Thursday evening in Sacramento A News Cafe publisher Doni Chamberlain was honored at the 4th annual Sacramento Press Club Journalism Awards dinner as the winner of the 2024 Courage in Journalism award. She received a standing ovation as she stood to accept the award.
Approximately 180 people attended the event held at The Citizen Hotel in Sacramento. The keynote speaker was New York Times National Political Correspondent Shane Goldmacher.
(Photo courtesy of Jose Luis Villegas)
Here’s an excerpt from the Sacramento Press Club’s remarks about the Courage in Journalism award:
“This award will recognize a journalist or team of journalists who displayed exceptional courage to bring necessary coverage to the public, whether by standing up to powerful people, covering events such as wildfires that are inherently dangerous, or exposing themselves to personal harm during the coverage of extremists or others who threaten with intent to injure.
Doni Chamberlain, who has a 30-year career in journalism, has made it her mission to cover extremism in Shasta County, even though she was physically attacked in the process. Since leaving the Redding Record-Searchlight 17 years ago, she has published the online magazine A News Cafe.
She has covered the growing influence of local militias and an increasingly extreme turn in local politics. Chamberlain has endured repeated threats from those she covers. She’s been threatened at protests, at local government meetings and, of course, on social media. The people threatening her tend to carry guns.
She told us she won’t do that herself, but she does carry pepper spray and she has added cameras and other safety measures at home. Still, last summer, she was attacked while trying to cover a militia meeting whose location had been promoted publicly. Chamberlain suffered whiplash, a neck injury, and a concussion that has had lasting effects. The county district attorney recently told her they will not prosecute due to insufficient evidence.”
