Cronkite Students Win Emmy Honor

Three students in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication were honored in the Emmy Awards given by the Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The students—Stjepan Alaupovic, Jamie Murdick and Zabihullah Noori—won in the student production category for their documentary, “Holy Hunger in the Midst of Plenty,” which follows Muslim students at Arizona State University as they observe Ramadan, a month-long religious observance emphasizing prayers, fasting, charity and self-examination. The documentary previously has been awarded a 2008 international Bronze Telly award as well as a Videographer Award of Distinction. In all, six Cronkite students and one recent graduate were nominated for recognition in the 2008 Emmys, which were presented in a ceremony last month in Phoenix. All of them were students in a documentary class taught by Professor John Craft of the Cronkite School. They include Charles Choueiri, Jasmine Hobeheidar and Brad G. Faye, who were nominated for an Emmy in the student production category for their documentary on prescription medicine, “May Cause.” The nominees also include Ray Gonzales, who graduated in December 2007. Craft said that Gonzales entered his documentary in the professional historical documentary category, even though he was a graduate student when did the work. The documentary, “Lessons in Loyalty: One American’s Internment Camp Experience,” has previously won a national award for best student documentary from the Broadcast Education Association. The piece tells the story of one Japanese-American who was placed in an internment camp during World War II. The Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards are given each year to recognize and reward excellence in broadcasting. Entries do not compete against each other; rather, each is judged individually on its own merit against a standard of excellence.