The Detroit Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists has announced the winners of this year’s Excellence in Journalism Awards. Michigan Radio reporters were recognized in two different categories.
Briana Rice, a Detroit-based reporter at Michigan Radio, was named Young Journalist of the Year. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati, Rice got her start in journalism at her hometown newspaper, The Cincinnati Enquirer, before coming to Detroit. At Michigan Radio, she has covered stories such as the rise of tenant activism in Detroit and the rights renters can use to protect themselves against negligent landlords.
Beenish Ahmed, Jamie Simmons, Nisa Khan, Sarah Hulett and Lindsey Smith, members of Michigan Radio's Amplify team, received the Sojourner Truth Award in Topical Reporting, which honors excellence in journalism covering racial justice. The Sojourner Truth Award seeks to recognize reporting that is revealing and impactful in tackling new subject matter. The group was recognized for its reporting on the Wayne County Jail.
The Journalist of the Year and Young Journalist of the Year were selected by a jury of veteran local journalists, and the Excellence in Journalism awards were judged by a jury of veteran journalists from an out of state chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. The awards were announced Monday night (May 15, 2023) by SPJ Detroit at its Excellence in Journalism banquet at the San Marino Club in Troy, Michigan.
