Change in tone pledged for Hispanic group; Michelle Johnson wins as J-educator aiding diversity (8/3/12)
Change in Tone Pledged for Hispanic Group
Michelle Johnson Wins as J-Educator Aiding Diversity
Michelle Johnson Wins as J-Educator Aiding Diversity
Michelle Johnson, an associate professor of the practice, journalism at Boston University who has taught multimedia workshops for professional journalists and long conducted student training programs for the journalism associations, has been awarded the Barry Bingham Sr. fellowship of the Association of Opinion Journalists Foundation, the foundation told Johnson on Friday.
The award honors an educator who encourages students of color in the field of journalism.
For more than two decades, Johnson has conducted student training programs for such organizations as the American Society of News Editors, the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education, the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the Asian American Journalists Association and Unity Journalists, formerly known as Unity: Journalists of Color, Inc.
She learned of her selection by email at the Unity '12 convention in Las Vegas, where she was again working with the student news projects. By coincidence, Yvonne Latty of New York University, last year's winner, was also in attendance, about to participate on a panel, and the two took a photo together.
"I'm particularly moved to receive this today because I happen to be at the UNITY conference working with the Student Newsroom," Johnson replied by email to the association foundation. "We have 30 talented minority journalism students here covering the conference in print, video, radio and online (unitynews.org). Encouraging young people of color to enter the profession has been my life's work. I so appreciate the recognition."
Before joining the faculty at Boston University, Johnson was a Journalist-in-Residence at Emerson College where she was a technology manager assisting in renovation of the department into a multimillion-dollar, cross-platform facility, as well as helping to revise the department's curriculum. She also lectured as an adjunct in the journalism department at Boston University from 2003 to 2006.
The award is to be presented at the Association of Opinion Journalists convention Sept. 20-22 in Orlando.