CHANTILLY, Va., March 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The 2008 Wilbur Awards recognizing outstanding work in the secular media that addresses religious issues, themes and values are being presented April 5 at the Westfields Marriott Hotel Washington Dulles.
The annual awards are presented by the Religion Communicators Council (RCC) and named for Marvin C. Wilbur, a pioneer in the field of religion public relations.
The Wilbur Awards banquet and recognition ceremony will conclude the annual RCC national convention April 3-5. RCC, based in New York, is a 79-year-old interfaith organization of professional communicators working in the field of religion. It is the oldest and largest organization of its kind.
The awards being presented, for work completed in 2007, are:
Newspaper (National/Top 15 markets): "Blood and Faith: In Turkey, A Judge's Murder Puts Religion in Spotlight," Philip Shishkin, The Wall Street Journal.
Newspaper (Other Markets): "Lifetime Calling," Jennifer Garza, The Sacramento Bee; Rick Rodriguez, editor.
Magazine (National/Top 15 markets): "A Mile in His Shoes," by Kate Braestrup; Jane Chesnutt, editor, Woman's Day.
Magazine (Other Markets): "Leaps of Faith," by Paul Singer and Brian Friel, National Journal, Charles Green, editor.
Editorial Cartoon/Comic Strip: John Sherffius, Boulder, Colo., Daily Camera.
Books Non-Fiction: "A Match Made In Heaven," Zev Chafets, HarperCollins Publishers.
Television Drama: Saving Grace, "Bring It On Earl," Nancy Miller, writer and executive producer; Gary A. Randall and Artie Mandelberg, executive producers; Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, director, Turner Network Television (TNT).
Television News (Network or National Syndication): "In God We Trust," CBS News, Sunday Morning, Rand Morrison, executive producer; Martha Teichner, correspondent; Brian H. Healy, Jason Schmidt, producers; Estelle Popkin, senior broadcast producer.
Television Documentary: "In God's Name," CBS News - 48 Hours, Jules and Gedeon Naudet, filmmakers.
Radio (Single Program): Tapestry: "Rumi," Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Hosted by Mary Hynes; Erin Pettit, producer.
Feature Film (Drama): "Amazing Grace," Walden Media, Ken Wales, producer.
Web-Based Communications (Blogs): Faith & Works, "Is Civil Rights History Wrong?" Peter Smith, Courier-Journal.com, Louisville, Ky.
The awards banquet this year is being hosted by Mary Jacobs. She is a longtime freelance writer for the Dallas Morning News' award-winning Religion section and has also written for Religion News Service. In 2004, Ms. Jacobs was named Religion Communicator of the Year by the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Religion Communicators Council. With an English degree and a Master of Business Administration degree from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, she has worked in communications for Bain & Company in Boston, and was news producer for WJW-TV, a CBS affiliate in Cleveland.
Each Wilbur Award recipient receives a handmade stained glass trophy in recognition of the honor.
For more information and details about the 2008 Wilbur Awards banquet, visit the RCC Web site at http://www.religioncommunicators.org/.
Religion Communicators Council
