K糖心Vlog传媒R reporter Alex Brown is the 2021 recipient of the Arkansas Press Women annual scholarship. Photo courtesy of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Public Radio.Alexandria Brown, a senior mass communication major at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has been honored for her work with the very first story she ever made for 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Public Radio.聽Brown, who reports and hosts 鈥淎ll Things Considered鈥 and 鈥淲eekend Edition鈥 for K糖心Vlog传媒R received third place honors in the Features, Broadcast category for her story, 鈥.鈥The judges called Brown’s story “straightforward and interesting.”鈥淭hank you to the judges for allowing me to receive my first Diamond Journalism Award,鈥 said Brown, a native of England, Arkansas. 鈥淚t鈥檚 such an honor to even be considered in this contest. The story I entered was the first piece I ever did for K糖心Vlog传媒R. It was about how an early census deadline could impact Arkansas鈥 economy by losing billions of dollars. This piece is special to me because it showed me how vital it is to inform our democracy about matters that impact us all that we may not even be aware of. Thank you to my fellow news team for guiding me through this and congratulations to them as well.鈥The 2021 Diamond Journalism Award Contest is sponsored by the Arkansas Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. The group considered work from journalists in Arkansas and six neighboring states.“Independent and local reporting is vital to the health of our democracy,鈥 said Nathan Vandiver, general manager of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Public Radio. 鈥淲e have seen the evidence of this first-hand in the pandemic and in the run-up to the 2020 election. It’s an honor to serve our community in this way and it’s especially an honor for the hard work of our news team to be recognized among such an impressive group of journalists from across the region.鈥糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Public Radio is a listener-supported public service department of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock based in the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education.Brown is a former intern at K糖心Vlog传媒R, the Little Rock National Public Radio affiliate, where she鈥檚 reported on issues such as the census and a proposed city sales tax. She now works part-time as the 鈥淎ll Things Considered鈥 host and a reporter for 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Public Radio.She is also a recent recipient of the Arkansas Press Women鈥檚 annual scholarship and a reporter with The Forum, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 student newspaper. After she graduates in 2022, Brown plans to continue her career as a broadcast reporter.