Impact

Audience

What They're Saying

"Pacific Standard ... focuses on social issues and public policy with the same passion that supermarket glossies lavish on Biggest Loser photo spreads and Heidi Montag's latest turn under the plastic surgeon's knife. The magazine and a companion website have gained a toehold with academics, government officials, and journalists." —"On the Media: Publisher Sara Miller McCune Has Serious Goals for Journalism," the Los Angeles Times

"During [Sara] Miller McCune's long career as an academic publisher, papers and books full of brilliant ideas would cross her desk, and she would think about how to increase the number of people who saw them and thought about them. She began to conceive of a publication that would take this type of compelling research, which had a tiny readership, and translate it into stories that would make a wider audience pay attention." —"Meet the 6-Year-Old Mag That Just Took the Internet by Storm," Columbia Journalism Review

"Back in my idealistic youth, I liked to say that the purpose of journalism was to 'make what matters interesting.' It's easy enough to make interesting things interesting—sports, scandals, disasters, movie stars—and it's even easier to make important things dull. What makes journalism different from sheer entertainment is that it is supposed to deal with 'real' issues, problems, and concepts. Presenting them in a way that holds people's attention—that's the standard journalism, in its different forms, is always aiming for. Terry Gross does it in one way, Michael Lewis in another, the list could go on. [Pacific Standard] is earning a place on that list." —James Fallows, The Atlantic

Reader Profile & Demographics

Influence

Awards (Select List)

National Magazine Awards
Considered the highest award in the magazine industry, the NMAs are sponsored by the American Society of Magazine Editors and administered by the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism in New York.

• 2019 Nominee for Essays and Criticism (Silence Breaking Woman)
• 2017 Winner for Feature Photography (Adrift)
• 2015 Winner for Public Interest (Women Aren't Welcome Here)
• 2014 Nominee for General Excellence (Literature/Science/Politics)

PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide, championing the freedom to write and recognizing the power of the word to transform the world.

• 2018 Finalist for the Los Angeles Literary Award (Theft of the Gods)

Society of Publication Designers
The Society of Publication Designers is dedicated to promoting and encouraging excellence in editorial design. Members are art directors, designers, photo editors, editors, and graphics professionals.

• 2018 Medal Finalist for Photography (Makeshift Market)
• 2017 Silver Medal for Feature Design (Adrift)
• 2017 Merit Win for Feature Photography (The Biography of a Plant...)
• 2017 Nomination for Redesign (November/December 2016)

Western Publishing Association
One of the Western Publishing Association's primary objectives of the Maggies is to promote the pursuit of excellence among publishing and media professionals in 24 states across the West.

• 2014 Winner for Best Feature Article (The Social Life of Genes)
• 2013 Winner for Politics & Social Issues (July/August 2012)
• 2013 Winner for Special Theme Issue (September/October 2012)
• 2013 Winner for Most Improved Publication (Pacific Standard)

AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Awards
The AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Awards represent the pinnacle of achievement for professional journalists in the science writing field. The awards recognize outstanding reporting for a general audience.

• 2014 Winner for Magazine Feature Writing (The Social Life of Genes)

Folio:'s Eddie & Ozzie Awards
The most comprehensive awards competition in media publishing, and the only competition for all publications (consumer, b-to-b, etc.).

• 2014 Winner for General Interest Column (Quick Studies)
• 2014 Honorable Mention for General Interest Article (A Toast Story)
• 2014 Honorable Mention for Best Full Issue (January/February 2014)
• 2013 Honorable Mention for Best Full Issue (March/April 2013)
• 2013 Honorable Mention for Best Single Article (We Aren't the World)
• 2013 Honorable Mention for Illustration (The Best Tweets in the House)
• 2013 Honorable Mention for Best Cover (May/June 2013)

Min's Editorial & Design Awards
As magazine media evolves at a breakneck pace, MIN continues to be a trusted, one-stop resource for the mass-consumer magazine media industry. For more than 70 years, MIN has been serving its community with content, events, and awards programs that spotlight successes and innovations within the community and the teams behind them.

• 2016 Winner for Logo Redesign (July/August 2016)
• 2016 Honorable Mention for Best Single Article (Cruising Through...)
• 2016 Honorable Mention for Magazine Redesign (July/August 2016)
• 2016 Honorable Mention for Cover Design (May/June 2016)
• 2016 Honorable Mention for Technical Article (Suffocating the Ocean)
• 2014 Honorable Mention for Best Profile (A Toast Story)
• 2014 Honorable Mention for Best Single Issue (July/August 2014)
• 2013 Honorable Mention for Best Cover Design (May/June 2013)

American Society of Journalists and Authors
Each year, ASJA recognizes distinguished achievements in articles and books with a series of awards, which are presented during the annual ASJA Writers Conference.

• 2013 Honorable Mention for the June Roth Award (Weaponizing...)
• 2013 Honorable Mention for Outstanding Article (Was Lou Gehrig's...)

Sidney Hillman Foundation
The Sidney is a monthly award for outstanding journalism that fosters social and economic justice. 

• 2014 Sidney Award Winner (Women Aren't Welcome Here)

Liberty Media Corporation
This annual award acknowledges and encourages media contributions that explore the link between economic and political liberty.

• 2014 Media for Liberty Award Winner (The Deluge)

The Los Angeles Press Club
The Southern California Journalism Awards call attention to the Los Angeles area's finest journalists while promoting excellence in new and emerging media.

• 2017 Arts & Entertainment Award Winner for Soft News (How a 1972 Magazine...)
• 2017 Arts & Entertainment Award Winner for Print Feature (The Miseducation...)
• 2014 SoCal Journalism Award Winner for Best Feature (The Deluge)

Syracuse University: Mirror Awards
Open to anyone who conducts reporting, commentary, or criticism of the media industries. Entries are evaluated based on excellence of craft, framing of the issue, and appropriateness for the intended audience. Winners are chosen by a group of journalists and journalism educators.

• 2018 Winner for Best Profile (Editor in Exile)
• 2017 Nomination for Commentary (How Journalists Can Help Hold...)
• 2015 Finalist for Best Single Article (Women Aren't Welcome Here)

American Psychoanalytic Association
Recognizing professional reporting of outstanding merit that contributes in an exceptional way to the public understanding of psychoanalytic and psychological principles and phenomena.

• 2014 Winner for Excellence in Journalism (What Does It Take for...)

National Association of Science Writers
NASW's Science in Society Journalism Awards honor and encourage outstanding investigative and interpretive reporting about the sciences and their impact for good and ill.

• 2016 Winner of the Science in Society Award (Save the Honeybee...)

Society of Environmental Journalists
SEJ's awards honor the best environmental journalism in seven categories, bringing recognition to the most important stories on the planet.

• 2016 Honorable Mention for Outstanding Feature (The Messengers)

Radio & Television Appearances (Select List)

Pacific Standard authors and editors make frequent appearances on television and radio to promote their work. Our contributors have made regular stops at KPCC Southern California Public Radio's "Take Two," New Hampshire Public Radio's "Word of Mouth," and several National Public Radio programs, among several others.

• 2019.08.01 — KJZZ 91.5: Many American Farm Workers Are Child Laborers...
• 2019.06.24 — Connecticut Public Radio: Who Is Andrew Yang; SCOTUS Decision...
• 2019.06.13 — PRI's The World: Me, My Dad, and Chávez
• 2019.01.22 — KUER's Radiowest: Utah, Abortion, and the Post-Kennedy...
• 2018.09.21 — KCRW: Can DOGGR Oversee Oil and Protect the Planet...
• 2018.09.12 — Democracy Now!: Death on the Dakota Access...
• 2018.06.19 — KCRW: Reintroducing Grizzly Bears to Coastal...
• 2018.05.28 — Jefferson Public Radio: When a Family Member...
• 2018.02.21 — WOSU Radio: Possible Changes to Americans...
• 2018.02.09 — CBC Radio: As Terminations Rise, Will Gerber's...
• 2018.01.26 — Marketplace: The Sticker Shock of Driver's Ed...
• 2017.12.16 — C-SPAN: Andy Kroll on What Happens to Retail...
• 2017.12.15 — KDNK: Scientists Lead Global Efforts to Mitigate...
• 2017.12.06 — Boise State Public Radio: The Rise and Fall of a Young...
• 2017.09.15 — WNYC: On the Media: When Neo-Nazis Lay Claim...
• 2017.04.21 — KCRW: The 1969 Santa Barbara Oil Spill
• 2017.04.21 — 60dB: "Hot in Herre," the Environmentalist Anthem
• 2017.01.27 — KDNK: Shorter Winters in the Alps
• 2016.11.16 — NHPR: The Shipping Industry's Carbon Footprint
• 2015.12.02 — C-SPAN: Future of the Labor Economy
• 2015.10.05 — KPCC: Whole Foods Ends Prison Labor Food Production
• 2015.09.27 — NHPR: Authenticity in Politics
• 2015.09.04 — KPCC: 91-Year-Old Woman at Silicon Valley Firm
• 2015.09.01 — C-SPAN: Washington Journal: Robots in Manufacturing
• 2015.06.17 — MPR News: How Should We Treat Sex Offenders?
• 2014.07.11 — The Today Show: Can Botox Fight Depression?
• 2014.03.14 — This American Life: The Hostess With the Toastess

Citations, Books, & Other Appearances (Select List)

Books

• 2017.04.18 — Mirror Touch, Joel Salinas
• 2017.05.02 — My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward, Mark Lukach

Anthologies

• 2019 Inclusion in Best American Science and Nature Writing (The Endling)
• 2019 Inclusion in Best American Science and Nature Writing (Deleting a Species)
• 2019 Inclusion in Best American Food Writing (In Kotzebue, Alaska, Hunters...)
• 2019 Inclusion in Best American Travel Writing (These Brazilians Traveled 18 Hours...)
• 2018 Notable Selection in Best American Essays (The Making of a Mexican American...)
• 2018 Inclusion in Best American Science and Nature Writing (Tragedy of the Common)
• 2017 Inclusion in What Future: The Year's Best Ideas to Reclaim ...
• 2017 Inclusion in Best Food Writing (In New York City, What's the...)
• 2017 Notable Selection in Best American Science and Nature Writing
• 2017 Notable Selection in Best American Essays (Conflagrations)
• 2016 Inclusion in Best Food Writing (The American Diner at Age 143)
• 2016 Honorable Mention in Best American Essays (Dispatches From...)
• 2016 Honorable Mention in Best American Essays (Death With Dignity)
• 2016 Honorable Mention in Best American Sports Writing (The Leader...)