Michigan Radio was recognized by the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) with two Salute to Excellence Awards this past weekend. The station won a Salute to Excellence Award in the Documentary category for “Infant Mortality in Michigan,” and Feature category for “Idlewild, the Black Eden, celebrates 100 years.”
The “Infant Mortality in Michigan” documentary was produced by Michigan Radio’s Jennifer Guerra and examined the disparity in race and infant mortality rates in Michigan. The documentary is part of Michigan Radio’s “State of Opportunity” project, a multi-year initiative looking at what can be done to break the cycle of poverty and improve opportunities for Michigan’s most disadvantaged children. State of Opportunity is funded by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
“Idlewild, the Black Eden, celebrates 100 years” was produced by Michigan Radio’s Kate Wells. The feature examined the history of the resort town’s heyday as a summer haven for African Americans from the 1920’s to the 1960’s, and the hopes of current residents for its resurgence. Funding for this report was provided by the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs.
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is an organization of journalists, students and media-related professionals that provides quality programs and services to and advocates on behalf of black journalists worldwide. The Salute to Excellence Award recognizes journalism that best covered the black experience or addressed issues affecting the worldwide black community during the year. The Salute to Excellence National Media Awards competition is open to all media organizations and individuals involved in print, broadcast and/or online journalism media. Michigan Radio competed in the Radio-Top 15 Market category. Other finalists in that category included WBEZ-Chicago, WNYC-New York and WAMU-Washington, D.C. The Salute to Excellence Awards were presented at the NABJ Convention in Orlando on Aug. 3, 2013.
