funding journalism in the face of threats from the Trump administration. “The free press is not a luxury—it is the lifeline of our democracy,” he said.
And Hannah-Jones, creator of The New York Times’ Pulitzer-Prize winning 1619 Project, concluded the program with a call to meet the moment with courage, declaring, “The times may feel hopeless, but we are not helpless.”
