Student Journalists Win Anthem Award for Program on Racial Justice and Climate Change

Montclair State University School of Communication and Media (SCM) student team wins an Anthem Award for New Orleans | Raging Storms program

New Orleans | Raging Storms, a program produced by a team of School and Communication Media student journalists who traveled to New Orleans over spring break in 2022 to report on Climate Change and Racial Injustice, has won a prestigious Anthem Award. The team won a Silver Award in the Sustainability, Environment & Climate, News & Journalism, Awareness & Media category. The awards organizers received 2,000 entries from 43 countries across seven categories.

The team of 14 students produced stories about how the New Orleans and surrounding communities dealt with increasingly violent storms, environmental racism, crime, music, the tourist economy and gentrification. The project was part of a class led by Professor Steve McCarthy and Professor David Sanders. The students spent weeks in preproduction and had a full schedule of filming in Louisiana for one week. After overcoming many challenges during their trip, the students returned to campus and spent the rest of the semester screening, writing, and editing. The 30-minute program is available on SCM’s streaming channel, Hawk+ . 

“Professor Sanders and I are incredibly proud of the work our students produced,” said Professor Steve McCarthy. “To win an Anthem Award against professional organizations from around the world is exciting for our students and will help them advance their careers and quickly find jobs.”

The Anthem Awards, which is put out by the Webby Awards, celebrates and champions work across seven core causes: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Education, Art & Culture; Health; Human & Civil Rights; Humanitarian Action & Services; Responsible Technology; and Sustainability, Environment & Climate.

In addition to the Anthem Award, the New Orleans | Raging Storms program was also nominated for a College Television Award. Those award winners will be announced in Los Angeles on April 1.

Below is the team of students who collaborated on New Orleans | Raging Storms:

Solana Brol, Director, Producer, Writer
Emily Dolan, Director, Producer, Writer
Louis Biondolillo, Producer, Writer
Givonna Boggans, Producer, Writer
Michelle Coneo Fernandez, Producer, Writer
Ryan Breyta, Producer, Writer
Khan Hussain, Producer, Writer
Talon Lauriello, Producer, Writer
Drew Mumich, Producer, Writer
Bernice Ndegwa,, Producer, Writer
Keyshawn Reese Producer, Writer
Gabby Taylor, Producer, Writer
Carter Winner, Producer, Writer
Kaya Maciak, Producer, Writer

Contact: Keith Green, School of Communication and Media, 973-655-3701

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