Join us for this virtual event to meet the 2021 winners of the awards honoring South Florida’s best public service reporting, where you will get a behind-the-scenes look at how these groundbreaking stories came to be.
You will also hear from PBS White House Correspondent Yamiche Alcindor, a Miami native who will receive the Esserman-Knight Excellence in Journalism Award for her distinguished service. A frequent political contributor to NBC News and MSNBC, Alcindor’s stories often explore the intersection of race and politics. She currently covers the Biden administration and the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
NBC6 Anchor Constance Jones will be our host for the celebration of the reporters and editors who have risked their safety over the past year to bring us the news we need.
We are excited for South Florida veteran Constance Jones to MC this year's awards show. She has served television markets including New York City, Oklahoma City, Atlanta. Recently, she has returned to her hometown of Miami to sit as a morning news anchor with NBC 6. For 9 years, Jones worked at WPLG-TV/ABC and WLRN National Public Radio, both located in South Florida, as an anchor/reporter. This year we selected a local journalist and a local face as the MC for our event. Jones has a long relationship with this community and will use her expertise to tell the story behind the story of investigative journalism that serves the Miami public.
This year, $23,000+ is being awarded to journalists for their influential and investigative reporting in South Florida.
Learn more about the winners at essermanknightawards.org.
Yamiche Alcindor is the White House correspondent for the PBS NewsHour and a political contributor for NBC News and MSNBC. She often tells stories about the intersection of race and politics as well as fatal police encounters. As a White House correspondent, she has covered a range of issues including the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus on black people and communities of color, the protests following the death of George Floyd, and the consequences of former President Trump's immigration policies. Among many awards in 2020, she was awarded "Journalist of the Year" by the National Association of Black Journalists and the White House Correspondents' Association's Aldo Beckman Award for "Overall Excellence in White House Coverage".
The Esserman Family Fund for Investigative Journalism was created by Ronald and Charlene Esserman and their family to emphasize the importance of a free press. They believe journalism plays a significant role in ensuring democratic freedoms, and the Esserman Family has dedicated their lives to the advancement of South Florida and it's leaders.
Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. They invest in journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. Their goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy.
