University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJD) graduate Loren Miranda, B.S. Journalism 2024, and Julia Roeder of The Tower at Grosse Pointe South High School in Michigan are the recipients of the 2024 Student Freedom of Information Awards.

The awards, presented by the Student Press Law Center and the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project, honor student journalists for their efforts to promote transparency.

In the college division, Miranda, a reporter for UFCJC’s Fresh Take Florida student news service, accessed police reports and body-cam footage to deconstruct what happened when a stampede left five injured at a University of Florida campus vigil for Israelis killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas. In addition to deconstructing law enforcement’s response to the chaotic events on campus, her exclusive reporting uncovered that police had been investigating a bomb threat earlier that day but failed to warn vigil organizers. Miranda received her honor at the Fall College Media Convention in New Orleans on Nov. 2.

In the high school division, Roeder shed light into an investigation of a former school board president’s alleged efforts to push out two school administrators. She obtained and reported on a two-page summary of the investigation. When Roeder’s request for the full report was denied, she worked with attorneys at the Student Press Law Center to appeal. She received her honor Nov. 9 at the Fall National High School Journalism convention in Philadelphia.

“These students demonstrate the power of government records to help the public understand what their government is up to,” Brechner FOI Project Director David Cuillier said. “We need to do all we can to support student journalism to protect democracy for generations to come.”

The student awards, launched in 2023, build on Brechner’s annual FOI award, which has been given to professional journalists since 1986. This year’s winners were selected by an advisory committee of public-record experts. The Brechner FOI Project played no role in either selection process. Gary Green, SPLC’s executive director, also played no role in the collegiate award selection due to previous affiliation with Fresh Take Florida.

The Student Press Law Center is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1974 to train and aid student journalists. The Brechner FOI Project, founded in 1977, is a nonprofit center at UFCJC dedicated to research and education in freedom of information.

Posted: November 18, 2024
Category: Brechner News
Tagged as: Brechner Award, Brechner FOI, Fresh Take Florida, Student Journalism, Student Press Law Center