Pittsburgh Black Media Federation

P.O. Box 292, Pittsburgh, PA 15230 • • 412-339-0730

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Pittsburgh federation announces 2015 Vann Media Awards finalists
Legacy, Communicator of the Year, Trailblazer winners also to be honored April 30

PITTSBURGH (March 31, 2015) — The Pittsburgh Black Media Federation announces a stellar group of finalists for its 27th annual Robert L. Vann Media Awards. The winners will be named at a dinner April 30.
With the Award of Excellence, the Vann program honors achievementsin print, broadcast, photography and online journalism coverage of the African-American and African Diaspora communities of Western Pennsylvania.
“Once again, we’re proud of the range of contest entries and how they reflect the diverse issues relevant to the African-American community of this region. We’ve been impressed by the strong storytelling through photo, print, online and broadcast platforms,” PBMF President Tory N. Parrish said.
The awards dinner will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 30, at the University of Pittsburgh’s O’Hara Student Center ballroom, 4024 O’Hara St., Oakland.
The Award of Excellence finalists were selected in 22 categories. Entries were published or broadcast between Jan. 1, 2014, and Dec. 31, 2014.
Professional journalists in Richmond; Northern Virginia; Washington, D.C.; New York City; Morgantown, W.Va.; and Seattle judged the contest entries.
In addition to presenting its Awards of Excellence at the April 30 dinner, PBMF will present three special honors – the Legacy in Journalism, Communicator of the Year and Trailblazer awards – whose winners were selected by PBMF members.
The Legacy in Journalism Award, which recognizes organizations or individuals who have been pioneers in making journalism a more open enterprise, will be given to Ty Miller, manager of news, sports and digital services at American Urban Radio Networks.
The Communicator of the Year Award acknowledges winners’ messages of empowerment, strength and hope they disseminate through service to their communities or professions.
The 2015 Communicator of the Year Award will be presented to Sonya Toler, public information officer for Pittsburgh’s Public Safety Department.

The Trailblazer Award, which is given to veteran journalists who have advanced the mission of journalism through innovative work, will be presented to Eddie Jefferies, a freelance writer and former sports editor at The New Pittsburgh Courier.

Tickets for the Vann awards dinner may be purchased at Tickets are $15 each for PBMF members and $20 each for nonmembersonline until April 27.After April 27, tickets will be available only at the door April 30 for $25 each. Also, program sponsorships can be purchased online until April 24.

Proceeds from the Vann awards help fund PBMF programs and initiatives, such as college scholarships for graduates of the Frank Bolden Urban Journalism Workshop for high school students, professional development sessions for PBMF members and community service projects.
In 1988, PBMF launched its journalism awards competition. It is named for the late Robert L. Vann, legendary publisher of the Pittsburgh Courier, to honor his personal commitment to journalism and to creating a voice for the black community.
Founded in 1973, PBMF is a nonprofit organization that advocates for diversity in newsrooms, hosts programs that recognize excellent media coverage of minority communities and trains young people to enter the media industry.

For more information about the Vann awards, contact Deborah Todd at 412-263-1652 or , or Ervin Dyer at 412-624-4796 or .

See the list of 2015 Robert L. Vann Media Awards finalists below.

2015 ROBERT L. VANN MEDIA AWARDS FINALISTS

PRINT PUBLIC AFFAIRS

  • “The Killing Years” by B. Denise Hawkins, Pitt Magazine
  • “A Struggle to Achieve Equality” by Clarece Polke, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  • “City Police Diversity Worsens Since Lawsuit” by Margaret Harding, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

NEWSPAPER SPORTS

  • “At PSU, A New Benchmark” by Mark Dent, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  • “Speaking Out Amid the Silence” by J. Brady McCullough, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  • “At Last, Pitt Freshman Finds a Home,” Jerry DiPaola, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

NEWSPAPER COLUMN

  • “Wrong School of Thought to Save Wilson Center” by Brian O’Neill, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  • “A Walk to Remember at West Mifflin” by Kevin Gorman, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
  • “Silencing Abu-Jamal Helps No One Now” by Tony Norman,Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

NEWSPAPER PRINT SERIES

  • August Wilson Center for African American Culture coverage by Natasha Lindstrom, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
  • “Pittsburgh’s New Immigrants” by Mark Roth, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  • Coverage of Leon Ford case by Adam Brandolph, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

BROADCAST TV SPORTS FEATURE

  • “Chuck Cooper” by Andrew Stockey, WTAE-TV
  • “Stand Tall, Be Strong” by Lisa Sylvester, WPXI-TV

NEWSPAPER FEATURE

  • “A Painful Reminder/Shooting Victims Live with Bullets to Survive, Thrive” by Chris Togneri, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
  • “The Power of Forgiveness” by Paula Reed Ward, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  • “‘Singing Doctor’ Soothes Newborns and Families at Magee-Womens Hospital” byKellie B. Gormly, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

BROADCAST RADIO PUBLIC AFFAIRS

  • “Police, Community Relations Forum” by Paul Guggenheimer, host; Marcus Charleston, producer; and Heather McClain, assistant producer, WESA Radio

NEWSPAPER EDITORIAL

  • “After Ferguson, Police and Residents Must Seek Understanding” by Susan Mannella, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  • “The Race Card: Southern Democrats Use a Tainted Ploy” by Reg Henry, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  • “Police and Race: Obama Should Appoint a Presidential Commission” by Tom Waseleski, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

PICTURE SERIES CATEGORY

“Rich in Pride/High School Football Lifts Spirits in … Former Industrial Towns” by Stephanie Strasburg, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

  • “Hope Amid Turmoil” by Rebecca Droke and Julia Rendleman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

FEATURE PHOTO CATEGORY

  • “Easy Does It” by Jasmine Goldband, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
  • “Fifth-graders in Dancing Classroom Pittsburgh Colors Competition” by Lake Fong, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

PHOTOGRAPHY SPOT NEWS

  • “East Liberty Family Grieves ‘Baby Girl’ Killed by Runaway SUV” by Guy Wathen, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
  • “Student Shot to Death” by Darrell Sapp, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  • “Protesting Brutality” by Guy Wathen, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

ART/ILLUSTRATION

  • “City Kicker” by Ben Howard, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  • “Ebola: The Score Card” by Daniel Marsula, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

BROADCAST TV DOCUMENTARY

  • “Hazelwood and The Hill” by Bofta Yimam, reporter, and Brian Caldwell, photographer, WTAE-TV
  • “Rex” by EmmaiAlaquiva, YaMomz House Inc.

PRINT SPOT NEWS

  • “Freedom House Ambulance Service Honored” by Renee P. Aldrich, The New Pittsburgh Courier
  • “Tragedy to Triumph … Community Center Ribbon-cutting Dedicated to Jeron X. Grayson” by Renee P. Aldrich, The New Pittsburgh Courier
  • “Terrance Hayes Is Named MacArthur Fellow” by Sharon S. Blake, The Pitt Chronicle

MAGAZINE FEATURE

  • “Hip-hop Historian” by Sean Hamill, Pittsburgh Magazine
  • “Many Minds/One Heart” by Ervin Dyer, Pitt Magazine
  • “Livable for All?”by Malik Vincent, h Magazine

BROADCAST TV SERIES

  • “Proud to Be from Pittsburgh” by Lisa Sylvester and Peggy Finnegan, WPXI-TV
  • “Heart to Hart” by Brenda Waters and Ian Smith, KDKA-TV
  • Coverage of death of Jonny Gammage Jr.by Bofta Yimam, reporter, and T.J. Haught, photographer, WTAE-TV

NEWSPAPER BUSINESS NEWS

  • “Mortgage Capital Flow Shifts After Crisis: Minority, Working Areas Left Behind” by Tim Grant, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  • “Diversity Center Offers Resources for Businesses” by Patricia Sabatini, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

PRINT BUSINESS FEATURE

  • “You Should Know: Stephanie Taylor” by Lauren Davidson, Pittsburgh Magazine
  • “Ambridge Barbers Have Vision for New Venue” by Larissa T. Dudkiewicz, Ambridge Connection
  • “Commitment to Diversity: Corporate-funded Program Here Is Training Young Black Men for the Oil and Gas Industry” by Anya Litvak, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

NEWSPAPER HEALTH/SCIENCE/ENVIRONMENT

  • “Barbershop Conversation Turns to Clients’ Health Care” by Richard Webner, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“Liberians in Pittsburgh Feel Anguish for Loved Ones in Ebola’s Epicenter” by Megha Satyanarayana, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

BROADCAST TV SPOT NEWS

  • “Local Protests,” news team, WTAE-TV

BROADCAST RADIO HEALTH/SCIENCE/ ENVIRONMENT

  • “Increasing African-American Bone Marrow Donations” by Paul Guggenheimer, host; Marcus Charleston, producer; and Heather McClain, assistant producer; WESA Radio

NEWSPAPER INVESTIGATIVE/ENTERPRISE

  • “Hope Amid Turmoil” by Mary Niederberger, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  • “City Schools Encouraging New Thinking on Race Gap” by Eleanor Chute, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette