NABJ Seeks Entries for 2012 'Salute to Excellence' Awards

College Park, MD -- The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is now accepting entries for the 2012 Salute to Excellence Awards competition.  The NABJ Salute to Excellence Awards recognize exemplary coverage of people or issues in the African/African American Diaspora.

The competition is open to all professional journalists in print, broadcast, new media or photojournalism nationwide.

Only work originally published or broadcast during the judging period of January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011 is eligible for consideration. The deadline to submit entries is January 9, 2012.

Entries will be disqualified if they fail to follow the rules and eligibility requirements of their designated category.

Award winners will be announced at the 2012 NABJ Convention and Career Fair in New Orleans, Louisiana.

NABJ to Honor News Director and Diversity Champion Michael Fields with Ida B. Wells Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 23, 2011) -- The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) announced today that Michael Fields, news director of WABE 90.1 FM in Atlanta, will receive the prestigious Ida B. Wells Award. The annual honor is given to a media executive or manager who has made outstanding efforts to make newsrooms and news coverage more accurately reflect the diversity of the communities they serve.

Michael Fields

Fields will be honored on January 26, 2012, at NABJ's Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Newseum in Washington, D. C.

Fields is being recognized for his efforts which have resulted in excellent WABE news coverage and a more accurate reflection of the diverse communities that public broadcasting station in Atlanta serves. The award is a joint offering from NABJ with the National Conference of Editorial Writers. Previous recipients include: Steve Capus of NBC News; Reggie Stuart of Knight Ridder; Paula Madison of NBC Universal; and Walterene Swanston of NPR.