“The Social Justice Tree,” a semester-long project by students in the  University of Florida College of Journalism and Communication (UFCJC) Innovation News Center Practicum course, has been awarded a 2024 Bronze Telly Award in the Social Video Series News and Information category.

Under the direction of Innovation News Center (INC) Senior TV Manager Kalisha Whitman, who created the course, students Noelimary Suarez, Martina Araoz, Omar Aretha, Victoria Kevers, Joey Shriner, Natan Solomon, Lauren Suggs, Colette Tamburini and Naomi Volcy participated in the audience engagement experience to explore social justice issues in Gainesville, Florida,  and the communities surrounding the UF campus.

According to Whitman, the course was an immersion into social justice within the realm of media. Students were charged with casting a discerning eye on issues of resource accessibility and equality when creating content.

Ted Spiker, UFCJC  Journalism professor and department chair, played a pivotal role in the course’s inception. UFCJC Atlas Lab Director Nathan Carpenter assisted with audience engagement strategies by teaching the students how to use Talkwalker, a social media analytics and monitoring tool. And Rachel Grant, Journalism assistant professor, provided a lesson on social justice.

The Telly Awards, established in 1979, honor excellence in video and television across all screens. Annually, the Telly Awards receive over 12,000 entries from all 50 states and five continents, recognizing work from advertising agencies, television stations, production companies, and publishers. Winning a Telly is a prestigious acknowledgment of outstanding work in video and television production.

Posted: June 6, 2024
Category: College News, Student News
Tagged as: Innovation News Center, Kalisha Whitman, Nate Carpenter, Social Justice Tree, Ted Spiker