Refuting Jan Black’s Totally Unbelievable Claims About Winning Prestigious Awards for Her Coverage of the 1989 Earthquake
On her website, nobodytoldmeshow.com, Jan Black (aka Jan Owens aka Elizabeth Naylor) boldly claims she won a Peabody Award, a Murrow Award, and a DuPont Columbia Award for her coverage of the 1989 San Francisco earthquake while working at KCBS. Now, I don’t know about you, but when someone claims they’ve won three of the biggest awards in journalism, I expect a little more than just… well… a website and some wild assertions. Turns out, what we have here isn’t just a “great story,” it’s a whole lot of fiction. Let’s dive in, shall we?
The Case of the Missing Evidence
Alright, let’s break this down like a detective on a case: First, there’s the glaring issue of zero evidence. None. Zilch. Nada. Where are the photos of Jan grinning from ear to ear with her shiny awards? Where’s the press release, or the article saying, “Hey, Jan Black won this thing!”? Come on, even my mom has a dozen pictures of me accepting awards I didn’t actually win. But Jan? Not a single pic. Not even an overly photoshopped one with a suspiciously blurry trophy in the background. Weird.
Let’s Check the Lists – Spoiler Alert: Nope, Not on Them
Okay, so maybe she’s just really humble. You know, doesn’t want to show off. Fine. But then we look at the official award lists from 1989 for the Peabody, Murrow, and DuPont Columbia awards. What do we find? Drumroll please… Jan Black’s name doesn’t appear anywhere. Not even on a ”Here’s the list of nominees” page. Not a whisper. If she actually won these big-time awards, her name would be right there, shining in all its glory. But it’s not. It’s like she’s invisible in this whole story, and I’m starting to think she might have a superpower I don’t know about.
KCBS Got a Peabody & Murrow Award, But Here’s the Real Story Behind It
Alright, let’s talk about KCBS, the station where Jan worked during the 1989 earthquake. Yep, the station did bag a Peabody Award and a Murrow Award for its coverage of the quake. Impressive, right? Well, sort of. But here’s where it gets interesting. The reason KCBS earned those awards wasn’t just because they covered the earthquake. Sure, they provided important updates, but the real reason behind all the praise was the station’s massive efforts in the aftermath of the disaster—specifically the fundraising campaigns they organized for the Red Cross and Salvation Army.
Now, while KCBS did take home the Peabody and Murrow, there’s not a shred of evidence that Jan Black was personally singled out for those honors. No, Jan wasn’t up there on stage accepting one of those shiny trophies. She wasn’t even mentioned in the official awards as an individual winner. So, while the station got the accolades, Jan? She was probably sitting back with a coffee in hand, watching it all unfold. And that’s not even the kicker—there’s no evidence that KCBS won a DuPont Columbia Award in 1989, despite that being part of Jan’s claim. So, if you’re keeping score, KCBS got a couple of awards, but none of them had Jan Black’s name on them. Just saying.
The Daughter’s Claims: Oh, You Thought It Was Just Jan?
Hold on to your hats, folks. Jan’s daughter, Laura Owens, is also in on this saga. She’s been out there making the same outlandish claims about her mom’s nonexistent Peabody Award. Yep, Laura even went so far as to email Reality Steve and Dave Neal to make sure the world knew her mother was, apparently, a Peabody-winning journalist. Maybe she thought the power of social media could work some magic, but spoiler alert—it didn’t. Sorry, Laura, but just because you email a couple of guys doesn’t make it real.
Why Should We Care?
Why does this even matter, right? I mean, if she’s just saying it, who cares? Well, as much as I love making snarky comments, journalism actually is about facts. And making up big, juicy lies about winning major awards? That’s like pretending you can fly. It doesn’t just make you look silly—it makes people wonder what else you’ve exaggerated. If Jan really had these awards, there’d be proof. But so far, there’s nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada.
Conclusion: Jan Black, Award-Winner? Not So Much.
So, Jan, here’s the deal: your claims about winning a Peabody Award, a Murrow Award, or a DuPont Columbia Award for your 1989 earthquake coverage? Yeah, they’re about as real as a unicorn riding a rainbow. There’s no evidence, no official records, and no photos to back it up. And while KCBS might’ve snagged a couple of awards, guess what? You didn’t. Maybe next time, before you start handing out imaginary awards to yourself, you could, I don’t know, check the facts? Because in journalism, the truth is kinda a big deal. But hey, if you’re determined to keep making up stories, at least make sure someone’s there to capture your Oscar-worthy performance.