Glendale Daily Planet's Ed Sharpe wins the AABJ Media Diversity Award for the second time.

The Arizona Association of Black Journalists has announced Ed Sharpe of the Glendale Daily Planet as the winner for the third-annual Arizona Media Diversity Awards program. This is Sharpe’s second year to win this award.

The program aims to recognize Arizona journalists and media members committed to sharing diverse stories reflective of Arizona’s minority communities. Weldon B. Johnson, president of the Arizona Association of Black Journalists, explained the award as one that “highlights the rich diversity of the community [local journalists] serve.” He adds that, “We’d like to salute Ed Sharpe and the Daily Planet for not only the quality but volume of his submissions. Ed has demonstrated a commitment to showcasing the diversity of experiences of Glendale’s residents. He has also exhibited a great enthusiasm for concept of community journalism and telling the stories of all of the people of Glendale.”

AABJ honors Sharpe for a collection of stories including a visit to Glendale by acclaimed poet Nikki Giovanni, coverage of the city’s first Arab American Festival and the 2008 Arizona Black Expo. Sharpe entered his work in the online/new media category.

These entries consisted of text and stills with many also offering full video of the keynote address by the dignitary in conjunction to links to other sites and a large bank of photos of the event for participants to be able to download.

Sharpe, an Online Media and IPTV Pioneer, commented that, “All I do is record what exists around me and package it and distribute it.” He adds, “The main credit for the richness of the content is due to the interesting people and activities that are around me. As Glendale grows we get more people from all over moving here with new businesses, activities and festivals. Pan you camera (or your eyes) around … it’s a fascinating world here!”

Along with the fundamental elements of journalism, entries must reflect the spirit of diversity in content and subject matter. Entries were judged by a committee affiliated with the National Association of Black Journalists.