Topics: College of Communication Information and Media, Speakers
March 28, 2008
A Kansas City newspaper reporter who chronicled the story of a couple's heartrending medical dilemma will be honored April 2 by Ball State.
Lee Hill Kavanaugh, a general assignment reporter for the Kansas City Star, is the 2008 winner of the Pulliam National Journalism Writing Award for her article, "Love to Last a Lifetime." Kavanaugh wrote about an expectant couple who carried their baby, Zeke, to term despite knowing he would die minutes after birth due to genetic disorders. Judges praised Kavanaugh for her article's thoroughness, compelling storytelling and journalistic balance and fairness.
"After weeks of living in their world, I watched Baby Zeke's growth, birth and death," Kavanaugh said. "I watched how a couple who endured so much could also love so much."
Kavanaugh will speak on immersion journalism at 7:30 p.m. April 1 in Ball State's Art and Journalism Building, room 175. She will be recognized at the Department of Journalism's annual awards luncheon the next day, receiving a $1,500 prize from the Eugene S. Pulliam family, former owners of the Muncie Star Press, Indianapolis Star and other newspapers.
Kavanaugh also won the 2003 Pulliam Writing Award, making her the second two-time winner in the award's 48-year history. The annual writing award is offered by the Department of Journalism and sponsored by the Eugene S. Pulliam family. Three former winners have gone on to win Pulitzer Prizes.
For more information, contact Pulliam National Journalism Writing Award coordinator, Mark Masse, professor of journalism, at 765-285-8222.
By Alaric DeArment