USC Annenberg students and recent alumni were recognized at the 2017 National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards in a variety of categories — from soft news and profiles to commentary and the journalistic use of social media.

California in the 1960s was the epicenter for spiritual experimentation. Indian gurus and New Age prophets, Jesus freaks and Scientologists all found followings in the Golden State.

USC Annenberg students and recent alumni were recognized at the 2017 National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards for their work on Ampersand, a digital magazine that is run by, edited and content-populated by students from the school’s arts journalism master’s program.

Over the past five years, the idea that computer programming — or “coding” — is the key to the future for both children and adults alike has become received wisdom in the United States. The aim of making computer science a “new basic” skill for all Americans has driven the formation of dozens of nonprofit organizations, coding schools and policy programs.

Jamie Kwong was with her mother, waiting in line at In-N-Out Burger to order lunch, when she got some big news via email. While Kwong described herself as “speechless” in that moment, her mother burst into happy tears.

Is the royal marriage story we’re being sold really a fairy tale come true? Or is it a story spun by Buckingham Palace for its own self-interest, one shrouded in myth and make-believe?

During half-time at the Nov. 29 sold-out Lakers vs. Warriors game, two USC Annenberg students, James Thomas McDaniels ’18 and Jackson Safon ’18, received the 2017 Chick Hearn Memorial Scholarship in a center court ceremony. They were joined by members of the Hearn family and USC Annenberg Dean Willow Bay.

“For any show on television to hit 100 episodes is amazing. For our student-produced documentary series, Impact, it’s an incredible milestone,” said Dan Birman, documentary filmmaker and professor of professional practice.