KUAR won 10 awards in this year's annual competition by the Society for Professional Journalists, Arkansas Pro Chapter. The 2020 Diamond Journalism Award winners were announced Tuesday.
In the News-Radio category, KUAR’s Daniel Breen won first place for his report “Protesters Flock to Arkansas Tech in Support of Re-Naming Controversial Scholarship.” The judge’s comments said, “Excellent coverage of a controversial issue with balanced reporting and interviewing. Good focus on an antisemitism claim and investigation tangled in an academic institutional culture. Well done.”
Breen also won second place in that category for the report “In Arkansas, Herbicide’s Damaging Effects Bring Research to a Halt.” KUAR’s Sarah Kellogg won third place for “Gov. Asa Hutchinson Sets Broadband Access as Priority.”
In the Feature-Radio category, former KUAR News intern Kelly Connelly, a student at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock who graduated in May, won first place for her report last fall “Livestock Showing Is Most Important Part of State Fair for Some Arkansas Teens.” The judge wrote: “Fascinating feature story on livestock showing and teens with natural sound of animals, good interviews and vivid writing.”
KUAR’s David Monteith and Michael Hibblen won second place for their report “Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Nearing Completion of Digital Rollout.”
Documentary/ Investigative Reporting-Radio was won by J. Bradley Minnick and Mary Ellen Kubit for the KUAR Arts & Letters program “They Like My Phras’n: The Life & Music of Rose McCoy.” The judges wrote: “Inspirational, insightful and delightful to listen and take in all the tales of the Rose of Arkansas. Well produced, written, with great sound mixing.”
In the Politics-Radio category, Hibblen won first place for “Legislation to Place statues of Johnny Cash, Daisy Bates in U.S. Capitol Signed Into Law.” That included a report for KUAR and a segment in the music program Not Necessarily Nashville with Flap Jones. The judges wrote: “This two-part series illustrated the important symbolism of state statues for significant historical milestones. Excellent sound bites and writing.”
Second place went to Breen for “Arkansas House Committee Approves Execution Drug Secrecy Bill,” while third place went to Hibblen for “Arkansas Governor Says Trump Impeachment Questions Need To Be Answered.”
The Health-Radio category was won by Hibblen for the report “Doctor Assisting Qualified Arkansans To Get Marijuana Offers His Advice and Concerns.” The judges comments said, “Informative and well-edited.”
The full list of winners of all categories representing different forms of journalism can be found here.
Earlier this month Breen also won a second-place award from the National Federation of Press Women in the Prepared Report, Radio category for his report “In Arkansas, Herbicide’s Damaging Effects Bring Research to a Halt.”
