Jemele Hill, senior correspondent and columnist for ESPN’s The Undefeated, has been selected as the 2018 Journalist of the Year by the National Association of Black Journalists.
In a press release announcing her selection, NABJ said that Hill is known for “her provocative commentary on what’s happening in sports and in the news.”
“She uses her platform to address national, social and cultural issues, in addition to sports. Hill nearly broke the internet last year when she criticized President Donald Trump. She also, taking up the NABJ spirit of advocacy, addressed athletes’ rights to take a knee to protest police brutality. She did all this while co-anchoring a groundbreaking rebrand of ESPN’s marquee show SportsCenter, or SC6, along with fellow NABJ member Michael Smith,” the organization continued.
In response to the announcement, Hill said: “It would be a serious understatement to call this recognition from NABJ special. This organization has been a second family for me, both personally and professionally. I am humbled to be honored by an organization whose values not only match my own journalistically but has tirelessly dedicated itself to developing and nurturing journalists like me.
“This is the biggest accomplishment of my career,” she added.
In October, Hill was suspended by ESPN for two weeks after what it determined was a “second violation” of its social media guidelines.
Hill first tweeted in September that Donald Trump was “the most ignorant, offensive president of my lifetime. His rise is the direct result of White supremacy. Period.”
In October, after Dallas Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones said that he would bench any player who kneeled during the national anthem, Hill tweeted that the best way to reject what he said was to go after his advertisers.
“Jemele Hill has been suspended for two weeks for a second violation of our social media guidelines,” the network said in a statement. “She previously acknowledged letting her colleagues and company down with an impulsive tweet.
“In the aftermath, all employees were reminded of how individual tweets may reflect negatively on ESPN and that such actions would have consequences,” the statement continued. “Hence this decision.”
Hill was supported by fans and fellow journalists alike with the hashtag #IStandWithJemele.
With regard to the suspension, HIll has publicly said that she regrets nothing.
Hill is the epitome of standing up for what you believe in, and this latest honor is well-deserved.
She will be honored at the annual NABJ convention on Aug. 4 in her hometown of Detroit.