The New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault awarded its 2018 Visionary Voice award to Stefanie Murray, Director of the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University.
“We’re thrilled to honor Stefanie as our 2018 Visionary Voice awardee,” said Patricia Teffenhart, executive director of NJCASA. “Her expertise helped shape NJCASA’s Media Toolkit into the most successful resource it could be. NJCASA is grateful for her continued collaboration and enthusiasm for the project and we’re delighted to recognize her contributions with this award.”
Murray was awarded for her outstanding contributions to NJCASA’s Media Toolkit project. In its nomination, NJCASA wrote, “From initial planning calls to content reviews to final distribution, Stefanie has been equal parts insightful, thoughtful, and passionate in her collaboration with NJCASA… With an eye towards what would be helpful in the current media landscape and a passion for creating a product to help tell survivor stories authentically, Stefanie was an invaluable asset to the Media Toolkit project.”
“I’m honored to receive NJCASA’s 2018 Visionary Voice Award,” said Stefanie Murray, Director of the center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University. “The #MeToo movement has only amplified the power of survivors working with the media to shine a light on sexual violence. As media allies, the way we tell these stories matters: the words we choose to use, the images we choose to illustrate stories, and how we frame our coverage. Collaborative work between journalists and sexual violence organizations is important, and I think we need to continue — and strengthen — such partnerships to help to shape the dialogue around sexual violence.”
Prior to her current role directing the Center for Cooperative Media, Stefanie was the vice president and executive editor of the Tennessean and worked at various news organizations in Michigan and Tennessee as a reporter, editor, digital media manager, and news executive.
The Visionary Voice Awards are presented annually to recipients across the national by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Each year, state, territory, and tribal coalitions select an outstanding individual to honor with the award, which is presented during Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). Stefanie is one of 35 Visionary Voice Award recipients for 2018.
