"Our entry begins with an unblinking report about a disturbing trend called 'slut shaming' -- explicit videos and photos of young girls making rapid-fire rounds in social media as peers pile on. Temitayo Fagbenle's incisive reporting opens a world only distantly seen by adult reporters. Her interviews include a girl who was 'shamed' and a boy who was arrested for publicizing a topless picture of his 13-year-old girlfriend.
"One listener wrote that the story captured 'amazing first-hand comments by people who perhaps would have been reluctant to speak to most reporters.' Online, it got near 100,000 page views. In the scores of comments and a live chat, both teens and adults thanked Temitayo for starting a dialogue.
"Our next two segments dove deeply into issues affecting New Yorkers. In the wake of the shooting of Trayvon Martin, Rookies reported on young people of color and the NYPD. During an exclusive with Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, one Rookie asked what teens should do if they get stopped. Kelly urged them to cooperate and to 'accept it as a fact of urban life.'
"Our story, 'Mind the Gap,' takes listeners on the unusual and uncomfortable journey of four recent Caribbean immigrants as they try to understand the Lubavitch Jewish community in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. As the Rookies set out, it's clear everything they know is born of rumors and fear-mongering. Then they sit down with a group of girls from a local Yeshiva. The result: a frank conversation about stereotypes. Their YouTube video attracted more than 10,000 views and thoughtful comments from both Lubavitch and black neighbors.
"Our submission ends with three intimate features: each on a topic that affects many but gets little play. One Radio Rookie tells listeners how, after coming to the U.S. from Congo, she hid her life in a homeless shelter from her family back home. 'We're supposed to give them hope.' When she joined the popular Brian Lehrer show as a guest, New York immigrants shared similar tales. One of Lehrer's producers wrote that, in hindsight, the segment's success 'left us wondering why we hadn't thought to do something earlier. I guess we needed Danielle to do a piece on it!'
"17-year old Bree Person reported on her life with Sickle Cell, which experts say lacks funding because it gets little attention. 'I want people to know!' Bree practically shouts -- and then tells why it's so hard to talk about.
"Finally, we hear from a black teenager from Harlem who defies expectations. Michael Brown almost fell into the much discussed drop-out pattern that plagues boys from his world. But his report covers, instead, how he pulled through and graduated.
"These stories enriched and influenced conversations near and far (our sexual cyber-bullying story is now set to air internationally on the BBC). Our Rookies crossed the boundaries of age and inspired the adult world to take note."--2012 Peabody Awards entry form.
"Sexual Cyberbullying: The Modern Day Letter A" was reported by Temitayo Fagebenle and broadcast on December 28, 2012. "Kelly talks NYPD's relationship with high-crime neighborhoods" was reported by Temitayo Fagebenle and Ephraim Fromer and broadcast on September 1, 2012. "Mind the gap in Crown Heights" was reported by Selena Brown, Chantell Clarke, Sabrina Smith, and Tangeneka Taylor and broadcast on May 2, 2012. "American Dream" was reported by Danielle (who does not give her last name) and broadcast on December 12, 2012. "Sickel and me" was reported by Bree Person and broadcast on December 9, 2012. "My education, uninterrupted" was reported by Michael Brown and broadcast on December 10, 2012.
This is a video produced in conjunction with the "Mind the Gap in Crown Heights" segment of Radio Rookies.
Corporate Producers: WNYC (Radio station : New York, N.Y.) | Mozilla Hive NYC Learning Network | Facing History and Ourselves National Foundation
Persons Appearing: Selena Brown (Reporter) | Chantell Clarke (Reporter) | Sabrina Smith (Reporter) | Tangeneka Taylor (Reporter)
Broadcast Date: 2012-02
Ingested disc contents:
1. Response word document
2. Media appearances word document
3. Story web link word document
4. "Mind the gap in Crown Heights" multimedia story video file
