Jay Z and Harvey Weinstein To Receive Truthteller Award From LA Press Club

The Los Angeles Press Club announced its Harvey Weinstein and Jay-Z as winners of its inaugural Truthteller Award for contributions to the Public Discourse and Cultural Enlightenment of our Society.

They were awarded for their work on  the  Spike-TV documentary-series Time: The Kalief Browder Story which aired earlier this year to critical praise. The show brought to light the story of Browder, who was falsely imprisoned for three years in Rikers Prison, mostly in solitary confinement, which led to his suicide.

Los Angeles Press Club President Robert Kovacik said, “In our troubled times, we could not find two finer examples of integrity and social responsibility than JAY- Z and Harvey Weinstein,”

Weinstein said,“Kalief’s story shines a light on the atrocities of not just one young man, but an entire broken system. JAY Z has been the ambassador for this project, and so many others, that shine a light on a community that needs the world to see and never forget individuals like Kalief. The NY Legislature has recently signed the Bill ‘Raise the Age’ to keep individuals under 17 years old from being tried as adults, and to protect them once incarcerated. Steps like this could have changed Kalief’s outcome, and we are hopeful that change will continue to happen and save other lives.”

The Truthteller Award will be presented at the 59th SoCal Journalism Awards Gala on Sunday, June 25th at the Biltmore Millennium Hotel, downtown LA. More than 500 journalists and media executives will attend the event.

In addition to honoring JAY-Z and Harvey Weinstein at the LAPC Gala Event, NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell will receive the Joseph M Quinn Award for Lifetime Achievement; CNN’s Jake Tapper will receive the President’s Award for Impact on Media; Australian photojournalist Daniel Berehulak will be honored with the Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism; and Dodger¹s Jaime Jarrin will be bestowed with the Bill Rosendahl Public Service Award for Contributions to Civic Life.