KOSU and StateImpact Oklahoma were named winners of best public service journalism in audio at the Great Plains Journalism Awards for the series Youth in Conversation.
Youth in Conversation featured two-way conversations between young people across Oklahoma, discussing current politicization of their classrooms and the issues that directly impact them.
The 2022 project included support from the Education Writers Association and America Amplified.
The judges praised the project, particularly for its “powerful amplification of the voices and perspectives of transgender young people.”
“At a time when so much public conversation is happening about them, it is so important to hear directly from them -- and in a way that is more substantial than sound bites,” the judges wrote.
Youth in Conversation centered young people’s voices by erasing reporters and letting them tell their own stories in an audio diary format.
The project was also a finalist for best feature reporting in audio at the Great Plains Journalism Awards.
The awards feature work from news outlets in eight states – Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Arkansas and Missouri. They're sponsored by The Tulsa Press Club, which announced winners at a ceremony last week. This is the 14th year of the contest.
The project is probably best summed up by an interaction KOSU and StateImpact had with MJ, a transgender student from Tulsa. She said students’ voices aren’t often considered at the Capitol. And that’s a problem because important conversations that involve people impacted by legislation or policy aren’t even being had.
She closed the interview by saying: “This is the first time someone has asked me about it.”
