Carol Burnett awards presented to two UH Manoa journalism students

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
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Posted: Dec 12, 2006

Two student journalists at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa have earned the Carol Burnett Award for Ethics and Excellence in Journalism for 2006.

Matthew K. Ing is the news editor, and Alyssa Navares is the features editor for Ka Leo O Hawaiʻi, the campus newspaper. The award is supported by the Carol Burnett Fund for Responsible Journalism, an endowment from the actress that has supported media ethics programs in journalism education at UHM since 1981. Each student receives a check for $500 with the award.

"Matthew and Alyssa represent that all-important imperative of journalism to serve the information needs of the campus while maintaining high degrees of social responsibility and credibility," said Prof. Tom Brislin, the ethics program administrator. "Ethical practice is the connective tissue that links the classroom, newsroom and community."

"The value of Ka Leo as a means to inform the campus cannot be understated," said Manoa Chancellor Denise Konan. "The paper has also been an important proving ground for some of Hawaiʻi's best journalists, and both Matt and Alyssa have demonstrated the kind of commitment to the craft that will serve them well in whatever they do in the years ahead."

Campus Media Advisor Jay Hartwell noted Ing will become editor in chief of the campus newspaper in January. "With Matthew‘s first story about the proposed Aloha Stadium alcohol ban, he established a level of excellence that he has maintained in all of his work as a reporter and editor. He is largely responsible for the quantity and quality of Ka Leo's news coverage this semester, as well as the recruitment of new reporters," Hartwell said.

Hartwell added that Navares helped initiate the first video vodcasts on the kaleo.org website and works with Ing to prepare and read daily news summaries for the campus FM radio station, KTUH. She was an Asian American Journalists Association summer intern with the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Navares also serves as chair of a chartered student organization, the Broadcast Communication Authority.

The Carol Burnett Ethics Programs also includes national awards for student research in media ethics, and a speakers program that has brought such notable figures as Frank Rich, Helen Thomas, and Linda Deutsch to campus. It will co-sponsor a national media ethics colloquium on campus in 2007.