JoeBill Muñoz (’19) and Lucas Guilkey’s (’19) joyous reactions during their acceptance speech at the News & Documentary Awards. COURTESY NATAS.
Following a record 40 nominations, UC Berkeley Journalism alums took home 12 coveted statues at the 47th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards in May, including a documentary incubated at our Investigative Reporting Program.
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) awards recognize journalists from across the country for exemplary work in breaking news coverage, writing, interviewing and producing.
“The Strike,” a feature documentary produced by JoeBill Muñoz (’19) and Lucas Guilkey (’19) recounting the historic non-violent uprising against long-term solitary confinement in 2013 by incarcerated men who launched the largest hunger strike in U.S. history and improved conditions for prisoners, won Outstanding Crime and Justice Documentary.
Watch their moving acceptance speech:
Nearly a dozen journalists from our community contributed to the film. Then-students who helped with research and development include Robin Estrin (’21), Ravleen Kaur (’20) and MJ Johnson (’23). Clare Major (’10), Mario Furloni (’11), J.P. Dobrin (’19) and Rafael Roy (’18) provided additional cinematography work. Katie Bernstein (’21) and Laura Garber (’23) worked as production assistants, and Christian Lee Collins (’20) helped with sound.
Clockwise from top left: Laura Garber (’23), Katie Bernstein (’21), Rafael Roy (’18), Christian Lee Collins (’20), JP Dobrin (’19), Mario Furloni (’11), MJ Johnson (’23), Robin Estrin (’21), , Clare Major (’10) and Ravleen Kaur (’20).
Jeffrey Plunkett (’05), center, pictured with the “Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller” team at the News & Documentary Awards. COURTESY NATAS.
Showrunner and Executive Producer Jeffrey Plunkett (’05) received a whopping 25 nominations for the final season of “Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller” (Muck Media | National Geographic). The series won seven Emmys: Outstanding Science & Tech Coverage for “Scam City,” Outstanding Direction: News for “Black Market Love”; Outstanding Climate, Environment or Weather Coverage for “Shark Hunters”; Outstanding Health or Medical Coverage for “The Tranq Dope Underground”; Outstanding Arts, Culture or Entertainment Coverage for “Underground Street Racing”; Outstanding Social Issue Coverage for “Black Market Love”; and Outstanding Research: News for “Brides for Sale.”
Jeffrey Plunkett (’05) gives his acceptance speech with the “Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller” team at the News & Documentary Awards. COURTESY NATAS.
Singeli Agnew (’07) was the US-based cinematographer for “Kids Under Fire,” a film for “Fault Lines,” an award-winning current affairs and documentary television program on Al Jazeera English that won the inaugural Outstanding War or Violent Conflict Coverage category and Outstanding Writing: News category. The film investigates the deliberate targeting of Palestinian children in Gaza by Israeli soldiers.
Singeli Agnew (’07), second from far right, and the Fault Lines team at the News & Documentary Awards. COURTESY NATAS.
Listen to the emotional acceptance speech by Al Jazeera English correspondent Josh Rushing who dedicated the award to the 11 Al Jazeera colleagues killed by the Israeli military in Gaza, along with the 270 other journalists and media workers who have also been killed:
Bo Kovitz (’19) third from left and Tommy Nguyen (’05) far left, and the Turning Point: The Vietnam War team at the News & Documentary Awards. COURTESY NATAS.
Bo Kovitz (’19) and Tommy Nguyen (’05) won Outstanding Research: Documentary for the five-part Netflix documentary series “Turning Point: The Vietnam War,” examining the harrowing consequences of the Vietnam War, from the Gulf of Tonkin incident to the fall of Saigon.
Tommy Nguyen (’05) holds his Emmy at the News & Documentary Awards. COURTESY NATAS.
Bill Whitaker (’78/’16) of “60 Minutes” won Outstanding Extended Breaking News Coverage for “The Fires”.
The 47th News & Documentary Emmy Awards were presented on May 27 and May 28 at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City. The winners were selected from more than 2,100 submissions and judged by a panel of 1,600 peer professionals from across the news and documentary industry.
-Marlena Telvick
