Indian Leader staff, Travis Campbell, and advisor, Rhonda LeValdo, attended the annual Excellence in Journalism conference in Anaheim, California. Indian Leader and Haskell News reporters received twenty awards, roughly ten percent of the total awarded, for articles published during the 2016 school year and LeValdo received two awards for her work in radio.
In addition to attending the Native American Journalism Association (NAJA) luncheon and awards banquet attendees were provided the opportunity to attend a number of panels given by distinguished figures in Native American journalism. Recurring themes among these panels included the importance of establishing and maintaining a Native presence in media production, as well as the importance of speaking out against negative stereotyping. One of the most memorable panels was Archiving Tribal History in Print and Digital, given by Erin Fehr, archivist at Sequoyah National Research Center and Cynthia Joyce, editor and associate professor at the University of Mississippi. Fehr and Joyce spoke extensively on the importance of preserving contemporary as well as historical narratives both online and in print. Other panels focused on the importance of journalist safety in the field, coverage of LGBTQ issues, and the use of smart phones in reporting.
A highlight of the conference was the NAJA Membership Luncheon Meeting where Tim Giago, formerly of the Lakota Times which he sold and it was rebranded as Indian Country Today, received the Medill Milestone achievement award. Giago was nominated by the NAJA-Medill selection committee for his lifetime of service to journalism and many years of dedication to NAJA as a founder of the organization. He is a lifetime member and the first president of the original Native American Press Association.
The Indian Leader would like to extend our sincere congratulations to Ms. LeValdo and all of our awards recipients on their success and look forward to seeing the greatness that you all accomplish in the future.
The listing of the awards:
TV
Third Place
Shana Lombard
Haskell News, First year at Haskell
TV – Best News Story
First Place
Rustie Anglin
Haskell News, Pre-enrollment issues
Second Place
Terrence Littlejohn
Haskell News, Haskell mascot
Third Place
Rachel Whiteside
Haskell News, Bernie Sanders campaigns in Lawrence
Print / Online
Print / Online – Best Editorial
First Place
Lori Hasselman
Haskell Indian Leader, A student perspective on healing
Second Place
Lori Hasselman
Haskell Indian Leader, The Invisible Student
Third Place
Rachel Whiteside
Haskell Indian Leader, Millennials have a voice to make a difference
Print / Online – Best Sports Story
First Place
Keiton Guess
Haskell Indian Leader, Punching the Big Ticket
Second Place
Reid Williams
Haskell Indian Leader, Haskell Men’s and Women’s Basketball Preview
Print / Online – Best Feature Photo
First Place
Shana Lombard
Haskell Indian Leader, Haskell alumna protests on the street to get the attention of local citizens
Print / Online – Best Feature Story
First Place
Lori Hasselman
Haskell Indian Leader, AIHEC club prepares for student conference
Second Place
Chelsea Jenkins
Haskell Indian Leader, Haskell students keeping traditional art forms alive
Third Place
Lori Hasselman
Haskell Indian Leader, Indigenous People’s Climate Change Working Group
Print / Online – Best News Photo
First Place
Shana Lombard
Haskell Indian Leader, Haskell Stands with Standing Rock
Second Place
Michael Begay
Haskell Indian Leader, Supaman comes to Haskell
Third Place
Reid Williams
Haskell Indian Leader, Haskell sends the ball over the net
Print / Online – Best News Story
First Place
Lori Hasselman
Haskell Indian Leader, Haskell artists heat up community climate change event”
Second Place
Rustie Anglin
Haskell Indian Leader, Educating Native students
Third Place
Chelsea Jenkins
Haskell Indian Leader, Native Americans more prominent focus in Election 2016
General Excellence in Student Coverage
Haskell Indian Leader
