Journalists for WUSF Public Media took home 20 honors, including first place in five categories, during the Society for Professional Journalism Sunshine State Awards last month.
Ten members of the staff and a freelancer were honored during the ceremony in Fort Lauderdale for their work in 2022.
Three of the honors came in categories that feature entries from digital, print, television and radio from around the state: Gabriella Paul won for outstanding new journalist, Jessica Meszaros was a finalist for anchor of the year and Stephanie Colombini and Daylina Miller were finalists for social justice reporting with their work on gender affirming care.
WUSF’s journalists swept the serious feature reporting category with Kerry Sheridan receiving first for her story about teaches and students pushing back on indoctrination in public schools. Stephanie Colombini and Daylina Miller took second for their story about gender affirming care for trans youth and Colombini also took third for her story on visitation at Florida’s healthcare facilities.
Colombini and Cathy Carter received a first place for their reporting of abortion issues in Florida in the general coverage category. Miller and Colombini took second place in that category for their coverage of gender affirming care.
The other first place awards went Morning Edition co-host Craig Kopp for best newscast and Florida Matters producer Dinorah Prevost and host Matthew Peddie for a show on Hurricane Ian.
Prevost and Peddie also received second place in the government and politics reporting category for their work on WUSF’s Democracy 2022 coverage. Reporters Steve Newborn and Miller also contributed to that coverage.
Newborn received a second place award in the environment, science and technology reporting category for a story about sea grasses thriving in the Gulf of Mexico. That story also took second place in the best use of sound category.
In the light feature reporting category, WUSF placed second (Carter for her story on sea turtles) and third (freelancer Rick Brunson for his story on Florida desserts).
Carter also received a second place award in the arts reporting category for her story on a photography exhibit.
WUSF’s beat coverage received second place awards in health (Colombini for her story on visitation at health care facilities) and Education (Sheridan for her story about teaches and students pushing back on indoctrination in public schools).
In 2022, WUSF teamed up with the Florida Courier and The Weekly Challenger to produce a series of stories highlighting the emotional health and wellbeing of Black Floridians. The special series called Black Mental Health received a second place award in continuing coverage and a third place award in the digital category for online package.
