Clayton Journalist Leisa Zigman Named 2012 Media Person of the Year

Clayton resident and KSDK NewsChannel 5 chief investigative reporter Leisa Zigman has been named 2012 Media Person of the Year. The Press Club of Metropolitan St. Louis announced its award—the most prestigious it offers—this week.

"Zigman’s reporting on non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, with which she was diagnosed in 2010, and her investigations into brutality on school playgrounds and the high levels of lead in children’s jewelry helped her garner the award," a news release from the Press Club states. "The federal government enacted tougher standards as a direct result of both investigations."

Zigman will be honored Oct. 4 during a gala at the St. Louis Hilton at the Ballpark. Attendees will include fellow KSDK personalities Kay Quinn, Frank Cusumano and Mike Shipley, and Bill DeWitt of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Photojournalists J.B. Forbes and Robert Cohen of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch will be honored with awards for journalistic excellence for their coverage of the 2011 tornado in Joplin. Fleishman-Hillard also will be honored for its "longtime worldwide communication efforts," the release states.

A reception begins at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m.

Tickets cost $125 per person for Press Club members and $150 for non-members. Those who join the Press Club at a cost of $85 will receive a $25 discount on each of two tickets. Proceeds from the event help fund scholarships, journalism fellowships for investigative reporting and maintenance of the St. Louis Public Library Media Archives.

Reservations may be made by calling 636-230-1973, emailing info@stlpressclub.org or going to stlpressclub.org.

The club's first Media Person of the Year honoree: Joseph Pulitzer Jr. in 1988.