Univision takes top honors in Bar’s 2007 media awards
05/15/2007
Ch. 23 Univision in Miami has taken top honors in the 2007 Florida Bar Media Awards competition for its series of news reports, interviews and legal segments on immigration rights and reform. The awards will be presented in conjunction with The Florida Bar’s June 1 Media Law Conference, to be held at the Stetson University College of Law, Tampa Law Center.
The Media Awards are presented annually in recognition of excellence in reporting that highlights the system of law and justice as it affects the people of Florida. In analyzing the entries, the judges considered the informational value, the degree of difficulty of the subject matter and the execution of the entry, including depth of reporting and clarity of writing, editing and production and other technical considerations.
Ch. 23’s 2006 “Alerta al Inmigrante” series included daily news updates filed by local reporters, anchors and its Washington, D.C. correspondent, feature reports and Univision Online, an interactive media component. The station also partnered with a local immigration law firm to offer free legal advice to viewers through a volunteer telephone bank.
Producer Teri Arvesu said that the campaign was intended to serve as a source of information and empowerment for undocumented immigrants and recent arrivals from Latin America. “As a result of the campaign, we learned to address issues such as immigration fraud, individual rights and the availability of government services,” she said. “As we immersed ourselves more in the issue, we became aware of the lack of legal and civic understanding of these immigrants. This awareness has been instrumental in better serving our public.”
With the highest score across all entry categories, Ch. 23 not only captured first place in the Television News category, but the Grand Prize for the competition.
The other 2007 winners are:
Newspapers and Other Periodicals Over 50,000 Circulation
First Place: The Miami Herald for “Predators Among Us” by reporter Jason Grotto and “Hidden Docket” by reporters Dan Christensen and Patrick Danner (tie).
Second Place: The Daytona Beach News-Journal for “Freedom Nearly Lost in Translation” by reporters Patricio Balona and Jim Saunders
Newspapers and Other Periodicals Under 50,000 Circulation
First Place: Daily Business Review, Miami, for “A Legal Boomerang” by reporter Julie Kay
Radio News
First Place: WUSF-FM, Tampa, for “Behind Bars: Unable to Stand Trial, Mentally Ill Defendants Remain in Jail” by reporter Bobby O’Brien
TV News
First Place: Ch. 23, Miami, for “Alerta al Inmigrante” by reporters Enrique Teutelo, Sonia Parissos, Fernando Pizarro and Pablo Perdomo, editors Gaston Toledo and David Gonzalez, and creative contributor Carlos Espinosa
Second Place: Ch. 4, Cape Coral, for “Lien Law” by reporter Marisa Mendelson, photographer/editor Marq Piocos and producer Forrest Carr.
— The Florida Bar
