Morgan State Seeks Nominations for Outstanding Reporting on Black Life

BALTIMORE, Aug. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Morgan State University's School of Global Journalism and Communication (SGJC) will present its 2017 Vernon Jarrett Medal for Journalistic Excellence on September 21 in a ceremony at the National Press Club, Washington, DC.  The Medal honors exemplary reporting on black life in America. Its distinguished medallion and $10,000 prize will be awarded to a journalist for work published or broadcast between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017. The recipient will be recognized for outstanding print, broadcast or online reporting on an issue, or issues, of significant importance and impact on some aspect of black life in America.

Nominations should come from an individual, persons or organizations directly affected by the reporting cited for the award. The recipient and their nominator will be invited to the award ceremony at the National Press Club ceremony, Thursday, September 21, 12 to 2 pm.

To nominate a deserving journalist for consideration of the Vernon Jarrett Medal for Journalistic Excellence, persons should:

1. Send a letter of nomination citing the importance and impact of the journalist's work.
2. A copy of the nominated work (print or video), including the name of the news media that published or broadcast the work and date of publication or broadcast.

"We are looking for the journalists who are in the forefront of telling stories about black life in America. We are looking for journalists who are reporting on the critical issues that are so often overlooked by mainstream media," said DeWayne Wickham, SGJC dean.

Named for the late Vernon Jarrett, a pioneering African American columnist, the award is given annually to a deserving journalist. Jarrett wrote for the Chicago Defender, the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times. In the late 1940s he partnered with composer Oscar Brow, Jr., to produce "Negro Newsfront," the first radio news broadcast in the United States created by African Americans. He also established the NAACP's Act-So program, which encourages academic excellence among black youth, and he was a founding member and former president of the National Association of Black Journalists.

Previous Medal winners are Kirsten West Savali, a writer, cultural critic and associate editor of The Root, (2016) and Dr. Stacey Patton, an assistant professor in the SGJC (2015). Prior to joining SGJC, she was a reporter for The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Nominations should be submitted by August 31, 2017 to:
Vernon Jarrett Medal for Journalistic Excellence
School of Global Journalism & Communication
Morgan State University
1700 E. Cold Spring Lane
Baltimore, MD 21251

The Vernon Jarrett Medal for Journalist Excellence is funded by a grant from the Open Society Foundation.

The School of Global Journalism & Communication, created in July 2013, is led by founding dean DeWayne Wickham, a former columnist for USA TODAY and a co-founder and former president of the National Association of Black Journalists. The school is dedicated to giving voice to people who struggle to contribute to the public discourse that shapes the nation and the world through innovative teaching, cutting-edge research and exemplary service to Maryland, the nation and the world. The school seeks to instill students with the skills, knowledge and training necessary to become effective communicators and to add to the diversity of thought in the media. For more information on Morgan State University's School of Global Journalism & Communication, visit: www.morgan.edu/school_of_global_journalism_and_communication/news.html.

Contact:  Pat Wheeler
443-885-3648
[email protected]

SOURCE Morgan State University’s School of Global Journalism and Communication

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