Barbara Jordan Media Awards
Video of Texas Governor Rick Perry congratulating the 2013 Barbara Jordan Media Awardees.
Each year the Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities, in conjunction with local committees throughout the state, accepts nominations for media professionals and students who have produced material for the public which accurately and positively reports on individuals with disabilities, using People First language and respectful depictions. Nominations can be submitted by anyone, including the producer of the piece, by completing the submission form and sending it with any necessary supporting materials to the Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities.
A panel of judges, including media professionals and people with disabilities, score the entries and collectively select the winners. Each year the decisions for the judges become more difficult as more quality entries are received in the categories of Print Feature, Print News, Photojournalism, TV Feature, TV Documentary, Special Contribution by an Organization, Internet, etc. See Submission Guidelines and Entry Form for complete list of categories.
For teachers and students of journalism, THE SCOOP is an educational video produced by the Texas Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities. This informative and interactive 45 minute training session titled "The Scoop on Reporting About People with Disabilities" illustrates how to interact with and report about people with disabilities. The video incorporates open captioning and audio description to show media accessibility. The video, lesson plans, and related documents can be viewed for free on our Website, or teachers can contact the Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities directly for a DVD and paper copies.
The Barbara Jordan Media Awards are named in honor of the Houston native and U.S. congresswoman who gained recognition and a place of honor in history. She was known as a remarkable orator who broke barriers and built bridges. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and served for one day in 1972 as the Governor of Texas (both Governor Preston Smith and Lt. Governor Ben Barnes were out of state). In 1973, Jordan was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and eventually began to use a cane and then a wheelchair. Barbara Jordan passed away in 1996.
The Barbara Jordan Media Award itself is a beautiful three-inch bronze medallion designed by David Deming, an internationally prominent sculptor, and is presented to winners in several categories each year at an awards ceremony hosted by one of the many local committees throughout the state.
Elements in past winning entries include:
- Portraying people with disabilities as independent and productive.
- Focusing on stories about people first and disability second.
- Using people with disabilities as sources, rather than as examples.
- Placing coverage in appropriate subject area (e.g. sports covered in sports section).
To be eligible, entries must have been produced and offered to the public between January 1 and December 31 of the current year and submitted to our office by January 15 of the following year.
Download and print a Barbara Jordan Media Awards Brochure (PDF)
Download and print Barbara Jordan Media Awards Brochure information in Word format
The Barbara Jordan Media Awards Brochure is also available in large print upon request.
For more information and resources on reporting on people with disabilities, as well as information on the national Katherine Schneider Journalism Award for Excellence in Reporting on Disability, visit the website of the National Center on Disability and Journalism.
2013 Barbara Jordan Media Awards Ceremony (for 2012 submissions)
The Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities' 2013 Barbara Jordan Media Awards ceremony will be hosted by the University of Texas at Arlington Department of Communication. The Awards ceremony will be held at the College Park Center on the campus of UT Arlington on Saturday, April 13, 7:00pm. Individual tickets and table sponsorships are available online at the UTA Department of Communications website or at UTATickets.
For more information, contact Jo Virgil at (512) 463-5740 or .
2013 Barbara Jordan Media Award Winners (for 2012 submissions)
BOOK
Shouting in the Dark by John Bramblitt, Denton
Publisher: Globe Pequot Press
PHOTOJOURNALISM
A Will to Walk (Videography) by Mario Sandoval, Weslaco
KRGV-TV
PRINT FEATURE
Private Battles/War Wounds by David Tarrant, Dallas
Dallas Morning News
PRINT FEATURE SERIES
Zach's Journey by Marc Ramirez, Dallas
Dallas Morning News
INTERNET
Moving Mountains (Declaring Independence) by Kelly West, Austin
Austin American Statesman online
SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION, INDIVIDUAL
225th Birthday Celebration: Erastus "Deaf" Smith Exhibit and Tours by Steve C. Baldwin, PhD, Austin
Exhibit held at the Capitol and various other locations across Texas
TV DOCUMENTARY
Healing Heroes by Chie Saito, Austin
YNN-TV
Healing Heroes Part I
Healing Heroes Part 2
Healing Heroes Part 3
Healing Heroes Part 4
Healing Heroes Part 5
Healing Heroes Part 6
TV FEATURE
I Will Run by Greg Groogan and Mark Muller, Houston
KRIV-TV
TV FEATURE, EXT
Never Losing Focus by Bob Phillips Productions, Dallas
Texas Country Reporter (DVD)
STUDENT, HIGH SCHOOL
Students Seek to Serve by Joey Hadden, Rockwall HS
Rockwall
STUDENT, COLLEGE
Once Again by John Spottswood Moore, Austin
University of Texas at Austin (Link will be available soon)
View Past Barbara Jordan Media Award Winners