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Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Ind. Courts - More on: Nominations open for "Excellence in Public Information and Education" awards

This ILB entry from July 21, 2010 set out the announcement of the Indiana Judges Association (IJA) requesting nominations for their two annual awards:

The Indiana Judges Association (IJA) wishes to recognize those members of the judiciary who have made special contributions to the judicial profession by their efforts in community relations.

The IJA would also like to recognize those members of the media (newspaper, television, radio) who have made special contributions to the judicial profession by their efforts in responsible reporting of the Indiana Judiciary.

The annual award will be presented at the Indiana Judges Association luncheon in Indianapolis on September 22, 2010.

The awards are now in. Here is the press release:
2010 IJA Commendations for Excellence in Public Information and Education

The Indiana Judges Association has awarded the Commendations for Excellence in Public Information and Education for the last 22 years

The awards recognize members of the media who have made special contributions to the judicial profession by responsible reporting of the Indiana Judiciary, and also recognize a judge each year who has made special contributions to the judicial profession by his or her efforts in community relations (informing/educating the public and enhancing the image of the judiciary)

Since 1991, the Judicial Conference’s Community Relations Committee has solicited the nominations for these awards and selected the award recipients on behalf of the IJA

The recipients of the 2010 awards have raised the bar in educating the public about the judiciary and ensuring fair and accurate media coverage of court activity.

Media Award.

Marianne Holland, Statehouse Bureau Chief for Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations, is being honored for her efforts to provide Indiana residents with fair and responsible journalism covering the Indiana Supreme Court.

Marianne has been with Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations for the past 5 years, first as their statehouse reporter, and now as their statehouse bureau chief. Before that, she worked as the news director of IPBS member station WVPE in Elkhart. Marianne's public radio career began in 1998 and has also taken her to news departments at stations in Vermont, Kansas, Alaska, and New York. She is the recipient of multiple awards from the Associated Press and Society of Professional Journalists.

Marianne was nominated by Roger Rhodes, Executive Director of Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations. In his nomination letter, Mr. Rhodes said the following: “This year the court has had the special occasion of conducting the process of selecting nominees to replace current Supreme Court Justice Theodore Boehm. On behalf of Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations, Marianne Holland has dedicated herself to covering this important process that begins with a judge’s announcement, and will end with the swearing in of a new Supreme Court Justice. Marianne was present for Judge Boehm’s retirement announcement, and has covered the process since that time…. She has covered the hours of public interviews that were conducted by the candidates, providing our member stations across the state and their respective audiences, with tailored, region-specific stories about the candidates being interviewed from their area of the state…. Marianne’s work helps to bring state government and the courts closer to every corner of our state.”

Judiciary Award.

Judge Allen Wheat of Steuben Circuit Court is being honored for his efforts to educate high school students about the judiciary and the process involved in a mock drunk driving trial.

In cooperation with the Ball State University Communications Department, Judge Wheat and his staff created an educational video that staged a drunk-driving arrest, jail-booking, trial and conviction. The video is titled “Think Before You Drive”.

According to Judge Wheat, the making of the video was truly a community effort. The characters in the video were played by local attorneys, deputies from the Sheriff’s Department, city and county officials (including the mayor of Angola), a school principal and local business people. The actors donated several days of their time for the filming of the courtroom scenes. A “world premier” was held last year in Angola to celebrate the release of the video.

The video has been well-received by government and civics teachers across the state. Judge Wheat stated that his goal in producing the video was to educate students about the mechanics of how trials are conducted and prepare them to perform their civic responsibility when called upon to serve on a jury.

The Community Relations Committee thanks Judge Wheat and his “actors” in Angola for showing the inner-workings of trials and jury service. Indiana high school students will benefit from this effort for years to come.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on September 29, 2010 03:42 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts