Journalism pair wins Hearst awards

Gisele Durham and John Lazar are now the toast of Cal State Long Beach. The two student journalists were honored by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation for excellence in the mass media field.

Durham, a transfer student from Riverside Community College placed second in the Radio Broadcast News Competition. She was edged out by Bryan Polcyn of the University of Missouri. Durham now goes up against nine other radio finalists for the opportunity to participate in the Hearst National Championships in May in San Francisco.

Lazar, who lives in Valencia, took second place in the News and Sports Category of the Hearst Photojournalism Competition. First place in that competition went to Mark Adams of the University of Georgia.

The students received letters telling them of their fortune in late January. Durham said the news was unexpected. "I thought it was a letter saying, thanks for submitting your entry, but you didn't win," Durham said. "But it started with congratulations so I knew it wasn't that."

Each earned a $1,500 scholarship award from the Hearst Foundation, but said the recognition was more valuable. "I knew there was money involved," said Lazar, who was named Outstanding Photojournalism Graduate at CSULB last semester. "But that wasn't my motivation."

Lazar said the Hearst Foundation award would be a great benefit to him in the future. "It looks good on a resumŽ," Lazar said. "Editors ... notice things like that when you're going for a job."

Lazar has already built an impressive track record. He has interned at the Los Angeles Times and San Gabriel Valley Tribune and is currently performing freelance work for the Los Angeles Daily News.

Durham said she would like to, "establish myself as a journalist ... get my foot in the door wherever I can."

Durham is currently taking 17 units at CSULB, while holding down internships at radio station KNX and TV station KABC in her spare time; she also had a spot at KNBC-TV, but gave it up. "My schedule was too heavy," Durham said.

Durham's winning broadcast was a piece based on her experience as a volunteer at a homeless shelter during the holiday season. "I noticed a lot of people volunteered," Durham said. "And I wanted to know why it wasn't like that all the time."

In her quest to find the reason, Durham interviewed several directors of community social programs. "The answer was so good that I decided to share it with the campus," Durham said. " I thought it would give listeners at [campus radio station] KLON food for thought."

KLON News Director Nick Roman, who directed and edited Durham's piece, felt it was a winner from the beginning. "It was a solid piece," Roman said. "She'll do better."

For her second-round effort, Durham is planning a series of broadcasts on education.

Professor Wayne Kelly, Photojournalism Option head at CSULB, said Lazar's win did not surprise him. "John is an excellent photographer with great potential for success," Kelly said. "He's polished his skills, so he's easily an entry-level professional."

Next up for Lazar is the Hearst portfolio judging, which is to take place in San Francisco in May. If he finishes in the top six of the 12 finalists, he will participate in the Hearst National Photojournalism Championship.

Lazar recognizes that the competition in San Francisco will be stiff. "There are a lot of great people entered," Lazar said. "A lot of talent."

In addition to the funds the students receive, the CSULB Journalism Department gets an equal amount of money. Since 1979, 24 of the 153 CSULB students who entered Hearst competitions have taken prizes. Together, the scholars have earned $13,400 in matching funds for the Journalism Department.

Dr. William A. Mulligan, who heads the department, attached a high level of prestige to the awards, calling them "collegiate Pulitzers." "It's quite an honor to have on your shelf," Mulligan said.

Lazar's interest in photography came to him out of a need to fill an academic obligation at College of the Canyons. "I don't know how to draw," Lazar said. "I didn't want to take an art class for my Humanities requirement. I was told photography was an option." A $300 investment in a camera soon followed; taking pictures became the focus of his career goals.

CSULB and Lazar were a hit right away. "While at [COC], all I was hearing was Ôyou want to go to Long Beach,'" Lazar said. "I knew there were a few [professional] photographers in the area who'd gone through the program."

Lazar's preferred career is a position on the photo staff of Time or Sports Illustrated. "I know it's farfetched," Lazar admitted. "But to dream .... " Lazar's award money will not sit idle. "I'm so far in debt that this is just a chip off the big block," Lazar said.