September 23, 2004

Boise State University Student Wins National Journalism Honor
Society of Professional Journalists recognizes Justin Terry report
 

Boise State University senior Justin Terry has been honored by the Society of Professional Journalists for in-depth reporting for his radio news story, “New Freedom Riders.” The Society of Professional Journalists announced the Mark of Excellence Awards national winners for outstanding student journalism at the 2004 SPJ national convention in New York City on Sept. 11. Terry, a student reporter for Boise State Radio who will graduate in May, says he plans to pursue a career in broadcast journalism. For his story, Terry traveled with the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride bus as it traveled through Idaho. More than a dozen buses traveled across the country, picking up hundreds of immigrant rights advocates along the way, similar to the civil rights movement in the 1960s. They met in Washington D.C. and New York for mass demonstrations promoting changes to the U.S. immigration policy and other civil and human rights issues. Steve Johnston, Boise State Radio interim general manager, said, “This prestigious award is a profound recognition of his hard work invested in learning radio reporting. Students are a very important part of Boise State Radio, doing their part to make our program services top-notch as they learn the business. The entire Boise State Radio family takes justifiable pride in Justin’s accomplishment.” This year’s winners were chosen from more than 3,200 entries in 45 categories including print, radio, television and online. The Society has honored the best work in collegiate journalism since 1972. “The winners of this Mark of Excellence competition should be especially proud of their accomplishments. This was the most competitive MOE contest in history. It attracted an all-time record number of entries. More than ever, these awards are honoring the best of the best,” said Guy Baehr, chairman of SPJ’s Awards and Honors Committee. The awards recognized work published in 2003 and were presented by Terry Harper, SPJ executive director. Before reaching the national competition, each finalist entry placed first at its respective regional competition. The Society of Professional Journalists is dedicated to improving and protecting journalism. It is the nation’s most broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior. Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry, works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists, and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. Boise State Radio is the public radio network operating from Boise State University.  The network includes NPR News 91, KBSU Arts & Cultural Programming and Idaho’s Jazz Station.   Boise State Radio operates 20 broadcast facilities in Idaho and northern Nevada. Additional information is available at http://radio.boisestate.edu. -30- Contact: Jim East, General Manager Network Programming, Boise State Radio, (208) 947-5659, jeast@boisestate.edu Media Contact: Kathleen Craven, communications and marketing, (208) 426-3275, kraven@boisestate.edu