Wilbur Award Winners Announced

First given in 1949, the Wilbur Award is given annually by the Religion Communicators Council (RCC) in honour of religious public relations pioneer, and RCC leader, Marvin C. Wilbur. The award recognizes individuals and media outlets that excel in communicating religion by promoting understanding between faith groups in a professional, fair, and honest way. The Wilbur Award is judged by media professionals, under the supervision of RCC members across the country, through a jury process. With 22 communication nomination categories, candidates are judged on content, creativity, execution, and results. Winners are chosen in the fields of newspapers, radio, magazines, cartoons/comic strips, books, television news, television documentaries, feature films, and web-based communications.

The 2008 awards ceremony is taking place during the Religion Communication Congress 2010 on April 9, 2010 at the Chicago Marriot Downtown Miracle Mile, and will be hosted by Manya A., Brachear from the Chicago Tribune. Winners of the 2008 Wilbur Awards are as follows:

1. Newspapers, Top 15 Markets – “Trial, Triumph and Transition at Chicago’s Trinity,” Manya A. Brachear and Margaret Ramirez with Christi Parsons, Chicago Tribune

2. Newspapers, Other Markets – “Front Lines of Faith,” Michelle Rupe Eubanks, TimesDaily, Florence, Alabama

3. Magazines – “Our Mutual Joy,” Lisa Miller, Newsweek

4. Editorial Cartoons – John Sherffius, Daily Camera, Boulder, Colorado

5. Books – “Blind Spot: When Journalists Don’t Get Religion,” Paul Marshall, Lela Gilbert, and Roberta Green-Ahmanson, Oxford University Press

6. Television Comedy – Turner Broadcasting System, “House of Payne” – Episode 100, “We’ve Come This Far by Faith, Part 2,” Tyler Perry Productions

7. Television News National – “With Full Honor,” CBS News Sunday Morning, Rand Morrison, executive producer, David Martin, correspondent, Mary Walsh, Producer

8. Television Documentary – “The POWER of FORGIVENESS,” Martin Doblmeier, executive producer, Journey Films

9. Radio – “Soul in the City,” CBC Radio One “Tapestry,” Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Erin Pettit, producer, Mary Hynes, host

10. Film Documentary – “Pray The Devil Back To Hell,” Gini Reticker, director, and Abigail E. Disney, producer, Fork Films

11. Web-based communications, Blogs – “The Seeker: A personal and professional quest for truth,” Manya A. Brachear, Chicago Tribune

On occasion, the RCC ‘s Board of Governors grants a special Wilbur Award to individuals and organizations in recognition of a lifetime of secular media work that promotes religious understanding and interfaith dialogue. This year, a special Wilbur Award is being presented to Bob Abernethy, executive director and host of Religion & Ethics Newsweekly on PBS. “Since 1997, Bob has promoted intelligent, insightful examinations of faith issues on American public television,” said council President Douglas F. Cannon. “As executive editor and host of Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, he has shown that the spiritual side of America is important and deserves journalistic attention.” Religion & Ethics newsweekly has received four past Wilbur Awards for their coverage of religious news in 1998, 2002, 2004, and 2005. Past recipients of special Wilbur Awards include President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter; John Dart, former religion editor of the Los Angeles Times; Martin Marty of The Christian Century; Bill Moyers of Bill Moyers Journal; Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood; cartoonist Charles Schulz, creator of Peanuts; and filmmaker Ken Wales.

The RCC is the oldest public relations professionals association in the United States, dating back to 1929. The RCC currently has over 500 members and 13 regional chapters. Members represent Baha’i, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, and Jewish traditions, and work in advertising, print and electronic media, and public relations.