July 10, 2023, SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — New England Public Media won three first place awards at the Public Media Journalists Association (PMJA) conference in San Antonio, Texas, on June 23. The awards recognized the best in public media journalism produced in 2022 from across the country. Stations competed against others with similar-sized newsrooms; NEPM competed in “Division A” representing stations with 8–15 full-time staff.
Karen Brown’s “Some mental health advocates in Massachusetts want a new name for schizophrenia” won first place in the Feature category; Jill Kaufman’s “Issues of tribal membership and curator experience in complaint over Springfield museum exhibit” won first place in the Special Feature Category for Underrepresented Communities; and “'We are clerks; we make it work': The increasingly stressful duties of local election officials” by contributor Grace Bannasch and edited by NEPM’s Tema Silk won first place in the Commentary category.
For “Some mental health advocates in Massachusetts want a new name for schizophrenia,” NEPM’s Karen Brown talked to patients, practitioners, researchers and health care advocates about a movement to change the name of the mental illness known as schizophrenia. Many are hoping that a new term for the disease could help alleviate the stigma that patients face. Brown’s feature story was picked up by the New York Times.
Jill Kaufman’s “Issues of tribal membership and curator experience in complaint over Springfield museum exhibit” delivered a nuanced and multi-faceted report about “We’re Still Here,” an exhibit about local Native American identity at the Springfield Science Museum.
Grace Bannasch is the town clerk of Shutesbury, Massachusetts. Her commentary, “‘We are clerks; we make it work’: The increasingly stressful duties of local election officials,” gave a personal picture of what she faces as she supervises her town’s elections. NEPM’s Tema Silk edited the commentary.
“These awards underscore the importance and value of local news reporting,” said NEPM News Director Sam Hudzik. “Every day I'm inspired by the stories that our talented reporters, editors and commentators share with our region. They dig deep into the issues that are important and introduce us to so many of the people that are making a difference. Congrats to Karen, Jill, Tema and Grace!”
ABOUT NEW ENGLAND PUBLIC MEDIA
New England Public Media is a community-supported, independent non-profit organization based in Springfield, Massachusetts. Through a deep commitment to independent local journalism, trusted educational content, inspired cultural offerings, and civic engagement, NEPM endeavors to share new voices and inspire new conversations. It provides audiences with a broad array of local and national programs across all media —TV, radio, online, and mobile, including PBS and NPR programs as well as locally produced series, podcasts and specials. Its four digital TV channels, and two radio networks present news, jazz and classical music, documentaries, talk, drama, plus cultural and educational programming.
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MEDIA CONTACT
Vanessa Cerillo
Senior Director, Marketing, Communications and Events
New England Public Media
413-735-6605
vanessa_cerillo@nepm.org