ASNE Diversity Director Bobbi Bowman to receive 2009 Ida B. Wells Award

• By: ASNE staff
• On: 07/17/2009 10:14:00
• In: ASNE business

Representatives of the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Conference of Editorial Writers have selected Bobbi Bowman, former diversity director of the American Society of News Editors, as the 2009 recipient of the Ida B. Wells Award. The Wells award is presented annually to a media executive who has demonstrated a commitment to diversifying the nation's newsrooms and improving the coverage of people and communities of color.

The award will be presented on Aug. 8 at the 33rd annual convention and career fair of the National Association of Black Journalists, to be held in Tampa, Fla. In selecting Bowman, who in June stepped down as full-time diversity director, the Wells jury cited her exhaustive and extensive work at the forefront of the effort to diversify the staffs of America's newspapers. Bowman will remain as a consultant on diversity issues for ASNE through the next year.

During her 10 years at ASNE, Bowman has been in charge of ASNE's newsroom census, which since 1978 has charted how well U.S. daily newspapers are doing on the diversity front. In addition, she organized ASNE's regional job fairs in an effort to promote greater diversity.

Her involvement with students and other young journalists, as well as her leadership in developing workshops and mentoring programs, have made her an invaluable resource to countless budding journalists and the industry as a whole. The Wells jury felt quite strongly that her long record of distinguished service to a cause that too often gets short shrift during the current media maelstrom deserves this long-overdue recognition. They are pleased to honor her with the 2009 Ida B. Wells Award.

About the award:

The Ida B. Wells Award is named in honor of the distinguished 19th and early 20th century journalist and publisher who won international acclaim for her fearless crusade against lynching. First bestowed in 1983, the award is designed to give tangible and highly visible recognition to an individual or group of individuals who have provided distinguished leadership in increasing access and opportunities to people of color in journalism, and helped improve the coverage of communities of color. The award is administered by Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

Medill faculty members Charles Whitaker and Loren Ghiglione serve as co-curators and members of the committee that selects the honoree. The selection committee also includes NCEW representatives Richard Prince and Vanessa Gallman, NABJ Representative Deirdre M. Childress and President Barbara Ciara, and Ann Brill of the University of Kansas School of Journalism.

The presentation of the Ida B. Wells Award alternates between the annual conventions of the sponsoring bodies, the National Conference of Editorial Writers and the National Association of Black Journalists.

Past recipients of the award include former ASNE presidents John C. Quinn, Loren Ghiglione and David Lawrence Jr.