photo by David Erickson

Jessica Wambach was a contributing writer for the 2004 Native News Project

Native News Project nets national
Kennedy award

By Jim Beyer
J-School Web reporter

The 37th Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for best college reporting goes to the University of Montana Native News Honors Project. Four seniors and two professors will go to Washington, D.C. to accept the award at a ceremony at George Washington University later this month.

Journalism professor Carol VanValkenburg was “more than surprised” to hear the news directly from Ethel Kennedy. RFK’s widow told the professor that her class won the competition in a telephone call on April 21.

“I don’t want to sound boastful, but I know what good work the students do,” VanValkenburg said. “Even though the competition was stiff, I was more than surprised that Ethel Kennedy called. Not that we won, but that she took the time to call. She was familiar with the series.”

The four seniors — photographer Mike Cohea and writers Joe Friedrichs, Natalie Storey and Jessica Wambach — are excited about the May 24 trip to the nation’s capital.  Wambach said this would be her third trip to D.C., but “this is a big deal” nonetheless.

“It [the award] is a good reminder, right at the end, of why I’m doing this,” said Wambach, who has spent the past school year as editor of the Kaimin. 

The Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award is called the “poor people’s Pulitzer” because it honors stories about America’s disadvantaged and impoverished, as well as the minorities that mainstream media often bypass. Winners of the award this year include heavy-hitting journalists from the Times — both Los Angeles and New York, the Sacramento Bee, WGBH-Boston “Frontline,” and National Public Radio.  VanValkenburg said it will be cool for students to rub shoulders with the other winners.

RFK Judge Barbara Hines called the Native News Honors Project’s tabloid “Sovereignty” an “impressive entry…the writing was evocative and perfectly humanized the issues. Incredible photography adds to the package.” The 36-page tabloid examined sovereignty issues on Montana’s seven Indian reservations. Sixteen students participated in the project, forming photographer/writer teams that visited the reservations over Spring Break 2004.

“Native News is truly a team achievement: compelling stories, strong photos and clean design,” said professor Teresa Tamura, who directed the photo students. “This award is a huge honor. Carol started the whole project. It wouldn’t have been possible without her.”

Tamura said VanValkenburg did a tremendous job preparing the students before they went to the reservations. She guided them by long distance telephone while they were there. VanValkenburg then helped to shape the stories when the students returned, Tamura said.

Tamura also praised photo grad student Yogesh Simpson, design consultant for the tab, and two seniors who graduated in 2004: photo editor Kate Medley and design editor Liz Grauman. Grauman recently won second place in the Society for News Design competition for the Native News project.

The Native News Honors Project is a tradition at the J-School. All the project members read stories from the 15 previous years. Those stories set a high standard for writing. Students regard their work on the project as  “the best things we have done” in school, Wambach said.

The award is for all of the students who worked on the project last year. Other students have graduated and will miss the trip.

 “When we won, we were all happy,” said graduating senior Natalie Storey.“But it reminded us how hard we worked and how testing the job was.” The recognition was a reward for telling the stories of people who have no voice, she said.

Storey wrote about controversies that embroiled tribal police on the Fort Peck Reservation. She became emotionally involved and had to call VanValkenburg several times for advice. The stories were so compelling, I just wanted to tell one more,” Storey said.

VanValkenburg has visited Washington many times, but is excited about taking the seniors there. The UM group will meet Tamura at the awards ceremony. Tamura is spending 10 weeks with the National Geographic Society as the recipient of the 2005 Faculty Fellowship.

VanValkenburg hopes to take the students to the new American Indian Museum on the Mall during their time in Washington.

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