The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) announced the finalists for its 2012 Salute to Excellence Awards. The competition honors work from print, television, radio, online, photojournalism, and PR. Winners will be announced Saturday, June 23 at a gala celebration during NABJ’s 37th Annual Convention and Career Fair in New Orleans, the largest annual gathering of minority journalists in the country.
“This year entries reflected the largest news stories and headlines that captured our attention. From pieces on the economy, to the FAMU hazing incident, and the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the range and quality of work submitted for these awards was highly impressive,” said NABJ President Gregory Lee Jr.
Entries were judged on content, creativity, innovation, use of the medium and relevance to the black community. Hosts for this year’s gala will be Michelle Miller from CBS News, and ESPN’s Stan Verrett.
“This year’s Salute to Excellence entries were top-notch, truly some of the best submissions we have ever seen,” said Ray Metoyer, National Salute to Excellence Awards Chair. “It is always great to see that good journalism is being done everywhere, not just in the major markets. These are the kind of stories that are captivating and worthy of recognition.”
At this year’s gala, NABJ is honored to bestow its Journalist of the Year Award to ABC News Senior Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas for leading ABC’s coverage of many of last year’s top stories, including the shooting of Congressman Gabrielle Giffords and the capture of Osama Bin Laden.
NABJ is also pleased to award NABJ founder and past president DeWayne Wickham with the organizations Lifetime Achievement Award for his amazing impact and commitment to the profession.
Other top honorees include WSB-TV’s (Atlanta), Monica Pearson for the annual Legacy Award, LA Times’ Gerrick Kennedy for the Emerging Journalist of the Year Award, and CNN’s Janet Rolle` for the Pat Tobin Media Professional Award.
NABJ’s 37th Annual Convention and Career Fair will take place June 20-24 in New Orleans. The Salute to Excellence Awards Gala is the only awards program that honors exemplary coverage of African/African-American people or issues exclusively. Over 50 awards will be presented to writers, columnists, producers, reporters, photojournalists and editors for their exemplary work.
