Month: April 2022

Contest, Diamond Awards, Events, journalism

2022 Diamond Journalism Awards finalists named

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The Arkansas Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is pleased to announce the finalists for its 2022 Diamond Journalism Awards, a regional competition that recognizes journalism excellence among professionals and students from Arkansas and six bordering states.

Arkansas SPJ will present the winners at an awards ceremony on June 30 at Diamond Bear Brewing, 600 N Broadway, North Little Rock. A reception starts at 5:30 p.m. with the awards presentations starting at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 for professionals and $10 for students, including heavy hors d’oeuvres and libations. Purchase tickets by PayPal or cash/check at the door.

This year’s competition for work published or broadcast in 2021 drew 379 entries in more than 80 categories, including Diamond Journalist of the Year and Outstanding New Journalist, the Robert S. McCord FOI Award, the Charlotte Tillar Schexnayder Public Service Award, and the Garrick Feldman Community Journalism Award.

Judges were members of the SPJ chapters in Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming.

The list of finalists follows, along with the publications or broadcast outlets where their work appeared:

The Arkadelphian, Arkadelphia, Ark.

Joel Phelps

Arkansas Catholic, Little Rock

Dwain Hebda

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Little Rock

Lara Farrar, Stephen Simpson, Joseph Flaherty, Thomas Metthe, Stephen Swofford, Maggie McNeary, Carrie Hill, Ginny Monk, Philip Martin, Karen Martin, Byron Tate, Tess Vrbin, Staci Vandagriff, Teresa Moss, Ashton Eley, Celia Storey, Tom Murphy, Nathan Owen, John Magsam, Noel Oman, Jaime Adame, Frank Lockwood, Nick Popovich. Jen Para

Arkansas Money & Politics, Little Rock

Mark Carter, Kelley Bass, Katie Zakrzewski

Arkansas Nonprofit News Network, Little Rock

Rebekah Scott, Benjamin Hardy, Debra Hale-Shelton

The Associated Press, Little Rock

Andrew DeMillo, Adrian Sainz, Jill Bleed

AY Magazine, Little Rock

Dustin Jayroe, Jamison Mosley, Lora Puls, Ian Lyle, Dwain Hebda, Heather Baker, Mike Bedgood, Emily Beirne

Baxter Regional Pulse, Mountain Home, Ark.

Sarah Knight, Jason Masters, Ashlee Nobel, Dwain Hebda

The Daily Citizen, Searcy, Ark.

Greg Geary

Fort Worth Weekly, Texas

Edward Brown

FOX16 News, KLRT-TV, Little Rock

Kevin Kelly, Stephen Goodale, Jessica Guy

KOLR-TV, Springfield, Mo.

Brian Calfano, Sarah Scarlett

KNWA-TV, Fayetteville, Ark.

Chad Mira, Chelsea Helms, Brad Horn, Jacob Cotner

KPEJ-TV, Midland-Odessa, Texas

Monica Quintero

KTHV-11, Little Rock

Amanda Jaeger, Skot Covert, Kelly Tibbit, Zach Keast

KUAR-FM, Little Rock

Michael Hibblen, Daniel Breen, Sarah Kellogg, Alexandria Brown

The Leader Newspaper, Jacksonville, Ark.

Rick Kron

Mississippi Free Press, Jackson

Ashton Pittman, Christian Middleton, Donna Ladd, Aliyah Veal, Torsheta Jackson, Nick Judin, Kayode Crown, Grace Marion, Stacey Cato, Leo Carney, Roger Amos, DeAnna Tisdale Johnson, Azia Wiggins, Kimberly Griffin

MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, Memphis, Tenn.

Jacob Steimer

Richmond News, Missouri

Jack “Miles” Ventimiglia

Riverfront Times, St. Louis

Danny Wicentowski

St. Louis Public Radio

Jason Rosenbaum, Shahla Farzan, Chad Davis, Marissanne Lewis-Thompson, Andrea Henterson, Jonathan Ahl, Brian Munoz, Jeremy Goodwin, Sarah Fentem

World Christian Broadcasting, Franklin, Tenn.

Paul Ladd

WVLT-TV, Knoxville, Tenn.

Ashley Bohle, Casey Wheeless, Harry Sullivan

STUDENT MEDIA

Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge

Reveille/LSUReveille.com

Nick Ombrellaro, Gabby Jimenez, Piper Hutchinson, Maddie Scott, Domenic Purdy, Peter Rauterkus, Claire Sullivan, Charlie Stephens

Tiger TV

Ally Kadlubar, Aria Pons, Erin Rogers, Maria Pham, Kendall Duncan, Haylee Kennedy, Brooke Smith

Manship News Service

Rachel Mipro, Liz Ryan, Lara Nicholson, Kathleen Peppo, Brittney Forbes, Margaret Delaney, Olivia Varden, Chris Langley, Masie O’Toole, Kirby Koch, Donald Fountain

Arkansas State University, Jonesboro

Delta Digital News Service

Christine Miyawa, Tristan Bennett, Krishnan Collins, Chase Gage, Rangsiya Faihin

University of Central Arkansas, Conway

The Echo

Addison Freeman, Ian Lyle, Madison Ogle, Sarah Smythe, Olyvia Gonzalez, Mia Waddell

Louisiana Christian University, Pineville

Wildcat Media

Alena Noakes, Sam Miller

Chapter Business, Uncategorized

CALL FOR CANDIDATES: Arkansas SPJ seeks members for 2022-23 Board of Directors DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MAY 16

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The Arkansas Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists will hold its annual board election at a membership mixer in June. Want to get involved? Consider running for a seat.

The Arkansas SPJ Board of Directors has 11 seats that are up for election each year, including executive officers: president, vice president, treasurer and secretary.

Check out the following duties and responsibilities of board members and consider running for the board or an officer position. Send a photo and a brief bio that tells why you want to serve as an SPJ leader, your history with SPJ and what you will bring to the group, including any ideas you have for the coming year, to Arkansas SPJ President Steven Listopad at slistopad@icloud.com by Monday, May 16 (extended deadline).

A list of candidates and their bios will be posted 30 days prior to the election and emailed to our membership. Voting will take place at the annual meeting (time/date/location to be decided) and via email for those who can’t attend.

Don’t want to be a board member? Get involved in one of our committees.

ARKANSAS PRO CHAPTER BOARD
Duties and Responsibilities
To ensure the health of the Society of Professional Journalists Arkansas Pro Chapter, the members of the Board of Directors must be current on national dues and be accountable for the following duties and responsibilities:

Attendance
The Board of Directors meets monthly and sometimes calls special meetings via phone or email. Board members must attend a minimum of nine monthly meetings during their July-to-June term of office, but strive to make it to all meetings in-person or by Zoom. Absence from three consecutive meetings, or four or more monthly meetings during their term, will result in the appointment of a new director to the position.

Participation
Board members must actively participate in at least one of the following chapter committees: Freedom of Information Act, Programing, Contests, Membership and Marketing, or other special committees designated by the president. Active participation may include planning at least one event in a year, advancement of the FOIA through lobbying, contributions to the chapter’s website, newsletter or social media campaigns, or other efforts determined by the board.