The USA TODAY Network’s commitment to covering matters of constitutional importance is being recognized with a national award.
The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication announced May 28 that a team of reporters, including IndyStar’s Cate Charron, are the recipients of the organization’s First Amendment Award.
The award “recognizes professionals with a strong commitment to freedom of the press, and who practice courageous journalism,” according to AEJMC’s website.
The network’s submission included Charron’s coverage of a censorship battle involving the student-run newspaper at Indiana University.
The university sparked national outrage in October after it fired the student media director and ordered the 158-year-old Indiana Daily Student to cease printing its newspapers.
The other honorees include reporters BrieAnna Frank of USA TODAY, Angele Latham of The Tennessean, Stephany Matat of USA TODAY Network Florida, and Taylor Seely of The Arizona Republic.
The five reporters are part of a recently launched First Amendment reporting team within the USA TODAY Network. Together, they’ve “tackled some of the most urgent press freedom stories in the country,” the organization said in a news release.
In addition to Charron’s stories, the award recognized:
The team will be recognized and join a panel about covering First Amendment issues at AEJMC’s annual conference in New Orleans on Aug. 7.
Contact IndyStar Accountability & Investigations Editor Tony Cook at 317-444-6081 or tony.cook@indystar.com. Follow him on X: @IndyStarTony.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyStar reporter among those honored with First Amendment award
Reporting by Tony Cook, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
