HU JOURNALISM SCHOOL ANNOUNCES 2003-2004 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

Hampton, VA - Three Hampton University alumni have been selected for induction into the Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications 2003-2004 Hall of Fame. The recipients are Barbara Ciara, anchor and managing editor of WTKR NewsChannel 3; Douglas Smith, a former sports writer with USA Today; and Emil Wilbekin, former editor-in-chief of Vibe magazine and current editorial director and vice-president for brand development for parent company Vibe Ventures.

The three media professionals were selected for the school’s Hall of Fame based on their professional achievements in journalism and communications that have had regional, national or international impact. The recipients are also recognized for having emerged as trendsetters, experts or notable authorities, and as media professionals who have worked toward the advancement of inclusiveness in the journalism and communications field.

Ciara and Smith will be inducted during the Class of 2004 senior celebration Saturday, May 8 from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. in the Robert P. Scripps Auditorium in the Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications on the Hampton University campus. Wilbekin will be inducted during a separate ceremony tentatively scheduled Oct. 15.

Former Hall of Fame inductees include Washington Post columnist and 1976 HU alumna Donna Britt; Dr. William Kearney, founder of HU’s Department of Mass Media Arts, and 1980 HU alumnus Brett A. Pulley, a senior editor at Forbes Magazine.

2003-2004 Hall of Fame Inductees

Barbara Ciara, joined WTKR-TV in July of 2000 and is now anchor of the station’s news programs on weeknights at 5:30 p.m. 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. Ciara has more than 20 years of experience as a broadcast journalist. She has won numerous community and professional honors for her work on camera and in the community.

Ciara started off the year 2000 completing her degree Summa Cum Laude at Hampton University, winning an Emmy for her series "Guilty Til Proven Innocent," and receiving honors from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism for her reports on race and ethnicity. Her co-honorees were CBS' Dan Rather and producers from 60 Minutes.
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When people refer to Ciara's world of experience, they are talking about her global travels to get the story in Cuba, Saudi Arabia during operation Desert Storm/Shield, Europe, Haiti, and Mexico. Ciara received the 1997 Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio and Television News Directors Association, 1997 Emmy nomination for "Operation Haiti" featuring children living in poverty on the island nation, 1995 Emmy nomination for the series "Letters from the Hood," a gripping story documenting the lives of children who live in violent urban areas.

Ciara has also been honored with numerous Associated Press and United Press International awards dating back to 1986, as well as a dozen prestigious "Excel" awards from the Hampton Roads Black Media Professionals.
Ciara also volunteers her time to the Tidewater AIDS Crisis Taskforce, Habitat for Humanity, Children's Hospital of the Kings Daughters, American Cancer Society, Candi House, the Urban League of Hampton Roads, the Joy Fund, and the Boys and Girls Clubs.

Doug Smith, currently a visiting professional in the Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications, is an award-winning journalist with more than 25 years of successful achievement as an editor and writer with three of the most influential newspapers in the United States – Newsday, The New York Post, and USA Today. His candid, forceful and informed writing style set new standards of excellence in sports reporting.

In October 2001, Smith retired from a 15-year stint at USA Today where he was recognized as one of the worlds most preeminent and influential tennis writers. He covered numerous tennis events each year, including the Grand Slams – Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open. In addition, Smith wrote a column – “Match Points” – on the USA Today web site.

Smith routinely broke news in the tennis world. His 1992 world exclusive on the late Arthur Ashe having contracted AIDS prompted years of useful discourse in newsrooms, as well as in the nation’s journalism schools. He wrote numerous cover stories and introspective features on the superstars of tennis – Andre Agassi, Jennifer Capriati, Pete Sampras and the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena. Junior players consistently sought the byline – “By Doug Smith” – as he monitored their development.

In recognition of his sustained excellence in tennis reporting and writing, Smith is the recipient of numerous awards, including the U.S. Tennis Association Lifetime Achievement Award (1988), the Women’s Tennis Association Media Person of the Year (1989, 1995), and the Tennis Week Great American Writing Award (for deadline writing) in 1990 and 2000.

Smith is a 1964 graduate of Hampton University, where he majored in mathematics. He was a member of the University’s CIAA championship (1961, 1962 and 1964) tennis team.

Smith also has made important contribution to the world of book publishing as an editor and writer. In 1992, he edited and updated Ashe’s three volume book, Hard Road to Glory: A History of the Black Athlete in America, originally published in 1988 by Amistad Press. In a collaborative effort with former tennis pro Zina Garrison, Smith wrote her autobiography – Zina, My Life in Women’s Tennis – published in May 2001 by North Atlantic Books (Berkeley, California).

Currently, Smith is working on a biography of the late Robert Walter Johnson. Johnson, a physician, built a tennis court in the backyard of his Lynchburg, Va. home, where he trained and developed promising black juniors – including Ashe and Athea Gibson – in the 1940s and 1950s, a time when blacks were barred from playing in most USTA events and on all public courts in the South.

Smith maintains an active personal interest in sports; including those that he has attained a degree of mastery – table tennis, tennis and basketball. He is continuing to ponder his golf game.

Emil Wilbekin, editorial director and vice-president for brand development for Vibe Ventures, joined Vibe magazine in 1992 when it was merely in its conceptual stages. Since then, Wilbekin has advanced markedly, holding a myriad of editorial positions and editing nearly every section of the magazine. Prior to joining Vibe, he held reporting positions at Metropolitan Home, the Associated Press, The Chicago Tribune, and People magazine. He has also contributed to The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Emerge.

Under Wilbekin's astute guidance, Vibe recently won the 2002 National Magazine Award for General Excellence in its circulation category. After several nominations, Vibe bested magazines like The New Yorker, Gourmet, and Wired. The win marked the first time a magazine with a primarily black readership has won in the General Excellence category. Wilbekin celebrated his fourth year as editor-in-chief of Vibe with the magazine's September 2003, 10th anniversary "Juice" issue.

A Cincinnati native, Wilbekin is a 1989 graduate of Hampton University and Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. He provides frequent expert commentary on music, urban culture, and fashion for numerous television outlets and programs, including NBC's Today, CNN, The Fox News Channel, BET, MTV, and VH1.

Wilbekin serves on the board of directors for a number of professional and philanthropic organizations, such as, the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME), the Design Industries Fighting AIDS (DIFFA), the Brotherhood SisterSol, and 24 Hours for Life. A committed community activist, Wilbekin has also been honored with a number of high profile service awards including, the Pratt Institute's Creative Spirit Award; the Howard University Entertainment, Sports, and Law Club Media Award; The Anti Violence Project's Courage Award; and The Hetrick Martin Institute's Emory Award. He is also a member of the Black AIDS institute.