UMR Communications is offering the latest headlines in the RSS format.
News
Reporter staff gets top honors Staff Reports, Mar 16, 2009
The United Methodist Reporter
Staff reports
The United Methodist Reporter has been named the 2009 best religion newspaper in the country by the Religion Communicators Council (RCC), an interfaith organization of more than 600 religion communicators.
The Reporter staff earned six awards in the organization’s 2009 DeRose-Hinkhouse competition, which honors excellence in religion communications. Awards will be presented March 27 at the RCC’s annual convention in Boston.
The Reporter also won an award of excellence for a single issue, Oct. 17, 2008, featuring a cover story on orientation for newly elected bishops.
Awards of Excellence went to managing editor Robin Russell for her news story on a protest at the 2008 General Conference and for her feature series on new bishops.
Staff writer Mary Jacobs took top honors in the feature category for her July 18, 2008 article, “Does Satan Really Exist?”
Ms. Russell also earned a certificate of merit for her blog reporting at www.umportal.org of the election of bishops during the South Central Jurisdictional meetings in July 2008.
Other United Methodist winners were: Michelle Scott of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) for promotional brochures and videos; Patti Simmons and Pamela Wiggings of the Texas Methodist Foundation for an annual report; Roberta Cox of Perkins School of Theology, SMU, for an Art and Soul 2008 marketing campaign; Safiyah Fosua of the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD) for the Africana Worship Book; Kwasi Kena of the GBOD for an audio on The Making of Africana; Valerie Maravolo and Stephen J. Hustedt of the Desert Southwest Conference for Web site design.
Nashville-based United Methodist Communications staff who earned top honors were: Kathy Gilbert, Linda Green and Kathy Noble for their Web series on the Central Conference Pension Initiative; Mike DuBose for a photography series on Nothing But Nets in Cote d’Ivoire; Susan Crawford for a Web site manual; and Jan Snider for a video on helping the poor.
Certificate of merit recipients included Melissa Hinnen for the UMCOR 2009 Calendar.
Founded in 1929, the RCC promotes excellence in the communication of religious faith and values and encourages understanding among faith groups.
The United Methodist Reporter
Ms. Russell also earned a certificate of merit for her blog reporting at 
