Kent, LA Times, Honored Nationally For Online Deadline Reporting

Long Beach, CA - A South Bay resident has won a prestigious media award in recognition of outstanding accomplishments in professional journalism. Germany Kent, a notable multimedia journalist and producer has won the Sigma Delta Chi Award for exceptional journalism and distinguished service to the American people by the Society of Professional Journalists.

Kent won the national award as an independent in the category of Online Deadline Reporting. The Los Angeles Times was honored in the same category as Kent, winning as the affiliate news outlet. Kent's win in this category makes history, with her becoming the first black woman to receive the award from SPJ in this category. Both Kent and The Times took home top honors in Online Deadline Reporting for their respective coverage of the mass shooting that occurred at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks last November.

Kent's body of work work is titled "Tragedy in Thousand Oaks," and the LA Times report is titled "Gunfire and Flames in California." This year, 77 honorees were chosen from more than 1,300 submissions representing print, television, radio, newsletters, arts/graphics, online and research.

The Sigma Delta Chi Awards are some of the most prestigious and coveted awards given to journalists. The win puts Kent at the top of her profession, in the ranks of elite journalists. Kent recently traveled to our nation's capital to accept her award at a special banquet held at the National Press Club. The high-profile event, hosted by NBC Nightly News Chief White House Correspondent Hallie Jackson, was attended by some of the most respected news organizations in the world.

Other honorees this year include The New York Times, NPR, Newsy, Nieman Reports, PBS NewsHour, The Wall Street Journal, PRI's The World, Univision News, The Associated Press, and Reuters.

Kent is an internationally recognized influential woman in media who has achieved success as a social media marketing leader, publisher, pundit, actress and red carpet host in Hollywood. Kent's accolades include national and international literary awards as an international bestselling author who speaks out against bullying and cyberbullying. Kent has also received national recognition for her media mentoring and humanitarian work.