CROSSROADS Wins National Award for Cell Tower Story!

Congratulations to editor and publisher Jennifer Ffrench-Parker, CrossRoads News, for winning a $5,000 award for the "Cell Towers Going to Schools," article published July 23, 2011. 

Crossroads, and Ms. Parker, have been a valuable ally in helping inform the county about the deceptive practices of our school board regarding the cell tower issue.  The award is well-deserved and we at Get the Cell Out - Atlanta would like to congratulate the entire Crossroads staff for the award!

MILLERCOORS CELEBRATES THE VOICE OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY
WITH 22ND ANNUAL JOURNALISM COMPETITON

ATLANTA, GA (JUNE 22, 2012)- MillerCoors and the National Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation (NNPA) recently announced the winners of the 22nd annual MillerCoors Messenger Awards. This year's ceremony was held at Paschal's Restaurant in Atlanta and honored some of the brightest and most talented writers who not only serve as resources to their perspective publications, but are the story tellers and voices of urban communities from throughout the United States.

Crossroads Publisher Jennifer Parker, right, accepts the 
prestigious national award for her coverage of the cell
tower story in DeKalb County.  Photo credit: Crossroads.

The competition acknowledged outstanding journalism in categories such as Breaking News, Commentary, Feature and Sustainability. The 2012 competition also recognized the Best Online Presence saluting publishers with outstanding digital platforms. The winners of each category received $5,000 and each finalist received $500 for a total of $30,000 in monetary awards.

The 2012 award winners were:

Jennifer Ffrench-Parker, CrossRoadsNews (Cell Towers Going to Schools article, July 23, 2011);
Lekan Oguntoyinbo, The Atlanta Voice;
Thelma Sardin, The Chicago Citizen Group;
Christian Morrow, The Pittsburgh Courier;
and The St. Louis American .

PHOTO BY WAYLAN PHILLIPS/COURTESY FLOWERS COMMUNICATIONS GROUP
Pictured above are (from left) Karl Rodney, NNPA Foundation; Natalie Cole, Our Weekly; Thelma Sardin, The Chicago Citizen Group; Bernie Foster, The Skanner; James Washington, The Dallas Weekly; Kenya Vaughn, St. Louis American; Larry Waters, MillerCoors; Janis Ware, The Atlanta Voice; Rod Doss, New Pittsburgh Courier; David Miller, Our Weekly; Larissa Tyler; The Chicago Citizen; Sonny Jiles; The Houston Defender; and Jeffrey Boney, Houston Forward Times.