In 1960, Randolph A. Hearst and his brother William R. Hearst, Jr. named the first program judges. The judges are professional journalists/editors whose valuable time and talents are generously volunteered to the program each year. Over the course of their three-year terms, they judge the work of thousands of students across the country. Judges are sent the entry materials and rate the work based on a point system. The assigned points are then sent to the Foundation to be compiled. The Foundation then ranks and awards the winning students.

The following is the list of judges who evaluate the monthly and Championship entries in the writing, photojournalism, television, radio, and multimedia competitions of the 2018-2019 Hearst Journalism Awards Program. The Program thanks the judges for this immeasurable contribution to the future of journalism.

Writing Judges

Dwayne Bray

Senior Coordinating Producer/Enterprise Reporting Unit
ESPN, CT

Audrey Cooper

Editor in Chief
The San Francisco Chronicle, CA

David Zeeck

President and Publisher
The News Tribune, WA

Photojournalism Judges

Erin Lubin

Freelance Photographer, CA

Luis Rios

Director of Photography
San Antonio Express-News, TX

Dai Sugano

Staff Photojournalist/Senior Multimedia Editor
The Mercury News, CA

Radio and Television Judges

Julie Chin

News Director
KNX Radio, CA

Lloyd Siegel

Former Vice President of News Partnerships
NBC News, NY

Fred Young

Retired Senior Vice President, News
Hearst Television Inc., NY

Multimedia Judges

Danese Kenon

Deputy Director of Photography for Video/Multimedia
Tampa Bay Times, FL

Mark Morris

Independent Visual Consultant, CA

Brian Storm

Founder, Executive Producer
MediaStorm, CA