Madison Humphrey, a senior majoring in media communication, has received regional recognition from the Society of Professional Journalists.
The student producer and reporter for UT:10 news placed as one of the top three finalists in region four after submitting her work for the 2017 Mark of Excellence Award competition for general TV reporting.
Humphrey
Humphrey’s winning story is called “Voices of DACA”; the feature piece highlights how President Trump’s decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program would impact local dreamers. It can be seen on her YouTube channel.
She looks forward to competing on a national level in Baltimore at the Excellence in Journalism 2018 Conference in September.
“Winning a Society for Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Award has been a dream of mine since my very first day at UT, and it still feels almost too good to be true,” Humphrey said. “More important than the award itself is the gratification of knowing I’m producing high-quality content that is making an impact in my community and upholding the incredibly high standards of the Society of Professional Journalists.”
As a transfer student, the moment she stepped into the UT Communication Department, she knew it was the right program for her.
“I remember seeing all of the awards UT:10 has won and clips of the newscast on the department TV, and I instantly knew I wanted to be a part of such a prestigious program,” she said.
Humphrey said her success would not be possible without the help of her mentors in the Communication Department.
“My absolute favorite part of UT is how individualized my education is,” she said. “The media communication faculty and staff have really gone out of their way to work with me one on one and help me become the absolute best reporter I can be.”
Humphrey, who will graduate in December, just landed a summer internship with ABC Newsline 9 WAOW-TV in Wausau, Wis.
“I’ll be contributing stories as a reporter, gaining on-air, live experience, and working on becoming a better journalist,” she said.
