Little Rock Public Radio journalists scored high marks in the 2025 Diamond Journalism Awards presented by the Arkansas Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Politics and Government Reporter Josie Lenora took home four first-place awards. Lenora’s story “Lawsuit challenges Arkansas ban on gender-neutral IDs” earned top honors in the news category. Lenora and All Things Considered Anchor/Reporter Maggie Ryan were finalists in the same category for their respective stories “An Arkansas court blocks abortion vote” and “Arkansas and Tennessee challenge federal rule adding abortion to pregnancy protections.”
Lenora also took first place in the Politics category for her story “Finding a tasteful design for Arkansas’ ‘monument to the unborn’ has been fraught” which aired on NPR’s All Things Considered. She was also a finalist in the same category for her recap of the 2024 special session of the Arkansas Legislature.
Ryan won a first-place honor in the Education category for her story “Changes to Hendrix Office of Diversity and Inclusion spark confusion.” Lenora was a finalist in the category for two stories: “Arkansas schools implementing new ‘Science of Reading’ curriculum” and “High school students sue Arkansas over restricted African American studies.”
In the Ongoing Coverage category, Lenora won first place for her story “Groups push for hand counting ballots across Arkansas.”
“Thorough reporting that firmly explains the origins of the conspiracy theory and shows how a misunderstood process really works,” a judge’s comment reads.
LRPR News Director Daniel Breen was a finalist in the same category for his story “What do Arkansas’ newest voters think about the 2024 elections?”
Breen and Lenora shared a first-place honor in the Features category for their story “Can a grocery store on wheels help Little Rock’s food desert problem?” Morning Edition Anchor/Reporter Nathan Treece was a finalist in that category for his story “Eloping during an eclipse.”
Treece was also a finalist in the Enterprise/Explanatory Reporting category for his story “'World’s largest carbon removal plant' sets its roots in Pine Bluff.”
