April 2001

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Medical reporting students win Emmy

A television news report produced by students in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication has won an Emmy Award.

Five students received the honor Jan. 27 at the 15th-Annual Midsouth Regional Emmy Awards in Nashville, Tenn.

The report, "Surviving Childhood Cancer," aired on "North Carolina Now," a news and public affairs program on UNC-TV.

"Winning the award is a great accomplishment," said Dr. Tom Linden, the class instructor and Glaxo Wellcome distinguished professor of medical journalism. "The students tackled an emotionally difficult problem and told a story that was compelling and insightful."

The students were enrolled in Linden's "Medical Reporting for the Electronic Media" class. The Emmy in the student production category is the second won by students in the School's medical journalism program during the last two years.

Senior Kellie Honeycutt and May 2000 graduate Matt McCullough wrote the cancer report. Seniors Chad Helton and Meredith Sinclair worked as associate producer/researchers along with Jeff Novey, who received his master's of public health from the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education in the School of Public Health.

"Few people are aware of the long-term consequences of surviving childhood cancer," Linden said. "Many adult survivors suffer recurrences of their childhood cancers or suffer long-term effects of the early radiation or chemotherapy treatment. Plus, having cancer as a child can cause deep psychological and emotional hurts."