{"id":68810,"date":"2025-12-03T00:23:06","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T00:23:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/68810\/"},"modified":"2025-12-03T00:23:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T00:23:06","slug":"famu-society-of-professional-journalists-chapter-sjgc-alumna-laura-downey-receive-regional-and-national-honors-during-spjs-national-convening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/68810\/","title":{"rendered":"FAMU Society of Professional Journalists Chapter, SJGC Alumna Laura Downey Receive Regional and National Honors During SPJ\u2019s National Convening"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0Florida A&M University Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (FAMU SPJ)\u00a0was honored for its significant regional impact during\u00a0MediaFest<\/a>, the nation\u2019s largest professional and student joint media convention.<\/p>\n

FAMU\u2019s chapter was recognized during the SPJ national opening meeting at the convention
\n as a\u00a0\u201cCampus Program of the Year Regional Honoree.\u201d\u00a0The accolade celebrates outstanding achievement in developing and championing activities
\n and events that advocate for press freedom, promote high ethical standards, and educate
\n emerging professionals.<\/p>\n

The chapter, composed of students in the FAMU School of Journalism & Graphic Communication
\n (FAMU SJGC), received the award for its support of the 2024 Grads Are Back Fireside
\n Chat. The event was hosted by FAMU SJGC\u00a0Dean Mira Lowe\u00a0and featured special guest and\u00a0alumna Laura J. Downey (\u201901).\u00a0Downey has served as a regional SPJ chapter leader and is also the executive editor
\n at WebMD.<\/p>\n

During the Fireside Chat with Downey, students heard reflections on her career journey,
\n insights on navigating the media landscape, and learned more about her path to becoming
\n the first Black president of the SPJ Georgia Chapter. Student chapter members also
\n presented Downey with an Award for Excellence, recognizing her contributions to journalism
\n and her enduring legacy at FAMU.<\/p>\n

Impacting the Campus and Nation<\/p>\n

\"SJGCSJGC Professor Leah P. Hunter proudly displays one of the certificates the FAMU SPJ
\n chapter received in recognition of its accomplishments. (Photo: Justyn Thomas)<\/p>\n

FAMU SPJ was also\u00a0named a Region 3 finalist\u00a0<\/a>for SPJ\u2019s national\u00a0\u201cOutstanding Campus Chapter of the Year<\/a>\u201d\u00a0award. Region 3 includes chapters from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico, South
\n Carolina, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. One finalist from each of SPJ\u2019s 12 regions
\n is selected annually for consideration of national honors.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is exciting for our chapter to be acknowledged and represent Region 3 of the Society
\n of Professional Journalists for our work at FAMU,\u201d FAMU SPJ Advisor and SJGC Professor
\n Leah P. Hunter, Ph.D., said. \u201cOur chapter works to support all students in SJGC to
\n develop skills that make them more knowledgeable, marketable, and ready for life after
\n college. This recognition of our programs confirms that we are making an impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of FAMU SPJ\u2019s recent programming aimed at strengthening and preparing students
\n for success as media professionals includes collaborating with other student media
\n organizations in Tallahassee to host discussions and professional development events
\n around the state of journalism and the critical role storytelling plays in giving
\n voice to marginalized communities.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the chapter promotes events such as Code of Ethics Week, which educates
\n students on the power of fact-checking and the best tools and practices for ethical
\n storytelling. A speaker series featuring successful alumni to inspire students about
\n the promise of their careers has also been a FAMU SPJ staple.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery year, reviewing the chapter awards reminds me how much good work is happening
\n in every corner of SPJ,\u201d said\u00a0Jennifer Ellis, SPJ region 12 coordinator.
\u201c\u2026 It\u2019s inspiring to see how our members continue finding new ways to inform, engage
\n and strengthen their communities \u2014 reflecting SPJ\u2019s mission to be champions for journalists,
\n fighters for the First Amendment, producers of journalism\u2019s future and stewards for
\n ethical journalism.\u201d<\/p>\n

Downey Wins Prestigious SPJ Award During Convention<\/p>\n

\"LauraLaura J. Downey speaks at Florida A&M University’s School of Journalism & Graphic
\n Communication in 2024, engaging students from the FAMU SPJ Chapter and other SJGC
\n programs. She has served as an inspirational figure to the student body. (Photo by:
\n AJ Shorter)<\/p>\n

During the MediaFest Convention, SPJ also honored Downey with the\u00a0prestigious\u00a0Howard S. Dubin Outstanding Pro Member Award<\/a>. The award is given annually and salutes individual members who have made significant
\n contributions to their SPJ chapters.<\/p>\n

The award, presented following nominations from across the organization, honors Howard
\n Dubin, who is nationally celebrated for his outstanding membership and service.<\/p>\n

In addition to this honor, Downey\u2019s chapter, SPJ Georgia, was recognized as the Region
\n 3 professional finalist and awarded the\u00a0Outstanding Small Professional Chapter (2024\u201325)\u00a0for its efforts during her presidency.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am deeply honored to receive the Howard S. Dubin Award\u00a0along with Wesley Wright, and grateful to SPJ for this prestigious recognition,\u201d Downey
\n wrote. She holds a master\u2019s degree in journalism from FAMU SJGC, where she previously
\n served as a professor and Journey Magazine advisor.<\/p>\n

Wright founded the ReNews Project, a nonprofit dedicated to reviving dormant student
\n newspapers.<\/p>\n

\u201cChapters ebb and flow, rise and fall,\u201d said\u00a0Michael Koretzky, SPJ region 3 coordinator. \u201cWhen they\u2019re their best, they\u2019re led by presidents like
\n Laura Downey. Laura toiled nonstop to bring SPJ Georgia back to its former glory \u2014
\n and perhaps exceed it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under Downey\u2019s leadership, SPJ Georgia achieved record-breaking fundraising, expanded
\n its membership base, and forged strategic partnerships with leading media organizations
\n across the state. She led the launch of the chapter\u2019s inaugural high school scholarship
\n program, advocated for greater diversity in journalism, and inspired the board to
\n pursue innovative initiatives that expanded the chapter\u2019s influence within the journalism
\n community and beyond.<\/p>\n

Media Contact:<\/p>\n

Rachel James-Terry
Senior Director of Strategic Communications
rachel.jamesterry@famu.edu<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Back to Stories<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The\u00a0Florida A&M University Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (FAMU SPJ)\u00a0was honored for its significant regional impact…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":68811,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[232,234,233],"class_list":["post-68810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee-headlines","tag-tallahassee-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68810"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68810\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}