The Black Star News won first prize for Best Editorial Commentary at the ippies 2016 award last night.
The publication was honored for an article written by reporter and columnist Colin Benjamin about the 2015 South Carolina massacre. The column “South Carolina Massacre and the Hate that produced Dylan Roof,” was edited by Milton Allimadi, the publication’s editor and publisher.
http://www.blackstarnews.com/us-politics/justice/south-carolina-massacre-and-the-hate-that-produced-dylan-roof
The keynote speaker was New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer who substituted for City Council Member Carlos Menchaca.
The MC was Randall Pinkston, formerly an ABC and Al Jazeera reporter. The awards were handed out by Tom Robbins, investigative journalist in residence at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, where the ceremony was held in a packed media center.
The Center for Community and Ethnic Media, at the journalism school, administers the ippies. The co-directors are Jehangir Khattak and Karen Pennar.
Last night’s awards were the 15th annual ippies.
The Ippies honor reporting in English and in languages other than English by ethnic and community press in New York City. They are considered a benchmark of journalistic excellence and are a coveted prize for publishers, editors, and reporters in New York City’s media. There were awards in 10 categories this year.
The awards have been handed out since 2002.