Germany Kent Wins High Profile Media Award

BEVERLY HILLS - The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) has awarded Germany Kent with a national Sigma Delta Chi Award for excellence in journalism. The win for Kent makes history: Kent became the first African-American woman to win this particular honor as an independent in Online Deadline Reporting. The media maven is now one of the newest 77 honorees to receive the highly competitive award, selected from more than 1,300 submissions this year to determine the best stories published or broadcast in 2018.

Kent, a multimedia journalist and producer, received one of the most prestigious and coveted awards in journalism for a story titled, "Tragedy in Thousand Oaks." The body of work features coverage in the wake of the November deadly mass shooting that occurred at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, killing 12, including Ventura County Sheriff's Sergeant Ron Helus, and many local college students.

The Thousand Oaks massacre made national headlines and became the 307th mass murder of 2018. The project, which includes exclusive footage and exclusive interviews, features survivors, parents of the victims, law enforcement and detailed coverage of the funeral for the slain officer. The compilation is of careful in-depth on the scene reporting showcased through digital video, incisive writing and palpable concern for victims.

Kent's work portrays insight with great detail about the impact of violence, crime, disaster, and other trauma. She has dedicated her work to victims of gun violence worldwide and advancing the knowledge of mass shootings. The national award-winning body of work was filmed, edited, produced and published by Kent.

Judges chose the winners from entries in categories covering print, radio, television, art/graphics, newsletters, online and research. Kent joins the ranks of journalists from large well-respected media outlets. She shares the honor in Online Deadline Reporting this year with Los Angeles' major news authority The Los Angeles Times, who won as the affiliated news organization. The Times was recognized for their report "Gunfire and Flames in California," which also features coverage of the Thousand Oaks mass shooting.

Other honorees this year include NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post, PBS NewsHour, Univision News, CBS News, NBC Nightly News, Chronicle of Higher Education, Nieman Reports, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, The Boston Globe, Newsy, The Associated Press, and Reuters.

"I am deeply humbled and grateful to receive such a prestigious award from one of the most respected journalism organizations in the country. To be recognized by my peers is an incredible honor and that makes this award very special," Kent said.

In addition to her work in media and production, Kent is a renown humanitarian who has been honored with national and international awards for her philanthropy. Kent is also the acclaimed Beverly Hills Book Award-Winning author of the national bestseller "You Are What You Tweet."

About the Sigma Delta Chi Awards

Dating back to 1932, the awards originally honored six individuals for contributions to journalism. The current program began in 1939, when the Society granted the first Distinguished Service Awards. The honors later became the Sigma Delta Chi Awards. Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists, and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press.