“It is such an honor to be recognized by our colleagues,” said TABJ President Kerry Charles. “We take so much pride in making our community better than we found it. I am excited about the energy of our members and that our efforts are recognized on local and national fronts.”
The NABJ Chapter of the Year Award is based on the accomplishments during the eligibility period. The criteria include, but are not limited to, the number of new members who joined the chapter and NABJ, and the chapter's community activities and programs. TABJ has taken an active role to promote diversity in journalism, mold the next generation of storytellers and serve the community.
TABJ hosted a lively panel that featured veteran North Carolina journalists, who together have more than 125 years of experience. At Untold Stories: Veteran Journalists Discuss the Evolution of Diversity in Newsrooms, the panelists shared personal insights of how newsrooms have handled diversity issues over the past five decades, how they overcame adversity as news reporters and how they covered major stories.
TABJ members often take part in elementary, middle and high school career fairs and classroom visits. Members led professional development workshops at Bennett College and Guilford Technical Community College. The presence of TABJ members in communities with few people of color has allowed others to understand the importance of having people of various backgrounds involved in the editorial process.
Other chapter highlights include, but are not limited to, participation and/or organization of:
- Networking Reception with NABJ President Bob Butler | On Oct. 31, TABJ hosted a reception for Butler during his visit to the Triad. The following day, Butler and TABJ President Kerry Charles were featured panelists in N.C. A&T's Department of Journalism and Mass Communication presents Media Coverage of Civil & Human Rights in 2013: Unfiltered or Unbiased?
- National Conference for Community and Justice of the Piedmont Triad’s Brotherhood/Sisterhood Citation Award Dinner | TABJ attended the dinner to support honoree Sandra Hughes, also the 2014 Chuck Stone Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.
- NABJ Short Course at N.C. A&T State University | Several TABJ members attended the opening night ceremonies and volunteered at workshops or panels for the Short Course.
- NABJ Region III Conference | TABJ members attended and escorted N.C. A&T students to Charleston, S.C., for this professional development conference, “Diversity, Inclusion and You: The New DIY.” Charles moderated a panel at the conference.
- Members made a significant food donation to a High Point pantry and later helped prepare 7,000 Thanksgiving meals in High Point. Those efforts were borne out of TABJ members’ coverage of North Carolinians having trouble accessing their food stamp benefits.
“The success of TABJ would not be possible without the work and dedication of our members who represent communities in and around Greensboro, High Point and Winston-Salem,” said Charles, who is also a WGHP-TV morning anchor.
The TABJ board members include: Cami Anthony, TABJ VP of Broadcast and WFMY-TV’s 2 Wants to Know producer; Chad Roberts, TABJ VP of Print and copy editor at the News & Record; Dioni L. Wise, TABJ Secretary and digital content specialist at Pace Communication; and John Hinton, TABJ Treasurer and Winston-Salem Journal reporter.