The Merrill College’s Terp Weekly Edition staff has won a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for their 2008 special report on sexual assault.
The broadcast (listen here) is an in-depth look at the problem of rape on the University of Maryland campus and presents victims’ stories while also examining the issue through the eyes of young college men. The segment shines a light on the culture that, in part, helps to perpetuate the problem while asking the question “Where’s the justice?”, according to the RFK release. The piece was reported by Merrill students Russ Dinallo, Diana Abriola, Carly Rubel, Aaron Oster, Patrick Chung, Lauren Peteroy and Scott Kaptur under the direction of faculty instructor Sue Kopen Katcef.
This is the second RFK award that the Merrill College has received. Sarah Schaffer, a 2003 graduate of the master’s program, won the award for her Capital News Service four-part series that profiled a group of inmates preparing for life after prison.
The RFK Journalism Awards honors outstanding reporting on issues that reflect Robert F. Kennedy’s concerns, including human rights, social justice and the power of individual action in the United States and around the world. Winning pieces examine the causes, conditions and remedies of injustice and analyze relevant public policies and attitudes and private endeavors.
The awards recognize outstanding work on a professional, college and high school level. Other receipients include staff members from The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Charlotte Observer and National Public Radio.
The judge who reviewed “Out of the Shadows” praised the students having “the courage to tackle such a difficult subject and the telling of such an outstanding story.”
“The depth of research and the use of multiple voices was most impressive. To have elicited such candor, honesty and raw emotion from the piece’s interview subjects speaks of superior interviewing skills,” she said. “Excellent editing and production skills helped weave a bulk material into a seamless and well-told story. It reminded me of the NPR.”
The winning entries were selected by a panel of 40 judges in several rounds. The Journalism Committee, comprised of five advisors, chose the grand prize winner from the first place contenders in each category.
The RFK Journalism Awards will be presented at a ceremony on May 28. The Grand Prize winner will be announced at the ceremony. Winners receive a cash prize and a bust of Robert Kennedy created by Robert Berks. For more details on the event, please visit www.rfkcenter.org.
Read the full release: RFK CENTER ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF 2009 ROBERT F. KENNEDY JOURNALISM AWARDS
