Six Berkeley students honored with Society of Professional Journalists Awards

From nonfiction magazine writing, to a post-election web piece in Oakland North and investigative and explanatory reports for radio and television from the Middle East, a record six UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism students, all of them women, were recognized at the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2016 Mark of Excellence Awards on April 28 in San Diego.

A trio of producers–Luisa Conlon, Hanna Miller and Lacy Jane Roberts–won not one, but two television awards for their joint projects on injured refugees from the Middle East for the PBS NewsHour and The Atlantic.

It has been an extraordinary few weeks for these promising producers. The three also just competed, and won, a New York Times Op-Docs/Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting pitch competition at the Tribeca Film Festival.

“I think what drew us together as a team was our complementary skillset, and what’s kept us together is the balance our professional backgrounds offer,” said Hanna Miller. “Together, we cover every skill necessary for each phase of production — from pre to post. Our work being recognized not only proves we’re learning the best and most valuable skills here at the J-School, it also shows a national growing concern over this subject matter we’re developing expertise in: What does it mean for a region of the world to be rebuilt by people who have suffered extreme loss and trauma?”

Lacy Jane Roberts was also recognized by the SPJ for her KQED story on rodeo legend Cotton Rosser. “This piece came out of working closely with the awesome team behind “The California Report,” said Roberts. “Telling rural stories has always been at the heart of my reporting interests, and “The California Report” team has been super encouraging and supportive.”

Melissa Batchelor Warnke was recognized for her story on non-profit workspaces, for The Development Set. “Before I came to journalism, I worked for two human rights focused nonprofits and foundations, and in the design department of a major tech company,” said Warnke. “In this piece, I was able to revisit these disparate worlds that had been such a part of my life, and bring them into the same picture. It was a joy to research and to write.”

Alum Nadine Sebai (’16) won the Mark of Excellence award for her thesis, OUTBREAK: A Doctor Visit Like No Other. The piece tells the story of how a thriving oncology clinic became the epicenter for one of the largest hepatitis outbreaks in U.S. history. Nadine was also the winner of the Ida B. Well’s fellowship from the Investigative Fund and the Jacqui I. Minnotte fellowship from RTDNA.

“I came across this story when I was reporting on hepatitis outbreaks in outpatient clinics across the country,” said Sebai. “The one I focus on for this story is so egregious and affected so many people, some who died as a result of the outbreak, that I knew I had to dig into it more. I hope to seek funding to finish my investigation into what happened at the clinic and what happened to the doctor and nurse that were allegedly responsible for spreading the deadly disease.”

Rosa Furneaux, a first year student, was honored to receive the award for her feature on Oakland children’s response to the presidential election. “I wanted to pursue this story while I reported on the education beat for Oakland North,” Furneaux said. “In the lead-up to the election I saw how a national trend was manifesting in the community I worked for. Many children were frightened for their families, but I met Oakland educators who were finding new and daring ways to address their students’ fears. I’m very grateful to all those who shared their experiences with me, and to my editor Kara Platoni.”

The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) recognizes the best collegiate journalism in Region 11, comprising Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada and the Mariana Islands. First-place winners will compete at the national level with other winners from the 12 SPJ regions. National winners will be notified in the late spring and will be recognized at the Excellence in Journalism conference in Anaheim, California in September.

SPJ Region 11 Director Matt Hall says it was a particularly competitive year for the campus Mark of Excellence awards, so all the winners should be exceptionally proud of their accomplishments. “What I found most impressive about UC Berkeley’s haul was that it spanned so many forms of journalism, from writing to radio to TV,” said Hall. “That really shows the quality of the journalism program and the journalism students at the university.”

“I’ll never tire of the thrill of watching students grow into professional storytellers over the course of their two years here and then see them recognized by our industry peers,” said Berkeley Journalism Dean Ed Wasserman. “I really couldn’t be prouder.”

The Winners

Nonfiction Magazine Article

“Hey, Nonprofit Offices. 1985 Called and It Wants Its Taupe Walls Back” (The Development Set) by Melissa Batchelor Warnke, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism

Feature Writing

“The Classroom, the Ballot and the Big Bad Wall “Oakland’s Children Tackle the Trump Effect” (Oakland North) by Rosa Furneaux, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism

Radio Feature

“Meet the City Kid Turned Rodeo King” (KQED News) by Lacy Jane Roberts, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism

Radio In-Depth Reporting

“Outbreak: A Doctor Visit Like No Other” by Nadine Sebai, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism

Television Feature Reporting

“What It’s Like to Leave Iraq for a Life in America” (The Atlantic) by Luisa Conlon, Hanna Miller, Lacy Jane Roberts, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism

Television General News Reporting

“Syrian Refugees Find Mental And Physical Rehabilitation In Jordan” (PBS NewsHour) by Luisa Conlon, Hanna Miller, Lacy Jane Roberts, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism