Monday, October 29, 2007

George Curry Keynotes Griot Drum Awards

George Curry, newly-named Philadelphia Inquirer columnist and former editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine, will serve as keynote speaker for the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists' Third Annual Griot Drum Awards and Scholarship Banquet.


Scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, the 2007 edition of the Griot Drum Awards has already drawn a significant list of sponsors, including the Poynter Institute, the New York Times Regional Media Group, Tampa Bay and Company, Hill and Knowlton public relations and the St. Petersburg Times. The evening begins with an opening reception featuring our keynote speaker at 6 p.m.

Previously, Curry served as editor-in-chief of the wire service serving America’s black newspapers, the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service in Washington, D.C. Curry’s work at the NNPA ranged from being inside the Supreme Court to hear oral arguments in the University of Michigan affirmative action cases to traveling to Doha, Qatar to report on America's war with Iraq. His weekly column is syndicated by the NNPA to more than 200 newspapers.

Before joining the NNPA, Curry was editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine for seven years. He is past president of the American Society of Magazine Editors, the first African-American to hold the association's top office. Before taking over as editor of Emerge, Curry served as New York bureau chief and as a Washington correspondent for the Chicago Tribune. Under Curry's leadership, Emerge won more than 40 national journalism awards. See more information on his career
here.

The Griot Drum will feature awards in 15 categories for local media outlets honored for quality coverage of people of color. Founded in 1983, the TBABJ is an incorporated, non-profit chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists, the largest organization of journalists of color in the world.


Tickets are on sale now for the event. Call or email Eric Deggans, TBABJ President, for more information at (727) 893-8521 or deggans@sptimes.com


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