LOS ANGELES – American journalist Germany Kent has made history becoming the first African-American woman to win the Sigma Delta Chi Award “for excellence in professional journalism” from the Society of Professional Journalists for Independent Online Deadline Reporting.
Kent was one of 77 honorees recognized at the annual SPJ banquet, held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The banquet, hosted by NBC News chief White House correspondent Hallie Jackson, brought together an elite group of media professionals from around the country.
Any U.S. outlet and international news organization is eligible to compete for the award. More than 1,300 submissions were received for consideration this year. The highly coveted awards are widely considered to be one of the most prestigious awards given to journalists.
Kent’s work spotlights violence, crime, and trauma in the wake of the tragic mass murder that occurred at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks last November. The compilation features exclusive interviews and exclusive footage with survivors, law enforcement, palpable concern for the victims, and on the scene reporting. The award-winning body of work was filmed, edited, produced and published by Kent.
This year, Kent shared the top honors in Online Deadline Reporting with The Los Angeles Times who won as the affiliate organization. The LA Times staff won for their report “Gunfire and Flames in California,” which also featured coverage from the Thousand Oaks mass shooting. Compilations about the Borderline mass shooting were among the top stories of 2018, recognized by SPJ this year.
Other honorees this year for the national award include Newsy, The New York Times, NPR, PRI’s The World, PBS NewsHour, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Chronicle of Higher Education, Nieman Reports, Univision News, CBS News, NBC Nightly News, Fortune, The Associated Press, and Reuters.
No stranger to the national spotlight, Kent has found much success in the industry. She has received numerous national and international awards for her work, and philanthropy. She began her work in journalism in high school as the editor of her high school newspaper and as a morning announcer. It was through these experiences that Kent decided that she wanted to become a journalist.
Over the years, Kent has worked in production, new media, in Hollywood as a red carpet correspondent and in various newsrooms. Additionally, she is a multiple award-winning national bestselling author, acclaimed writer and print journalist with numerous syndicated national articles and guest blog posts. Her work has appeared in such major news outlets as Forbes, Bloomberg, Yahoo! News, MSN, Inc. Magazine and Fast Company.
“I am deeply humbled and grateful to receive such a prestigious award from one of the most respected journalism organizations in the country. To be recognized by my peers is an incredible honor and that makes this award very special,” Kent said.
About the Sigma Delta Chi Awards
Dating back to 1932, the awards originally honored six individuals for contributions to journalism. The current program began in 1939, when the Society granted the first Distinguished Service Awards. The honors later became the Sigma Delta Chi Awards.
Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press:
https://www.spj.org/sdxa18.asp
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