CrooksandLiars.com was honored this week in the 54th annual Southern California Journalism Awards:

Managing Editor Tina Dupuy won first prize for her featured online political commentary, “Confessions of a Child Janitor.” The judges comments, "Heart-felt first-person account of what it means to be working poor in America, inspired by some of Newt Gingrich’s campaign utterances. Rather than it being the working poor who are federally subsidized, Dupuy argues, it is their underpaying employers who are getting a free ride on the taxpayers. It’s 'wealthy janitors,' she says, who are Gingrich’s true 'invented people.'"

Also honored with second prize in the same category, was political writer Jon Perr for “You Know Mitt Romney is Out of Touch.”

The family of the late journalist Daniel Pearl was given the "Daniel Pearl Award" for "courage and integrity in journalism."

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the legendary Washington Post duo of Watergate fame, received the "President's Award," on the 40th anniversary of Watergate. Woodward, who is in the final stages of new book, appeared by remote camera from Washington, D.C. while Bernstein gave a live, inspirational speech to future investigative reporters.

Winners were chosen by press clubs across the nation from a record 750 entries in one of the oldest and largest journalism competitions—not just in Southern California, but the nation as well.

The awards banquet, held at the Millennium Biltmore's Crystal Ballroom in downtown Los Angeles featured celebrity award presenters like Martin Sheen, Ernie Hudson, Ron Pearlman and Pauley Perrette.

We're all proud, and thrilled that Tina and Jon's work was recognized with these honors, and wish them continued success in the future.