UA Journalism Students Win National Professional Ethics Award

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.  — University of Alabama journalism students Mazie Bryant, Abbey Crain and Matt Ford likely didn’t expect during their senior year of college to be recognized alongside a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and reporters and editors for Reuters.

Bryant, of Montgomery, Crain, of Huntsville, and Ford, of Tuscaloosa, are recipients of the 2014 Ancil Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism for their work on the September 2013 Crimson White story “The Final Barrier,” which detailed racial discrimination in The University of Alabama sorority formal recruitment process.

“I will never forget the hard work and determination I saw from Mazie, Abbey and Matt as they worked on ‘The Final Barrier,’” said Mark Mayfield, associate director and editorial adviser for the newspaper. “This was not only college journalism at its best, but also some of the best reporting done by any news organization nationally in the past year. I can’t think of three more deserving journalists for this award. We are all very proud of them.”

The award is given by the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication and is considered a hallmark for excellence in journalism ethics.

“This award recognizes gutsy decisions about conflicted loyalties,” said Dr. Chris Roberts, a UA journalism professor, chairman of the Media Planning Board and co-author of “Doing Ethics in Media: Theories and Practical Applications.” “Mazie, Abbey and Matt felt pressure from friends in the Greek community and others who thought loyalty meant ignoring the story. Instead, and at some personal cost, they chose a higher loyalty to their readers and, ultimately, loyalty to their University.”

As winners, the three UA seniors will be invited to an awards ceremony May 15 on the University of Oregon campus.