Ethnic Media In Nation's Capital Honored
WASHINGTON — An African-American weekly, a Jewish monthly magazine, and a Muslim biweekly publication were among the big winners of the second Washington, D.C. Ethnic Media Awards. The winners were announced at a ceremony at the University of California, Washington Center.
“This celebration is such an important event. I’m so glad that we’re
doing this together, honoring the work that we do,” said Minhaj Hasan, editor of The Muslim Link, who bagged two awards.
The judging panel was made up of award-winning journalists, advocates and academics, including Chuck Lewis of the American University School of Communication, Maria Puente of USA Today, Louisa Fahy of Bloomberg News and Edward Alden of the Council on Foreign Relations.
The event, sponsored by New America Media (NAM) and the American University School of Communication, honored the excellence of ethnic media reporting in print, online and broadcast formats, and highlighted that media sector's crucial role of informing the immigrant and minority communities they serve.
About 200 people attended the ceremony.
“I never thought that I would have this opportunity, in Washington,
D.C., to meet with people from other countries,” said Seng Lim Yu, a reporter for The Korea Daily, who won first-place for immigration
reporting.
More than 100 entries were received in nine languages, including
Farsi, Vietnamese, Amharic, Korean, Nepali and Urdu.
Winners were selected in nine categories: local news, immigration,
editorial/commentary, arts, sports and entertainment, photojournalism, investigative reporting, broadcast and international affairs.
Most of the winning stories tackled issues that have been ignored or underreported in major national and international news outlets.
“There are 1.7 million Arab citizens in Israel. Their children attend
segregated public schools, and this is not reflected in the mainstream media at all,” said Sarah Breger, associate editor of Moment Magazine, whose story won the top prize for investigative reporting.
"The reality is that the ethnic media play a vital role in our society
by bringing news and information to demographics that want more than what is delivered by the major media outlets," said Alexandra Moe, NAM’s Washington, D.C. director. "NAM and the American University School of Communication are honoring the tremendous contribution, often made on a barebones budget, that ethnic media offer."
A career achievement award was given to Hazel Trice Edney,
editor-in-chief of Trice Edney News Wire, while the Nepali Post,
Pakistan Post and Vietnamese newspaper Pho Nho received special community awards.
“It’s always nice to be recognized for what we truly deserve. But many of the great stories that we have done are not even given an award,” said Edney. “Let’s consider that we’re all winners…because we’re not afraid to confront the things that matter to our communities. I encourage all to raise the bar.”
A List of Winners:
BEST LOCAL NEWS:
First Place (Tie): “Hardy Students Demand Principal’s Return,” Norma
Porter Anthony, The Washington Informer
First Place (Tie): “Shedding Light on the Neglected Muslim Consumer
Market,” Minhaj Hasan, The Muslim Link
Runner Up: “Asian Americans Desperately Needed to Join ‘Be the Match
Marrow Registry’,” Cathy Crenshaw Doheny, Asian Fortune
BEST IMMIGRATION COVERAGE:
First Place: “Immigration Status Not a Factor in Receiving WIC
Benefits,” Seng Lim Yu, The Korea Daily
Runner Up: “Mustafa Center Rises from Humble Beginnings,” Sufia Alnoor
and Rashad Mulla, The Muslim Link
BEST INVESTIGATIVE NEWS:
First Place (Tie): “Separate But Not Equal: Israel’s Arab Citizens,”
Dina Kraft, Moment Magazine
First Place (Tie): “The Strange Death of Rubén Salazar: Accident or
Assassination?” Frank O. Sotomayor, Hispanic Link
Runner Up: “Community Health Centers,” Paula Andalo, El Tiempo Latino
BEST ARTS, SPORTS, AND ENTERTAINMENT:
First Place: “Banned Practice – Music Censorship,” Amina Elahi, Divanee.com
Runner Up: “The Curious Case of Walter Mosley,” Johanna Neuman, Moment Magazine
BEST COMMENTARY:
First Place: “Prioritizing Politics Over Unity Hurt the Community,”
Minhaj Hasan, The Muslim Link
Runner Up: “Fatty, Fatty, Two By Four,” Jose de la Isla, Hispanic Link
BEST PHOTOJOURNALISM:
First Place: “Woman Struggling to Read,” Carlos Andres Vargas, ML
News, Metrolatinousa.com
Runner Up: “Neda Pro-Democracy Demonstration,” Ali Khaligh, Iranians Weekly
BEST FEATURE WRITING:
First Place (Tie): “Soledad O’Brien Talks Race with The Washington
Informer,” Shantella Sherman, The Washington Informer
Denise Barnes, “CNN’s partnership with The Washington Informer on
Black in America special”
First Place (Tie): “In the Lord’s Time,” Neil Rubin, Baltimore Jewish Times
Runner Up: “Hurdling Campaign Brickbats May Offer Bully Pulpit
Against Racism,” Rita Gerona Adkins, Asian Fortune
BEST BROADCAST:
First Place: “Mexican Immigrants Returning to their Homeland,” Anne L.
Wakefield, Grupo Radio Central
Runner Up: “Workers’ Protection,” Armando Guzman, Azteca America
BEST INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS:
First Place: “Blogging Suicides: The Death of Foreign Migrant Domestic
Workers in Lebanon,” Dereje Desta, ZeEthiopia
Runner Up: “Local Students of Farhar Hashmi Defend Movement Against
Accusations,” Zunara Naeem, The Muslim Link
SPECIAL MENTION
Special Mention for 2010 Census Coverage: Pho Nho Newspaper
Special Mention for Coverage on Aging: Pakistan Post
Special Mention for Community Coverage: Nepali Post
CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD:
Hazel Trice Edney
Editor-in-Chief, Trice Edney News Wire
President & CEO, Trice Edney Communications, LLC
