Jack White Award for Excellence in Local Journalism
Lilia O’Hara
Lilia O'Hara spent 25 years at the San Diego Union-Tribune's weekly Spanish language newspaper, where she served as copy editor, entertainment editor and editorial director. From the beginning, she was responsible for the quality of the Spanish language in all products.
Born in Mexico City, she studied journalism at what was then ENEP Aragon, a satellite school of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She taught there and for a short time at the National School of Visual Arts before moving to the United States.
In Mexico City, she began working as a reporter covering cultura, the field of the fine arts, but also the realm of creators, lifestyles, food, music, innovation, and everything that makes a community and a nation unique.
When she became editorial director of The San Diego Union-Tribune en Español in 2010, her background and experience with culture was the beacon she used to cover the community. She tried to show what was happening at the heart of the bi-national region, beyond the daily news: What was new, what role the Latino community was playing in the creation and development of this unique place.
In her personal life, she is married to Fred, a partner who has supported her career and shared the responsibility of raising two beautiful people who are now 23 and 21, Lex and Freddie.
She has always been curious, like any good journalist in the universe, and she has also been exploring spirituality since her adolescence, which is why she became an interfaith minister in 2016 and a spiritual companion in 2023. She hasn't explored this field more because, well, she was busy producing a weekly newspaper and a daily news website.
Lilia O'Hara has had the good fortune to work as a journalist in Mexico City, Tijuana and San Diego.
She is not done yet. For now, she is trying to fit all her interests into her new website: liliaohara.com.
About the Jack White Award
Jack White was the face of San Diego television news from the late 1960s until his retirement in 2002. The iconic local news anchor was known for his generosity and professionalism during his 35 years at KGTV Channel 10. After his death, a scholarship was set up for journalism students within JMS, his alma mater.
This year, in honor of Jack’s incredible dedication to local news, the Jack White Award for Excellence in Local Journalism is being inaugurated. The purpose of the award is to highlight a journalist who has made a significant impact on their local community through their hard work and passion for those whom they serve.