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NABJ and the National
Conference of Editorial Writers (NCEW) jointly and proudly
each year give the prestigious Ida B. Wells Award to a media executive
or manager who has made outstanding efforts to make newsrooms and news
coverage more accurately reflect the diversity of the communities they
serve.
The award is named in honor of the distinguished journalist,
fearless reporter and wife of one of America’s earliest black publishers.
Wells was “editor and proprietor” of the Memphis Free Speech
and Headlight. She told her male co-founders she would not help launch
the newspaper unless she was made “equal to them.” In the
late 19th century, Wells won acclaim on two continents for her fearless
crusade against lynching. She championed an integrated society and urged
black Americans to seek their rightful share of the jobs in the new industrial
age. Today a massive public housing complex in Chicago is named in
her memory.
First bestowed in 1983, the Wells award itself consists
of a bust with a specific notation of the act or actions being recognized.
Professors at the Medill School of
Journalism at Northwestern University serve as co-curators. Sam
Adams, the longtime University of Kansas journalism professor and civil
rights movement reporter, founded the award, formerly administered the
awards.
Purpose: To give tangible and highly visible recognition
to an individual or group of individuals and their company. Winners should
have provided distinguished leadership in increasing access and opportunities
to people of color in journalism, and improving the coverage of communities
of color in American media.
Eligibility: News executives, managers, journalists
or any one else who has made a significant difference in the hiring and
promotion of journalists of color and or increased and improved the media’s
coverage of underrepresented communities.
Judging: A jury of seven or eight people is selected
each year by the two sponsoring organizations, including the president
and one other member of each and two Medill representatives. The jury
considers nominees annually and may present one award per year. However,
it is not required that the award be conferred every year.
Nominations: Any person may nominate candidates
for the award by sending relevant supporting data to the Wells jury.
Nominations shall include an official entry form and statements demonstrating
why the nominee’s activities show exemplary leadership consistent
with the career of Ida B. Wells.
Presentations: The award is presented alternately
at the national conventions of NABJ and NCEW. The 2004 winner will receive
the award on Oct. 1 at the NCEW convention in Chicago. The 2005 winner
will be honored at NABJ’s 30th anniversary convention,
August 3-7, in Atlanta.
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