Ed  Sharpe of  Glendale Daily Planet  Announced  as  the Arizona Association of Black Journalists 2008 Arizona Media Diversity Awards Winner

 

(GDP - Phoenix / Glendale, AZ 9/10/2008) -- The Arizona Association of Black Journalists has announced Ed Sharpe of the Glendale Daily Planet as the  winner for the second annual Arizona Media Diversity Awards program.

A festive dinner was held to celebrate the occasion in downtown Phoenix September 10, 2008 at Mi Amigos in the  Arizona Center. Attending were  Arizona Association of Black Journalists officers and members, interested visitors and Ed and Bette Sharpe form Glendale Daily Planet. 

The program aims to recognize Arizona journalists and media members committed to sharing diverse stories reflective of Arizona's minority communities. 

Weldon B. Johnson, President of the Arizona Association of Black Journalists, explained the award: 

 "The Arizona Association of Black Journalists congratulates Ed Sharpe and
The Glendale Daily Planet for their efforts to highlight the rich diversity of the
community they serve."

Weldon  elaborated: "Ed is being honored for series of work over the past year (2007)
celebrating the variety of cultures in Glendale. He has worked hard to tell
the stories of all of the people of that city and we look forward to seeing
him continue those efforts in the coming months and years."

Left to Right -Weldon Johnson  - Arizona Association of Black Journalists (AABJ) President  
and Chandler Neighborhoods Reporter for the  Arizona Republic presents
Ed Sharpe - Publisher Glendale Daily Planet with the 2008 Arizona Media 
Diversity Award for Sharpe's work in Online/New Media. <Photo by Bette Sharpe>

 

Sharpe's work that caught the judge's eye  for the 2008 Arizona Media Diversity Awards consisted of:

 Second-Annual West Valley Black Enterprise Networking Meeting Held at the Glendale Gaslight Inn

Happy Birthday Cesar E. Chavez! 2007      Keynote speaker Luis Valdez

 Martin Luther King Unity Day 2007 - Glendale Arizona  -  Keynote Speaker Justice Alan C. Page

GLENDALE WELCOMES HOME JORDIN SPARKS    - Westgate Center - Friday, May 11, 2008

Barrio Day at Murphy Park 2007

 

The Beautiful Plaque!

 

These entries  consisted of  text and stills with many also offering  full video of the keynote address by the dignitary in conjunction to links to other sites, quizzes, large banks of photos of the event for participants to be able to  download etc.

Sharpe, an Online Media and IPTV Pioneer, commented : "All I do is record what exists around me and package it and distribute it... The main credit for the richness of  the content is due to the interesting people and activities that are around me!"

Sharpe continued, "As Glendale grows we get more people from all over moving here with new businesses, activities and festivals - Pan you camera (or your eyes) around... it's a fascinating world  here!"

Winners of the previous year's inaugural award in 2007 include Jacque Tobias, a freelance writer, for her moving story on the Lost Boys of Sudan; and Omadelle Nelson and Todd Jackson of KPHO-TV5 for their story on an inspirational teacher at Phoenix Central High School. 


Along with the fundamental elements of journalism, entries must reflect the spirit of diversity in content and subject matter. Entries were judged by a committee affiliated with the National Association of Black Journalists. 

 

About AABJ:  

The Arizona Association of Black Journalists, www.azblackjournalist.org, is an affiliate chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists. Founded in 1995, AABJ is dedicated to fostering opportunities for professional and aspiring journalists through various programs and scholarships.   The group is comprised of working journalists in print, broadcast and radio outlets, and communication and public relations specialists statewide.

The AABJ board of directors is committed to the continued nurturing of aspiring journalists through its scholarship program. Also, advancing Arizona as a viable professional market to members of the National Association of Black Journalists, an initiative AABJ launched when it hosted the national convention in 2000.

AABJ is committed to:

Strengthening ties among Black Journalists.

Sensitizing all media to the importance of fairness in the workplace for Black journalists.

Expanding job opportunities and recruiting activities for veteran, young and aspiring Black journalists, while providing continued professional development and training.

Increasing the number of Black journalists in management positions and encouraging Black journalists to become entrepreneurs.

Fostering an exemplary group of professionals that honors excellence and outstanding achievement by African-American journalists, and achievement in the media industry as a whole, particularly when providing balanced coverage of the Black community and society at large.

Working with high schools and colleges to identify and encourage Black students to become journalists, and to diversify faculties and related curriculum.

Providing informational and training services to the general public.

Awarding annual scholarships to college and high school students.

And finally, although the organization's focus is African-American journalists throughout the state of Arizona, they are dedicated to helping all journalists of color and minority journalists reach their respective goals and commitments.

 

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