CUNY Graduate School of Journalism Honors Essence Magazine Co-Founder Edward Lewis at the 12th Annual Ippies Awards
New York, New York (PRWEB) May 29, 2014 -- The CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and its Center for Community and Ethnic Media (CCEM) are celebrating a number of milestones at its upcoming Ippies Awards, the only awards that recognize the achievements of New York’s independent ethnic and community media.
The awards will be held on June 5th at the CUNY Journalism School, during which Essence Magazine Co-founder Edward Lewis will receive the first Lifetime Achievement Award. Prizes will also be presented to winners selected from more than 100 entries from publications and freelance journalists.
CCEM Executive Director Garry Pierre-Pierre said, “Ethnic media outlets provide a cultural, political, and educational lifeline to the 37 percent of the city’s population who speak little or no English. Although I spent much of my career in the mainstream media, I appreciate the fact that ethnic media serve as a bridge between new arrivals and more established immigrants and ensure that the next generation, though assimilated, remains connected to its heritage.”
A CCEM census of New York City’s ethnic and community media cites 270 publications that serve the immigrant and minority populations, published in 36 languages. Eighteen of them are daily papers that are published in nine languages.
The citation for the Ippies first Lifetime Achievement Award noted the remarkable achievements of Essence Magazine Co-founder Edward Lewis. After launching in 1970, Lewis spearheaded the magazine into what The New York Times called the “pre-eminent voice for black women,” with a readership of more than 7.5 million.
Said Lewis, “Ethnic media outlets are no longer on the periphery, but are quickly challenging traditional mainstream media, as demographic changes speed up in New York City and across the United States. I am truly honored to be the first recipient of the Ippies’ Lifetime Achievement Award.”
Former CBS News Correspondent Randall Pinkston, now a correspondent for Al Jazeera America, will emcee the Ippies Awards.
The keynote address will be delivered by Jose Antonio Vargas, the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who has become a filmmaker and immigration activist. Vargas is the founder of "Define American", a non-profit organization intended to open up dialogue about the criteria people use to determine who is an American.
Ippies Award winners will be announced in 10 categories, including “Best Story about an immigrant community” and Best Investigative or In-Depth Story.”
For more information, contact: Garry Pierre-Pierre at (646) 758-7866, email garry.pierre-pierre(at)journalism(dot)cuny.edu.
Garry Pierre-Pierre, CUNY Journalism School Center for Community and Ethnic Media, http://ccem.journalism.cuny.edu/, +1 (646) 758-7866, [email protected]
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