For Immediate Release
April 19, 2011
Contact Information

National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ)
Aprill Turner
646-244-4917
aprilloturner@gmail.com

(BPRW) Miami Herald's Jacqueline Charles Named Journalist of the Year by Black Journalists Group

- Reporter entrenched in Haiti's Resurgence to Receive Group's Top Honor -

(BLACK PR WIRE)--WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A local reporter who is having an international impact has earned top recognition from the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). At its spring Board of Directors meeting, it named Miami Herald’s Caribbean Correspondent Jacqueline Charles as Journalist of the Year.

She will join other top honorees at the association's Salute to Excellence Gala, on Saturday, August 6, 2011, in Philadelphia, PA, during NABJ's 36th Annual Convention and Career Fair, the largest gathering of minority journalists in the country.

The Haitian-Turks Islander continues to gain accolades for her coverage, especially of the on-going crisis in Haiti as it charts a new course since the devastating earthquake in January 2010.

“Jacquie tells stories that are often overlooked,” said NABJ President Kathy Y. Times. “As a Miami native, I appreciate her commitment to enlightening the local community and a global audience. Jacquie’s work embodies NABJ’s mission, heart, and soul.”

Charles began her career with the Miami Herald in 1986 as a high school intern. Upon completing her degree at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, she returned to the Herald as a full-time journalist. Although still relatively freshly minted as a working professional, her first international story had global significance: the return of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. She has continued to cover triumphs and tragedy in Haiti and other island nations with unrelenting energy to tell stories that not only impact but also educate and encourage change.

Despite international reporting, Jacqueline Charles always made it part of her journalism mission to share with future journalists the opportunities that she received through NABJ, its Region Three, and South Florida Black Journalists Association.

In 2010 NABJ also honored Charles as its International Reporter of the Year at its Tampa convention.

The Salute to Excellence Awards Gala recognizes journalism that best covered the black experience or addressed issues affecting the worldwide black community during 2010.

NABJ's 36th Annual Convention and Career Fair will take place August 3-7, 2011 in Philadelphia, PA. For additional information, ticket sales, and registration, please visit us at www.nabj.org.

An advocacy group established in 1975 in Washington, D.C., NABJ is the largest organization of journalists of color in the nation, and provides educational, career development and support to black journalists worldwide.